Regional seminar on the implementation of the UN Security Council resolution 1540 (2004)

03-04-2019

On April 3-4, 2019 Minsk hosts a regional seminar on the implementation of the UN Security Council resolution 1540. The workshop was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus together with the 1540 UN Security Council Committee and its’ expert group, the UN Office for  Disarmament Affairs and the OSCE Secretariat, with financial support of the European Union.

The objectives of the workshop are to exchange national best practices in the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004), assess the progress made, identify further measures and promote capacity-building for the implementation of this resolution and related resolutions at the national and regional levels.

Delegations from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, as well as experts from international and regional organizations, including the UN, OSCE, CIS, Interpol, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, take part in the workshop.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Oleg Kravchenko, addressed the workshop participants with a welcoming speech. The Belarusian diplomat emphasized that the subject of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, their means of delivery and related technologies continues to be relevant and remains at the center of the international community’s attention. Deputy Minister presented Belarus approaches towards the issues of international security, disarmament and non-proliferation, emphasizing that Belarus pursues a consistent and responsible policy in this field. O.Kravchenko outlined the importance of a comprehensive approach to the implementation of resolution 1540, which implies close cooperation and coordination at the regional and global levels in order to effectively counter the proliferation of materials and technologies that can be used to create weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.

Background Infromation: UNSC resolution 1540, adopted on April 28, 2004, is a legally binding document that reflects the threat of illicit trafficking in nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, their means of delivery and related materials, and the risk of acquiring such weapons and corresponding materials by non-state actors, including terrorists.

In accordance with the provisions of the resolution, the states are responsible for taking concrete steps to prevent the proliferation of nuclear, chemical, biological weapons and their means of delivery.

print version