Outstanding issues related to Syria’s initial declaration of its chemical weapons stockpile and programme still cannot be considered “accurate and complete”, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs told the Security Council today via video‑teleconference, during her regular monthly briefing on the implementation of resolution 2118 (2013).
The Food and Agriculture Organization said it is working to bolster the global response to the Fall Armyworm, considered one of the top 10 devastating plant pests, which places at risk up to 80 million metric tons of maize worth $18 billion per year in Africa, Asia and the Near East.
Iran must refrain from further steps to reduce its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on its nuclear programme, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council during a 22 December video‑teleconference meeting of the 15-nation organ, during which several members acknowledged a possible United States return to that landmark agreement.
NEW YORK, 16 December (Office for Disarmament Affairs) – The #Youth4Disarmament initiative has been recognized as Best Coalition Building Project of 2020 by a Billion Acts of Peace. The initiative was nominated alongside 11 other inspiring projects, chosen from more than 8 million Acts for Peace.
Syria’s initial declaration of chemical weapons on its territory cannot be considered accurate and complete, the head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said during a Security Council videoconference meeting on 11 December, while Damascus and its allies insisted that those stockpiles had been confirmed all destroyed by 2014.
The General Assembly, acting on the recommendation of its First Committee (Disarmament and International Security), adopted 66 resolutions and decisions today, including several addressing the need for multilateral action‑oriented solutions to spur denuclearization efforts, prevent an arms race in outer space and keep cyberspace safe.
The nineteenth Republic of Korea–United Nations Joint Conference on Disarmament and Non‑Proliferation Issues will take place from 2 to 4 December.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said carbon dioxide continues to be at record highs, despite COVID-19 lockdowns around the world. According to the WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, carbon dioxide levels saw a growth spurt in 2019 and the annual global average breached the significant threshold of 410 parts per million.
Reporting that Syria missed an October deadline to respond to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on the country’s reported use and stockpiling of such weapons, the senior United Nations disarmament official urged today that the Security Council end its divisions on the critical matter and act to resolve it.
Honduras deposited the fiftieth instrument of ratification to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, resulting in it being entered into force in January 2021. The Secretary-General said the Treaty is a commitment towards the elimination of nuclear weapons, which is the Organization’s highest disarmament priority.
