United Nations to Host Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004) Implementation Challenges Workshop for South-East Asian States, in Bangkok, 27-28 September

The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific, in cooperation with the Government of Thailand, is organizing a workshop for Member States of the South-East Asian region to tackle the challenges related to the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1540 (2004).  This event will be held at the United Nations Building in Bangkok, Thailand, from 27 to 28 September 2017.

Participants will include Government officials from South-East Asian States working in areas relevant to the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) and specifically on the security of chemical, biological, and nuclear materials, as well as members of the Group of Experts that supports the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004), international institutes and the United Nations.  They will meet to address one of the most critical current challenges to international and regional security: establishing effective national security laws, regulations and controls.  This is in accordance with resolution 1540 (2004), which imposes binding obligations on all States to adopt legislation to prevent the proliferation of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, and their means of delivery, and to establish appropriate domestic controls over related materials to prevent their illicit transfer.

The objectives of the meeting include fostering regional dialogue and enhancing the capacity of the Governments to meet the resolution’s provisions on the establishment and maintenance of national control systems, with special focus on the security of biological materials and related technologies.

The workshop will also serve to encourage States of the South-East Asian region to prepare national implementation action plans and to promote the sharing of experience, lessons learned and effective practices in areas covered by resolution 1540 (2004).  In addition, the workshop will promote the establishment of 1540 national points of contact for the resolution for States in the region and facilitate closer cooperation among them.

This event is made possible thanks to generous financial support from the Governments of Australia and Austria.

For further information, please contact Yuriy Kryvonos, Director of the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific, at info@unrcpd.org.