On 28 and 29 May 2015, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), in cooperation with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs and the 1540 Committee Group of Experts, hosted a first-of-its-kind meeting on United Nations (UN) Security Council resolution 1540, to review progress made since its adoption 11 years ago, and discuss how to accelerate its implementation.
UNSC resolution 1540 obliges states to keep nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and their delivery systems away from criminals, militant groups and other non-state actors.
‘ISS is regarded as a key African partner in supporting implementation of resolution 1540,’ says Nicolas Kasprzyk, ISS consultant and former 1540 expert. ‘By hosting this meeting, the ISS has helped the 1540 Committee make its first substantive contribution to the 1540 comprehensive review process, which must be completed before December 2016.’
The ISS has been actively supporting African states with implementing resolution 1540 for a number of years. It recently launched a dedicated project to enhance cooperation with African governments, international organisations and other partners in this area.
The meeting brought together 12 of the 18 former members of the 1540 Committee Group of Experts, three current experts, a senior UN official, and representatives of the Republic of Korea, which chaired the 1540 Committee from 2013 – 2014.
The experts assessed the current status of resolution 1540, shared lessons from practical experience, and recommended concrete steps to help member states put the resolution into practice.
The papers presented by the former experts will be published by the ISS to encourage rigorous implementation, and inform the 2016 comprehensive review.
For more information, contact:
Nicolas Kasprzyk, ISS Pretoria: +27 81 794 4947, nkasprzyk@issafrica.org
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