UNODA hosted a reception in honour of the 30th Anniversary of the Regional Centres for Peace and Disarmament

(From Left to Right) Mr. Kim Won-soo, Ms. Mélanie Régimbal; Director of UNLIREC, Ms. Olatokunbo Ige; Director of UNREC and Mr. Yuriy Kryvonos; Director of UNRCPD

On 26 October 2016, the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) hosted a reception in the United Nations Headquarters in New York to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Regional Centres. The event was moderated by Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament, Mr. Kim Won-soo. In his opening remarks, he thanked the Governments of Nepal, Peru and Togo for hosting the three Regional Centres and introduced the Directors of the Centres. Furthermore, Mr. Kim recognized the Member States who made contributions and provided support to the Centres over the past 30 years.

H.E. Mr. Sabri Boukadoum, Permanent Representative of Algeria and Chairman of the First Committee, congratulated the Regional Centres and thanked the Directors and all their staff for their contribution to regional peace and security. He acknowledged in particular, the contribution made by the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament (UNREC) in Africa to the safety and security of the region.

(From Left to Right) H.E. Ms. Ina Krisnamurthi, H.E. Mr. Wu Haitao, H.E. Mr. Gustavo Adolfo Meza-Cuadra Velásquez, H.E. Mr. Martín García Moritán, H.E. Mr. Sabri Boukadoum

H.E. Mr. Martín García Moritán, Permanent Representative of Argentina informed the audience about Argentina’s cooperation with the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC). Ambassador Moritán encouraged all Member States and particularly States of the region, to continue to support UNLIREC’s projects and maintain an active dialogue with the Regional Centres.

H.E. Mr. Gustavo Adolfo Meza-Cuadra Velásquez, Permanent Representative of Peru, underscored that UNLIREC and its host country, Peru, enjoy a close partnership. The Ambassador thanked the three Centres for combatting international crime and promoting regional peace and security.

H.E. Mr. Sabri Boukadoum offers a toast to the three Regional Centres

H.E. Mr. Wu Haitao, Deputy Permanent Representative of China, congratulated the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD) on its arms control and non-proliferation efforts. In addition, the Ambassador Wu stressed that each region is different and requires different forms of assistance on different issues.

H.E. Ms. Ina Krisnamurthi, Deputy Permanent Representative of Indonesia, highlighted that regional approaches to disarmament complement global efforts as they enhance the confidence and security of all States and reduce the risk of regional conflicts.

Text by Julia Bhattacharjee