Twenty Years on, Member States Must Implement Security Council Resolution 1540, Secretary-General Urges, as Threat of Non-State Actors’ Using Mass Destruction Weapons Looms Large

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message to mark the twentieth anniversary Security Council resolution 1540 (2004):

The idea of terrorists and criminals wielding weapons of mass destruction is a nightmarish prospect.  Twenty years ago, countries came together to shield us from that threat. Security Council resolution 1540 (2004) requires Governments to take action to prevent non-State actors from getting their hands on nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.

Yet the threat still looms large.  In the two decades since the resolution was passed, dangers have grown.  Developments in science and technology are racing ahead — threatening to create a new generation of weapons of mass destruction that are easier to access and simpler to use.

As we mark the twentieth anniversary of Security Council resolution 1540 (2004), I urge countries to redouble their efforts to work together and to bolster national action in order to implement the resolution urgently and in full.  I also ask them to support our proposed New Agenda for Peace at the Summit of the Future later this year, which specifically recommends strengthening measures to prevent non-State actors acquiring weapons of mass destruction.

Together, let’s stop weapons of mass destruction falling into terrorist hands and build a safer world for us all.