Disarmament

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva today:

Kathmandu is set to host a pivotal gathering of Asia-Pacific countries to tackle the spectre of illicit small arms. The Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Fourth Review Conference on the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (UN PoA) and its International Tracing Instrument is set to take place from 23 to 25 January.

Consultations on Syria’s chemical programme have taken place between the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the Government of Syria, but Damascus’ further cooperation is needed to resolve outstanding issues as gaps and discrepancies persist, the Security Council heard today.

Following the fifth launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, on 18 December, Security Council members today called for de-escalation, political dialogue and diplomatic solutions for the Korean Peninsula, and a restoration of unity among the 15-nation Council.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message, as delivered by Adedeji Ebo, Officer-in-Charge, Director and Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, to the Virtual Launch of the Youth Leader Fund for a World Without Nuclear Weapons, today:

The international community must exhaust “all available diplomatic avenues” to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran’s nuclear programme, the United Nations’ top political and peacebuilding official told the Security Council today, even as participants to that Plan disagreed on how to achieve this.

Today, the selected 100 young participants of the Youth Leader Fund for a World without Nuclear Weapons convened for the first time.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

Small arms and light weapons are key drivers of hostilities and “de facto weapons of mass destruction”, killing 700 people per day, speakers told the Security Council today during a debate that highlighted the need for the 15-nation body to mount a comprehensive response that included strict control over diversion of those weapons to conflict zones.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) notes with concern that exchanges of fire across the Blue Line continued throughout the weekend, with reports that people were injured on both sides of the border. This follows the reported deaths of three people there following exchanges of fire on 1 December.