The general debate of the 81st Session of the General Assembly’s First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) is underway in New York. Deputy Permanent Representative, Mrs.Irene M. Juru, delivered Zimbabwe’s national statement today, on behalf of the Permanent Representative, Ambassador Taonga Mushayavanhu. In the statement, Zimbabwe: • called for renewed efforts towards nuclear disarmament and the balanced implementation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (#NPT); • ⁠urged the remaining Annex II States to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (#CTBT); • ⁠Called for peaceful uses of outer space, enhanced cybersecurity and the regulation of autonomous weapons systems. Zimbabwe further signposted that, in its 2027-2028 tenure on the United Nations Security Council, it would place priority on countering the illicit flow of small arms and light weapons and continue to advance the African Union’s Silencing the Guns initiative.