South Africa to Host Workshop on Reporting under Security Council

Resolution 1540 (2004) in Pretoria, 10-11 April

 

NEW YORK, 9 April (Office for Disarmament Affairs) — The Government of South Africa will host a workshop in Pretoria from 10 to 11 April — facilitated by the Institute for Security Studies, with support from the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs through its Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa — to assist English-speaking States in preparing their initial reports pursuant to Security Council resolution 1540 (2004) on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by non-State actors.

Ambassador Oh Joon of the Republic of Korea, Chair of the 1540 Committee, has reiterated the need to continue efforts to achieve universal reporting in 2014, the year of the tenth anniversary of resolution 1540 (2004).  Currently, 21 States have yet to submit a first national report describing the steps they have taken towards implementation of resolution 1540 (2004).

South Africa, which submitted its first report on 31 January 2005, agreed to host the workshop and share its experiences with other participating States.   Gabon hosted a workshop for French-speaking countries on 20-21 March 2014, and a similar one is planned for Portuguese-speaking States.

By unanimously adopting resolution 1540 (2004) on 28 April 2004, under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, the Security Council obliged all States to refrain from providing any form of support to non-State actors attempting to develop, acquire, manufacture, possess, transport, transfer or use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their means of delivery.  The resolution also requires all States to adopt and enforce effective laws to prohibit the proliferation of such weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery by non-State actors, and to establish domestic controls to prevent such proliferation.

Seven years later, the Council adopted resolution 1977 (2011), which calls upon all States that have not yet presented a first report on steps they have taken or intend to take in implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) to submit such a report to the 1540 Committee.

For further information, please contact the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa at tel.:  +228 22 53 50 00; e‑mail:  mail@unrec.org; or visit www.unrec.org.

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For information media • not an official record