Ten Years after Adoption of Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004),

 

Member States Working Hard to Implement Its Requirements

 

NEW YORK, 6 May 2014 (Office for Disarmament Affairs) — A decade after the adoption of Security Council resolution 1540 (2004),Governments around the world are working hard to implement its requirements, with Member States having enacted a large number of relevant laws and deployed a wide range of appropriate measures.

The resolution’s unanimous adoption, on 28 April 2004, initiated a process by which the United Nations has been addressing the threat that weapons of mass destruction pose to international peace and security.  The resolution established a programme of action to prevent non-State actors, terrorists in particular, from proliferating nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and their means of delivery.

Scope of Resolution 1540 (2004)

By the terms of resolution 1540 (2004), the Security Council decided that all States shall refrain from providing any form of support to non-State actors that attempt to develop, acquire, manufacture, possess, transport, transfer or use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their means of delivery.  The resolution requires all States to adopt and enforce appropriate effective laws to that effect.  It also requires them to develop and maintain effective border controls and law-enforcement efforts to detect, deter, prevent and combat, including through international cooperation when necessary, the illicit trafficking and brokering in such items in accordance with their national legal authorities and legislation, and consistent with international law.

The Security Council committee established pursuant to the resolution (1540 Committee) is required to report on implementation of the text’s provisions.  Security Council resolution 1977 (2011) extended the Committee’s mandate until 25 April 2021.

“In the decade since its adoption, resolution 1540 has become an important component of the global security architecture.  Enacted under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, it recognizes that its full national, regional and global implementation requires international cooperation and assistance.  I urge all States and stakeholders to reaffirm their common commitment to achieve the great goals of this resolution and to devote their utmost efforts to save present and future generations from the double threat posed by terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.”

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,
Message for the tenth anniversary of resolution 1540 (2004), 28 April 2014

Activities of United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs

The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) provides support for activities of the 1540 Committee, particularly in the following key areas:  facilitation of national implementation activities, including through regionally coordinated approaches; cooperation between international organizations; and effective partnerships with key stakeholders.

Facilitation of National Implementation Activities

In cooperation with the 1540 Committee and relevant regional and subregional organizations, UNODA promotes and facilitates practical efforts by Member States for full implementation of the key requirements of resolution 1540 (2004).  They include the preparation of voluntary national implementation and capacity-building plans, the conduct of 1540 peer reviews and the identification of effective 1540 implementation practices.  Regionally coordinated approaches are among the most efficient means of bolstering national implementation.  In order to promote capacity-building, facilitate assistance and raise awareness, UNODA has organized or supported 38 regional or thematic workshops held in Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Belarus, Botswana, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, India, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lithuania, Peru, Poland, Qatar, Serbia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, Vanuatu and Viet Nam.

Cooperation between International Organizations

The 1540 Committee is tasked with engaging relevant international, regional and subregional organizations in sharing experiences and lessons learned in the areas covered by the resolution.  UNODA promotes that cooperation by working with them to facilitate the exchange of information and identify synergies that can be exploited on issues relevant to the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) for the benefit of their respective Member States.  Since 2010, UNODA has organized three meetings of international, regional and subregional organizations which established an active network of such organizations to promote these objectives.

Effective Partnerships with Key Stakeholders

UNODA is committed to building productive and effective cooperation and partnerships with civil society, industry, scientific, other expert and professional communities in support of the non-proliferation objectives of resolution 1540 (2004).  In January 2013, a Civil Society Forum was convened in Vienna, the first major international and geographically diverse gathering of civil society representatives.  The most recent civil society event was held in New Delhi in February 2014 and was devoted to identifying effective 1540 implementation practices.  UNODA is also collaborating with industries that undertake many practical measures relating to implementation of resolution 1540 (2004).  In cooperation with Germany, it launched the “Wiesbaden Industry Process” in 2012 to develop sustainable cooperation between the 1540 Committee, the United Nations and the private sector.

Resolution 1540 (2004) Facts

• To date, nearly 90 per cent of United Nations Member States have submitted national reports on measures taken or planned in implementation of the resolution’s provisions

• The 1540 Committee has recorded more than 30,000 reported measures taken by States in implementing the resolution’s key requirements.

• More than 175 States and 60 international and regional organizations have participated in UNODA-organized regional workshops.

• UNODA has received grants from a number of Member States as well as the European Union and the Carnegie Corporation of New York to support its 1540-related activities.

For more information, visit:  http://www.un.org/en/sc/1540.

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For information media • not an official record