Disarmament

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Matthew Rycroft (United Kingdom):

NEW YORK, 22 March (Office for Disarmament Affairs) — Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 71/258, the United Nations conference to negotiate a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination, will convene its first substantive session from 27 to 31 March at United Nations Headquarters.

The Central African Convention for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, their Ammunition and all Parts and Components that can be used for their Manufacture, Repair and Assembly (Kinshasa Convention) enters into force today, today.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Matthew Rycroft (United Kingdom):

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The United Nations Conference to negotiate a nuclear-weapon ban elected its president today, and adopted — as orally revised — the draft provisional agenda for its four-week substantive session, to begin in March.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Volodymyr Yelchenko (Ukraine):

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The Disarmament Commission elected the Chair and two Vice-Chairs for its 2017 substantive session today, and took note of the provisional agenda for the third year of its three-year cycle, to be held from 3 to 21 April.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the opening of the 2017 session of the Conference on Disarmament, in Geneva today: