Disarmament in Review
From 5-6 June 2019, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs and the Government of Madagascar, in cooperation with the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004), organized a national workshop in Antananarivo, Madagascar to develop a voluntary national implementation action plan for resolution 1540 (2004). The workshop, funded by contributions to the UN Trust Fund for Global and Regional Disarmament Activities by the European Union, attracted high-level interest from the Government of Madagascar with eight Ministers attending the opening ceremony showing the Government’s commitment to fully implement resolution 1540 (2004).
The Ministries of Defence, Justice, Foreign Affairs, Interior, Public Security, Agriculture, Environment, Energy and Culture were represented at the workshop along with representatives from civil society and the press.
The workshop served as an opportunity for relevant stakeholders in Madagascar to enhance their understanding of the obligations under resolution 1540 (2004), the importance of implementing the resolution and other international mechanisms relating to nuclear, biological and chemical security. The participants were also made aware of other relevant international assistance mechanisms.
Furthermore, the workshop facilitated discussions among participants representing different sectors of the Government and civil society of Madagascar. The participants exchanged information regarding their activities related to the resolution, shared relevant experience and identified challenges. This will facilitate the building of a network of peers to coordinate future efforts in ensuring national efforts to prevent the proliferation of WMD to non-State actors.
As the result of the workshop, participants developed ideas to better coordinate efforts in drafting a national implementation action plan in the near future.
For additional information, please contact Mr. Aaron Junhoung at yoo2@un.org
