Disarmament Commission

2014 Organizational Session

336^th Meeting (AM)

Disarmament Commission, in Organizational Meeting, Reviews Proposals to Convene

Substantive Session in April 2014, Continue Consideration of Current Agenda

 

In an organizational meeting this morning, the Disarmament Commission elected the Chair for its 2014 substantive session and reviewed the proposals contained in a resolution of the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security), including that it hold that session from 7 to 25 April.

The Commission elected by acclamation Vladimir Drobnjak ( Croatia) as Chair of its 2014 session.  In his new role, he thanked outgoing Chair, Christopher Grima ( Malta), for his excellent guidance, saying he had left a “firm basis” for the Commission’s consideration of the agenda for the final year of a three-year cycle.

Resolution A/C.1/68/L.5, entitled “Report of the Disarmament Commission”, which had been forwarded to the General Assembly for adoption, reaffirms the Commission’s mandate as a deliberative body charged with making recommendations on various issues in the field of disarmament and following up on the relevant decisions and recommendations of the Assembly’s 1978 special session. 

The text also recommends that the Commission continue its consideration of the following items in 2014: recommendations for achieving the objective of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons; and practical confidence-building measures in the field of conventional weapons.  It thus took note today of the provisional agenda for its next session (document A/CN.10/L.72).

In that connection, Mr. Drobnjak informed members that Naif bin Bandar Al-Sudairy ( Saudi Arabia) and Knut Langland ( Norway) had expressed interest in continuing to chair Working Group I and II, respectively.  At its next meeting in April, the Commission would formally appoint the two working group chairs.

Elected as Vice-Chairs by acclamation today were Gholamhossein Dehghani (Iran) and Lim Sang-Beom (Republic of Korea) from the Asia and Pacific Group; Narcisa Vladulescu (Romania) from the Eastern European States; and Fernando Luque Marquez (Ecuador) and Aloisio Barbosa de Sousa Neto (Brazil) from the Latin American and Caribbean States.  Hartmut Koller-Lenhardt ( Austria) was re-elected by acclamation from the Group of Western European and Other States.

The Commission was expected to complete its Bureau at its next meeting in April, with the election of two Vice-Chairs, one each from the Group of African States and of Western European and Other States.  A Rapporteur was due to be selected from the Group of Western European and Other States.  Mr. Drobnjak appealed to the regional groups to conduct all necessary consultations in order to enable the start of substantive work, as planned, on 7 April with a full Bureau.

The Disarmament Commission reports annually to the General Assembly.  Its agenda, as of 2000, normally comprises two substantive items, which are debated for three consecutive years.  It has been unable to adopt recommendations at the conclusion of a number of three-year cycles.

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For information media • not an official record