Disarmament

Michael Douglas, United Nations Messenger of Peace, disarmament activist and internationally famed actor and producer has given his time to help promote a world free of nuclear weapons by producing a public service announcement to promote an international art contest for young people.

The United Nations Disarmament Commission, in an organizational meeting today, elected Enrique Roman-Morey of Peru as Chairman of its upcoming three-week substantive session — slated to run from 2 to 20 April — as consensus on its provisional agenda remained elusive.

The Tenth United Nations-Republic of Korea Joint Conference on Disarmament and Non-proliferation Issues will take place in Jeju, Republic of Korea, on 7 and 8 November. This annual event is organized jointly by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs through its Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific and the Government of the Republic of Korea. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is sending a video message to the Conference.

The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs will organize a special event entitled “Transparency in the Global Arms Trade” at United Nations Headquarters on 18 October, accompanying the launch of a new, ground-breaking Web feature offering unprecedented insight into the global reported arms trade.

The 2011 Disarmament Fellowship Programme will commence its third and final segment today in New York. Diplomats from the following 25 Member States are participating in the 2011 Disarmament Fellowship Programme: Belarus, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Germany, Honduras, Hungary, Iraq, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Russian Federation, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, United Republic of Tanzania, United States and Uzbekistan.

A regional workshop on implementing United Nations Security Council resolution 1540 (2004) will be held from 27 to 29 September in Astana, Kazakhstan. Officials from Central Asian States (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan), as well as representatives from several international, regional and subregional organizations have been invited to participate in the workshop.

To halt all nuclear testing, the international community must aim to launch the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 2012 through political will and concrete action, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged today at the seventh so-called “Article XIV” Conference to facilitate the instrument’s operation.

The twenty-third United Nations Conference on Disarmament Issues will be held in Matsumoto, Japan, from 27 to 29 July. Hosted by the Government of Japan and the City of Matsumoto, the Conference is organized by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs through its Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific.

The Disarmament Commission had failed to capitalize on the momentum created by a host of achievements in the disarmament field of during 2010, Hamid al-Bayati (Iraq), its Chairman, said today as the body concluded its twelfth consecutive fruitless substantive session.

The United Nations Disarmament Commission elected Liseth Ancidey of Venezuela this morning as Chair of its Working Group 3. The election followed consultations within the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States.