United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today cited deeper global cooperation as “indispensable” to strengthening nuclear security, as he called on leaders to take the necessary steps towards ensuring a safer world for all.
I thank the Government of the Netherlands for hosting this third Nuclear Security Summit. Nuclear security remains a pressing concern, not least the risk of nuclear terrorism. The primary responsibility for preventing non-state actors and terrorists from acquiring the most devastating weapons known to humanity lies with national governments. But international cooperation and assistance are indispensable. Important challenges include strengthening nuclear security implementation and building a culture of nuclear security. I see three areas where the United Nations has an important role to play.
Japan will host a foreign ministerial meeting on April 11-12 in Hiroshima to promote nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday. Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa and Rose Gottemoeller, U.S. undersecretary of state for arms control and international security
From 17 to 20 March 2014, experts will share and discuss best practices in mitigating the impact of nuclear disasters at an International Experts' Meeting (IEM) on Severe Accident Management in the Light of the Accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Held at IAEA headquarters in Vienna, the meeting will address how to deal with nuclear emergencies and provide necessary assistance, and review lessons learned from past accidents.
The Government of Kazakhstan will be hosting a workshop on 11-12 March in Astana to take stock of how a decade-old Security Council resolution aimed at curbing weapons of mass destruction impacts global and regional disarmament and non-proliferation.
Yesterday (5 March), the National Legislation Implementation Kit on Nuclear Security (Kit) developed recently by VERTIC at the request of the Indonesian government—to assist countries in implementing nuclear security-related legislation—was featured as a highlight in a new joint report by the Arms Control Association and the Partnership for Global Security. This report, ‘The Nuclear Security Summit: Assessment of Joint Statements‘, notes that the Kit ‘will serve as a guide for countries that want to implement IAEA recommendations on domestic legislation and other guidance to strengthen nuclear security within their borders.’ The Kit was developed by VERTIC in consultation with the Indonesian government, who will present the Kit as their gift basket to the upcoming Nuclear Security Summit—to be held in The Hague, the Netherlands during 24-25 March.
Niue ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), becoming the 162th country to do so. Niue’s ratification follows the country’s signature on 9 April 2012. Lassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), said: "I welcome Niue’s ratification of the CTBT. This consolidates the anti-testing norm in a region that has suffered so much from nuclear testing and sets an example for other States in the region and beyond."
The 35-member IAEA Board of Governors convenes its second official meeting in 2014 beginning Monday, 3 March 2014. Topics on the agenda include issues related to: applications for membership of the Agency; strengthening the Agency's activities in nuclear, radiation, transport and waste safety.
Representatives of civil society, including non-governmental organizations, industry and academics are gathering in New Delhi this week to help identify effective measures to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by terrorists and other non-State actors.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for an immediate end to escalating violence in Thailand, and urged authorities to bring those responsible to justice.
UNRCPD had a busy end to 2013 with two major conferences addressing issues of security, non-proliferation and disarmament in the Asia-Pacific: the annual disarmament and non-proliferation conference in Jeju, Republic of Korea, with a focus this time on UNSCR 1540, and the Second Asia Regional Meeting to Facilitate Dialogue on the Arms Trade Treaty. To learn more about these events, see the latest issue of the UNRCPD Newsletter. Other issues addressed within this edition of the Newsletter include UNSCR 1540 in the Asia-Pacific context, the UNRCPD Peace and Disarmament Education project in Nepal, UNRCPD’s presentation to the First Committee of the UN General Assembly, the visit of UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Angela Kane to UNRCPD’s office in Kathmandu, and more.
A grim array of human rights abuses, driven by “policies established at the highest level of State,” have been and continue to be committed in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), according to a United Nations-mandated report released today, which also calls for urgent action to address the rights situation in the country, including referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Japan may allow exports of defence equipment to international organisations such as those involved in U.N. peacekeeping operations on condition they do not take sides in conflicts, Kyodo News reported on Tuesday.
On 7 February 2014 the GCSP ( Emerging Security Challenges Programme), jointly with the Geneva Forum, organized a Needs Assessment Workshop as the first activity of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) Network launched in September 2013. Co-hosted by Silvia Cattaneo (Geneva Forum) and Marc Finaud (GCSP), this event, held under the Chatham House rule, was attended by some 60 experts from governments, NGOs (such as Oxfam, Quaker UN Office, Reaching Critical Will, Safer Word), international organizations (EU, ICRC, OSCE, UNODA including its regional centres for Africa and Latin America, UNDP, Wassenaar Arrangement), and academia or think tanks (Coventry University, Graduate Institute, SIPRI, Small Arms Survey, Stimson Centre, UNIDIR).
Sri Lankan military officials have confirmed that the "final phase" of landmine clearance in the conflict-affected parts of northern Sri Lanka will take another two or three years. "What remains to be cleared are the difficult stretches. This requires special skill and time, as they are demined manually, with minimum use of machines," Sri Lanka’s military spokesman, Brig Ruwan Wanigasooriya, told IRIN. The Minister of Resettlement, Gunaratne Weerakoon, said, "Facilitating resettlement and solving livelihood issues were our twin priorities. Demining has now reached its final phase and people can enjoy complete return to normalcy then."
In anticipation of the Second Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons, to be held in Mexico next month, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) recently released a report entitled Banning Nuclear Weapons: A Pacific Islands Perspective
Japan, which is set to rethink its three principles banning arms exports, will set clear and strict rules on when it engages in weapons trade, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday.
Nepal Army peacekeepers are all set to be deployed for improvised explosive device (IED) and ordnance disposal mission for the first time under a UN mission.
NAGASAKI – Japan unveiled a fresh initiative Monday to promote nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation and urged other Asian nations to strengthen their export controls to prevent such countries as North Korea and Iran from acquiring nuclear-related materials.
