Fourteenth United Nations-Republic of Korea Joint Conference on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Issues to Be Held in Seoul, 7-8 December

NEW YORK, 4 December 2015 (Office for Disarmament Affairs) — The fourteenth United Nations–Republic of Korea Joint Conference on Disarmament and Non‑Proliferation Issues will take place in Seoul, Republic of Korea, from 7 to 8 December.

Organized jointly by the Office for Disarmament Affairs, through its Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific, in cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Korea, the annual event has attracted the participation of more than 40 representatives from Governments and intergovernmental organizations, as well as policy institutes, academia and non-governmental organizations.  Shin Dong‑ik, Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs of the Republic of Korea, and Kim Won‑soo, Acting High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, will open the Conference.

Themed “Unfinished Business of Building a More Secure World”, the 2015 Conference will address implications of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran and practical steps to revive denuclearization talks with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.  Participants will also discuss outer space security as well as efforts to establish new norms in that domain.  Finally, the Conference will focus on nuclear security in relation to challenges and tasks ahead of the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit, and the creation of an enduring nuclear security architecture post 2016.

The Conference has become an important forum for candid and constructive exchanges of views among participants on timely challenges and potential solutions to key disarmament, arms-control and security issues.  In particular, it addresses disarmament and non-proliferation concerns at the regional level.  The Conference is financed through voluntary contributions to the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs by the Government of the Republic of Korea, which also hosts the event.

For further information, please contact Yuriy Kryvonos, Interim Director, United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD), at tel.: +66 2 288 1839, or e-mail:  info@unrcpd.org.