NEW YORK, March 18, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Government of Gabon and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) will host a workshop in Libreville 20-21 March to help French-speaking States in preparing their initial reports pursuant to Security Council resolutions concerning the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to non-State actors.
The “Workshop on Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004) Reporting”, is organized through the UNODA Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa. Participating States will benefit from the assistance of experts of the Security Council’s 1540 Committee and the experience of African States that have already submitted reports.
Oh Joon of the Republic of Korea, Chair of the 1540 Committee, has called for the full support of Member States in order to achieve universal reporting in 2014. Currently, 22 States — 18 of which are in Africa — have yet to submit a first national report describing the steps they have taken towards implementation of resolution 1540 (2004).
Gabon, which submitted its first report in 2011, agreed to host the workshop and share its experience with other participating States. Two similar workshops are planned for English- and Portuguese-speaking Africa.
By its unanimous adoption of resolution 1540 on 28 April 2004 — acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter — the Security Council obliged all States to refrain from providing any form of support to non-State actors attempting to develop, acquire, manufacture, possess, transport, transfer or use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their means of delivery. The resolution also requires all States to establish domestic controls to prevent the proliferation of such weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, including by establishing appropriate controls over related materials.
The Council later adopted resolution 1977 (2011), which calls upon all States that have not yet presented a first report on steps they have taken or intend to take in implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) to submit one to the 1540 Committee.
For further information please contact the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC), tel: +228 22 53 50 00; e-mail: mail@unrec.org; web: www.unrec.org.
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