ASIAN-PACIFIC REGION MEETING: EVOLUTION OF SCOPE OF SECURITY, DISARMAMENT IN TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

ASIAN-PACIFIC REGION MEETING:  EVOLUTION OF SCOPE OF SECURITY,

DISARMAMENT IN TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

NEW YORK, 30 July (Department for Disarmament Affairs) -- A United Nations Conference will examine the scope of security and disarmament in the Asian and Pacific region in the coming years in Kanazawa, Japan, from 28 to 31 August.

Approximately 70 representatives from governments, academic and research institutes and non-governmental organizations, mainly from Asia and the Pacific, will assemble in the framework of the “Kathmandu Process” initiated in 1989 by the Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific of the Department for Disarmament Affairs.  That process aims to foment dialogue and openness among the States of the region with a view to creating confidence, enhancing security and exploring possible cooperative measures for disarmament and arms control.

As it will be the first Asian-Pacific region gathering after the successful conclusion of the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons In All Its Aspects (New York, 9-20 July 2001), the Kanazawa Conference will provide participants an early opportunity to assess its results and to consider effective ways to implement the Programme of Action.

The Conference will focus on the multifaceted dimension of security, including dialogue among different cultures, the culture of peace, the revolution in information technology and its impact on security, environmental issues, organized crime and poverty.

The Conference will receive a report on the work of the Kanazawa Symposium, the annual meeting of experts from north east Asia hosted by the United Nations Association of Japan, which has contributed to the promotion of subregional dialogue on security, social and economic issues, mutual exchanges and environmental issues since its inception in 1995.

The Conference is entirely financed by contributions from the Government of Japan, the Prefecture of Ishikawa and the city of Kanazawa.

* *** *