Disarmament

Delegations considering an instrument that would prohibit nuclear weapons concluded their first-read through of the entire draft this morning, before proceeding to informal discussions in the afternoon.

The obligations of States parties to assist victims of nuclear weapons use or testing took centre stage today, with participants divided over whether to impose that primary burden on the nuclear weapons-possessor responsible, as the Conference working to codify a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons continued negotiations.

Continuing their deliberations on a legally binding instrument prohibiting nuclear weapons, Member States suggested today ways in which to improve the proposed text as well as various amendments to several of its draft articles.

Speakers voiced support for the requirement that all States parties destroy their existing nuclear arsenals, as the Conference convening to codify a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons and lead towards their total elimination entered its second day.

The pursuit of a world free of nuclear weapons was becoming more urgent than ever before, particularly in the midst of a deteriorating international security landscape, the senior-most United Nations disarmament official said today.

NEW YORK, 14 June (Office for Disarmament Affairs) — The second substantive session of the United Nations Conference to Negotiate a Legally Binding Instrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons, Leading towards Their Total Elimination will open in New York on 15 June, under the Presidency of Ambassador Elayne Whyte Gomez (Costa Rica).

NEW YORK, 6 June 2017 (Office for Disarmament Affairs) — The United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004) Regional Industry Conference for the Pacific Alliance States (Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru) and Brazil will be held in Mexico City from 8 to 9 June.

NEW YORK, 5 June 2017 (Office for Disarmament Affairs) — The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific and the Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic are jointly organizing a training workshop on building capacity for the implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in South-East Asia.

On 22 May 2017, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1533 (2004) concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo met with the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Operations and the Rule of Law and United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in pursuance of resolution 2293 (2016).

The members of the Security Council strongly condemned the most recent ballistic missile launch conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on 21 May 2017.  The members of the Security Council expressed their utmost concern over the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s highly destabilizing behaviour and flagrant and provocative defiance of the Security Council by conducting this ballistic missile launch in violation of its international obligations under United Nations Security Council resolutions 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009), 2087 (2013), 2094 (2013), 2270 (2016) and 2321 (2016).