Disarmament in Review
Hosted by the Government of India, the India-Wiesbaden Conference on “Securing Global Supply Chains through Government-Industry Partnerships towards Effective Implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1540 (2004)” was held in New Delhi on 16-17 April 2018.
The conference was organized by the Government of India in coordination with the Security Council Committee established pursuant to Resolution 1540 (2004) and supported by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the Government of Germany.
The aim of the conference was to adapt the Wiesbaden Process to specificities of its region while being min dful of the global inter-dependencies. It brought together industry and government representatives of several States not only from the region, but also across regions. The conference was also attended by representatives from international and regional organisations.
The first global Industry Outreach Conference on Resolution 1540 (2004) was held in Wiesbaden, Germany, in 2012. The objective of the “Wiesbaden Process” is to promote cooperation between governments and industry to support the implementation of the resolution to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) to non-State actors. The industry is an important stakeholder and a partner with governments in combating the proliferation of WMD.
Since 2016, the Wiesbaden Process has taken a regional approach in its engagement with industry to better address region-specific issues. In this regard, the Government of the Republic of Korea hosted the first regional conference for Asia in September 2016, followed by a second conference hosted by Mexico for the Pacific Alliance States and Brazil in June 2017.
Background
Acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1540 on 28 April 2004, obliging all States to refrain from providing any form of support to non-State actors that attempt to develop, acquire, manufacture, possess, transport, transfer or use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their means of delivery. Under the resolution, all States are to establish domestic controls to prevent the proliferation of these WMD and their means of delivery, including by establishing appropriate controls over related materials.
Resolution 1540 (2004) established a Committee of the Security Council, as its subsidiary body, to report to the Council on the implementation of the resolution. On 20 April 2011, the Security Council adopted resolution 1977 (2011), which extended the Committee’s mandate until 25 April 2021.
The Security Council further adopted resolution 2325 on 15 December 2016, which endorsed the recommendations of the Committee’s Comprehensive Review of the Implementation Status of Resolution 1540 (2004) and, inter alia, encouraged the Committee to draw on relevant expertise, including from civil society and the private sector.
For further information, contact:
Aaron Junhoung Yoo | UNODA | T: +43-1-26060-83162
