Disarmament

In Tajikistan, the United Nations is mobilizing $40 million to help authorities address the needs of over 14,000 refugees and asylum seekers, nearly all of them from Afghanistan.  The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is coordinating the effort, with over 30 humanitarian and development partners.

United Nations staff in Myanmar report that civilians continue to suffer amid a worsening humanitarian crisis and continued fighting.  Nearly 890,000 people are displaced across the country, humanitarian needs are rising and aid workers face limited access, which is hampering the planned scale-up of assistance for 2022.

The United Nations is still not aware of any biological weapons programme being conducted in Ukraine, the senior disarmament official told the Security Council today, responding to fresh allegations by the Russian Federation of the existence of such research.

The comprehensive review of resolution 1540 (2004) — adopted unanimously to prevent non-State actors from acquiring nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, their means of delivery and related materials — is the top priority for the Committee charged with overseeing implementation of that landmark instrument, its Chair told the Security Council today.

The United Nations is not aware of any biological weapons programmes, the High Representative of Disarmament Affairs told the Security Council at an emergency meeting this morning to address related concerns in Ukraine.

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said they are closely following reports about the mobilization of forces and movement of large convoys of armed groups that have increased tensions in and around Tripoli.  The Mission calls on all parties to refrain from any action that could lead to armed clashes.

Pending issues with Syria’s declaration of its chemical weapons programme remain unresolved, the United Nations disarmament chief told the Security Council today, as delegates traded barbs over the impartiality of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the frequency with which the 15-member organ considers the matter.

Some 175,000 people in Ethiopia have been displaced from their homes due to the drought ravaging the Horn of Africa, and over 1.5 million cows and other livestock are estimated to have died, humanitarian affairs officials say.  The drought also displaced 670,000 men, women and children in neighbouring Somalia.

Six young professionals from Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America arrived at United Nations Headquarters in New York this week to begin a 10-day immersive experience in the field of disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control.

Syria’s declaration of its chemical weapons programme still cannot be considered accurate and complete due to identified gaps, inconsistencies and discrepancies that remain unresolved, the United Nations disarmament chief told the Security Council today, as delegates, including from the Russian Federation and the United States, sparred over the fact-finding mission’s report.