Disarmament

The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) has completed deliveries of critical supplies to two of the Team Sites east of the berm at Tifariti and Mehaires, with the support of the Frente POLISARIO, as well as Morocco. These deliveries will enable the sites to remain operational.

​​​​​​​The Security Council today discussed the risks posed by the illicit and unregulated export of weapons and military equipment during an open debate convened by the Russian Federation on that theme, as some members traded barbs on the supply of weapons to States in the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

In Papua New Guinea, the International Organization for Migration and humanitarian partners are helping with rapid assessments coordinated by provincial authorities after the magnitude-7 earthquake in the Chambri Lake area, which, due to the remote location, requires seaplane and canoe to be reached.

The Disarmament Commission’s 2023 substantive session began today by bringing into sharp focus the nuclear risks faced by the international community, as speakers stressed the alarming increase of dangerous nuclear rhetoric amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine and the crucial need to prioritize disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control measures.

In Türkiye and Syria, the United Nations, along with partner organizations, have provided water, sanitation and hygiene support to more than 440,000 men, women and children impacted by the earthquake. Rehabilitation work and emergency repairs have also restored water and sanitation access for some 250,000 people.

The Russian Federation’s recent announcement of plans to station non-strategic nuclear weapons in Belarus represents the first “nuclear sharing” agreement made since the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons entered into force in 1970, the senior United Nations disarmament official told the Security Council today, emphasizing that — against the backdrop of the Ukraine conflict — the risk such arms will be used is higher today than at any time since the end of the cold war.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, observed on 4 April:

The Security Council today decided to extend the mandate of the expert panel assisting the committee overseeing its sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea until 30 April 2024.

Full implementation of the Security Council resolution obligating States to prevent the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons remains a long-term task, the Chair of the Committee established pursuant to that text told the 15-nation organ today, as members spotlighted emerging issues that the Committee will need to address over the next 10 years of its mandate.

​​​​​​​While urging one another to end their five-year impasse and unite to counter the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s repeated launchings of ballistic missiles, Security Council members argued over the best approach to accomplish that, as a senior United Nations official briefed the 15-nation organ on Pyongyang’s latest round of projectiles.