SECRETARY-GENERAL’S ADVISORY BOARD ON DISARMAMENT MATTERS

TO MEET FROM 5 TO 7 FEBRUARY

The Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters will meet for a three-day closed session in New York from 5 to 7 February.  The last session of the Board, which meets twice a year, was held in Geneva from 17 to 19 July 2002.  The Board is tasked with advising the Secretary-General, who will meet with it at its current session, on arms limitation and disarmament matters.

This year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the establishment of the Advisory Board.  Over the past 25 years, the Board has made practical recommendations to the Secretary-General on a number of important issues in the field of disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation.  Most recently, it examined the following matters:  terrorism and weapons of mass destruction; reducing nuclear danger; revolution in military affairs; prevention of weaponization of outer space; and curbing the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.  It also initiated the United Nations Study on Disarmament and  Non-Proliferation Education, adopted by the General Assembly in 2002.

At its fortieth session, the Board will address disarmament and development against the background of rising global military expenditures, estimated at

$839 billion in 2001.  It will explore how best to utilize open-source data as an information tool for a wide variety of audiences, and as an educational and training tool for governments, international officials, researchers and students.  It will also undertake a review of its own functioning and effectiveness with a view to improving its future work.

The session will be chaired by Ambassador Kostyantyn Gryshchenko of Ukraine.  Currently, the Board has 22 members, including eight women.  It reflects the highest ratio of women (36 per cent) serving on the Board since its inception

25 years ago.

Board of Trustees of UNIDIR

The Board will also sit as the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR).  Located in Geneva, UNIDIR is an autonomous institution within the framework of the United Nations undertaking independent research on disarmament and international security issues.  In that capacity, the Board will review the activities of the Institute from July to December 2002 and approve the work programme for 2003.

Background

The Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters was established in 1978 pursuant to paragraph 124 of the Final Document of the tenth special session of the General Assembly, and received its current mandate pursuant to General Assembly decision 54/418 of 1 December 1999.  The Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters has the following functions:  to advise the Secretary-General on matters within the area of arms limitation and disarmament, including on studies and research under the auspices of the United Nations or institutions within the United Nations system; to serve as the Board of Trustees of UNIDIR; and to advise the Secretary-General on the implementation of the United Nations Disarmament Information Programme.

Members of the Board are appointed by the Secretary-General on the basis of their expertise in the field of disarmament and/or the wider field of international security, taking into account the principle of equitable geographical representation. (See following list.)  Patricia Lewis, Director of UNIDIR, participates as ex-officio member of the Board.

The Chairman of the Board submits a private report to the Secretary-General on the work of each session.  The Secretary-General, as requested by the Assembly in 1983 (resolution 38/183 O), submits a report on the work of the Board to the General Assembly.  The latest report is contained in document A/57/335, dated

22 August 2002.  The Secretary-General also submits a note to the Assembly transmitting the report of the Director of UNIDIR and the report of the Board of Trustees of the Institute.  The note from the last session is contained in document A/57/302.

For further information, please contact Xiaoyu Wang, Secretary of the Advisory Board, ext. 3-9440, e-mail: wangxy@un.org.

List of Members

H.E. Mr. Kostyantyn GRYSHCHENKO (Chair)

Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States

Washington, D.C., USA

Mme. Mariama BAYARD GAMATIÉ

Consultant on Development and Gender Issues

Niamey, Niger

H.E. Mr. Vicente BERASATEGUI

Ambassador of Argentina to the United Kingdom

London, United Kingdom

Mr. Pascal BONIFACE

Director, Institute of International and Strategic Relations (IRIS)

Paris, France

H.E. Mr. Rolf EKÉUS

High Commissioner on National Minorities

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)

The Hague, Netherlands

H.E. Mr. Nabil FAHMY

Ambassador of Egypt to the United States

Washington, D.C., USA

Mr. Shai FELDMAN

Head, The Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies

Tel Aviv University

Tel Aviv, Israel

H.E. Mr. Gelson FONSECA, Jr.

Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations

New York, USA

H.E. Mr. Raimundo GONZÁLEZ

Ambassador of Chile to Austria

Vienna, Austria

H.E. Dr. Kuniko INOGUCHI

Permanent Representative of Japan to the Conference on Disarmament

Geneva, Switzerland

Mr. LIU Jieyi

Director-General, Department of Arms Control and Disarmament

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China

Beijing, China

H.E. Dr. Maleeha LODHI

Former Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States

Islamabad, Pakistan

Mr. Harald MÜLLER

Director, Peace Research Institute Frankfurt

Frankfurt, Germany

Ms. U. Joy OGWU

Director-General, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs

Lagos, Nigeria

Mr. William C. POTTER

Director, Center for Non-Proliferation Studies and Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies

Institute Professor

Monterey Institute of International Studies

Monterey, California, USA

H.E. Mr. Boris D. PYADYSHEV

Editor-in-Chief, International Affairs

Moscow, Russia

Ms. Diane Marie QUARLESS

Director, Marine and Aviation Affairs Department

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade

Kingston, Jamaica

Ms. Jane SHARP

Senior Research Fellow

Centre for Defence Studies, Kings College

London, United Kingdom

Ms. Jill SINCLAIR

Director General, International Security Bureau (IDD)

Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

Ottawa, Canada

H.E. Ms. Kongit SINEGIORGIS

Director-General for African Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

H.E. Mr. Rakesh SOOD

Permanent Representative of India to the Conference on Disarmament

Geneva, Switzerland

H.E. Mr. Nugroho WISNUMURTI

Permanent Representative of Indonesia to the United Nations and Other International Organizations

Geneva, Switzerland

Ms. Patricia LEWIS [ex-officio member]

Director, UNIDIR

Geneva, Switzerland

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