Insufficient information provided by Syria regarding potentially undeclared chemical-weapons activities resulted in the opening of two new outstanding issues with Syria’s declaration under the Chemical Weapons Convention, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, noting that 19 of the now 26 such matters remain unresolved.
In progress at UNHQ
Disarmament
On 4 and 5 September, States from West and Central Africa are meeting in Lomé, Togo, to discuss the implementation of the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management, adopted in December 2023 by the United Nations General Assembly.
Despite progress made, the threat posed by nuclear weapons still looms unacceptably large, exacerbated by a world once again torn apart by conflict and strife, the President of the General Assembly warned today on the International Day against Nuclear Tests.
Escalating attacks in recent weeks on Ukraine have cause civilian deaths and destruction to surge, a senior United Nations disarmament official said today, as he briefed the Security Council on the rise in military assistance and transfers of arms and ammunition to that country, stressing that such activity must adhere to international law.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) reports that the significant rise in the water levels of the Nile has heightened the need for preparedness there, especially in high-risk communities near rivers or swampland.
Today, selected participants of the Youth Leader Fund for a World without Nuclear Weapons begin their week-long study visit to Japan. There, they will meet with survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and host their own youth-led conference.
Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day against Nuclear Tests, observed on 29 August:
In Libya, the United Nations Mission there expressed its concern at the recent mobilization of forces in various parts of the country, particularly in the southern and western regions.
Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message, delivered by Izumi Nakamitsu, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, to the Peace Memorial ceremony on the seventy-ninth anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, held today:
Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message, to be read by Izumi Nakamitsu, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, on the seventy-ninth anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima, in Hiroshima, Japan, today: