Disarmament in Review
April 22nd, 2025
With the support of United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), the Office of the National Security Adviser to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria hosted a workshop in Abuja on 7-8 April 2025, which brought together fifty representatives of twenty-seven government ministries, departments and agencies. Also in attendance were subject-matter experts from the United Nations Security Council Committee established pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1540 (1540 Committee), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the European Union Partner-to-Partner Export Control Programme for Dual Use Goods (EU P2P).
The workshop was made possible by contributions from the Republic of Korea and the European Union to the United Nations Trust Fund for Global and Regional Disarmament Activities. The donors, represented by their diplomatic missions in Nigeria, attended the opening and closing sessions of the workshop and delivered statements underlining a larger mission for the implementation of Resolution 1540 which was to secure a future free from the catastrophic threats posed by WMD, and the value of capacity-building within the framework of Resolution 1540 for addressing a wide range of evolving security threats.
The workshop followed the process initiated at the consultative meeting held in late 2023 in Abuja, which provided national stakeholders with the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the objectives and requirements of Security Council Resolution 1540 and to discuss the status of its implementation. At the meeting, it was agreed that a voluntary National Implementation Action Plan (1540 NAP) would provide a common framework to consolidate, streamline and enhance multisectoral efforts. Additionally, the meeting encouraged the national authorities to submit a supplementary report to the 1540 Committee reflecting the progress made since the submission of the first mandatory report in October 2004.
Against this background, the purpose of the workshop was to present the draft 1540 NAP and draft supplementary report, and to gather feedback and inputs from national stakeholders to validate the accuracy, coherence and completeness of those documents. Participants found the draft supplementary report to be clear and comprehensive in capturing the laws, regulations and related enforcement measures that give effect to the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1540. They provided updated information and official documents, as well as suggestions to highlight Nigeria’s regional and international cooperation on related matters.
The workshop’s deliberations included a panel discussion to explore Nigeria’s experience in multisectoral planning, and to identify lessons learned and good practices to consider in the design and implementation of the 1540 NAP. The panel discussion focused on frameworks relevant to the Resolution, including the Integrated Nuclear Security Sustainability Plan (INSSP) developed with the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the National Counter Terrorism Strategy, the National Public Health Multi-Hazard Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan, and the National Biosecurity Policy and Action Plan.
Subsequently, the draft 1540 NAP was reviewed and discussed to ensure that it is feasible and adequately addresses implementation gaps, clearly delineates and defines the roles and responsibilities of the competent institutions, and align it with national priorities, institutional processes, and related plans and policies. Participants also discussed the logical framework and refined the expected outcomes, timelines, and indicative resources, including collaboration with international and regional organizations.
Following the successful conclusion of the workshop, UNODA will continue to provide support the Office of the National Security Adviser in updating and finalizing the documents prior to their submission to the higher authorities for endorsement and adoption.
For more information, please contact UNODA’s 1540 Support Unit (unoda-1540-unhq@un.org).
