1540 Committee Special Meeting on the 2016 Comprehensive Review

1540 Committee Special Meeting on the 2016 Comprehensive Review Statement by Mr. KIM Won-soo High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Madrid 13 May 2016 His Excellency, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ignacio Ybáñez Rubio, Ambassador Román Oyarzun Marchesi, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, At the outset, I want to convey the best wishes of Secretary-General Ban to this meeting and his gratitude to the Government of Spain for taking this initiative. The Secretary-General is an enthusiastic advocate for resolution 1540. He considers it an important component of the global security architecture. He has highlighted its role as a pillar of the United Nations’ strategy to confront the global challenge of non-state actors acquiring weapons of mass destruction. As he said in 2014: “The use of poison gas in Syria was an alarming reminder of the continuing threat of weapons of mass destruction.” The Secretary-General’s message to the international community is clear and consistent: “Weapons of mass destruction have no constructive role in the modern world. There are no right hands for the wrong weapons.” He counts on you to ensure that WMD stay out of the hands of non-state actors. He asks you to use the Comprehensive Review as an opportunity to strengthen resolution 1540’s framework – to make it fit for purpose in today’s shifting security environment. Early engagement of all Security Council members with other stakeholders well in advance of the December review is a very welcome initiative. The threat of chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear attacks by non-state actors is increasingly real, as Secretary Ybáñez just said. Dangerous non-state actors have demonstrated global reach, broken the taboo on chemical weapons and actively sought the full range of CBRN capabilities. They operate on the territory of States that unfortunately lack the capacity to address these dangerous activities. Important infrastructure and sensitive facilities like nuclear plants are increasingly vulnerable. We need to take very seriously the growing nexus CBRN security, terrorism, cyber-attacks and the misuse of other emerging technologies. As Secretary-General Ban has acknowledged, this dynamic environment has exposed gaps in the system. These must be filled. We need to adjust and update ourselves to the full scope of CBRN threats and risks posed by non-state actors. Each of the international organisations present here today has a role to play. The Secretary-General encourages you to build on partnerships developed through various processes such as the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force and the SecretaryGeneral’s Mechanism. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish to recognize the presence of the Deputy Director-General of the OPCW, Mr. Hamid Ali Rao, the Principal Adviser and Special Envoy for Non-Proliferation and Disarmament of the European Union’s External Action Service, Mr. Jacek Bylica, Khammar Mrabit of the IAEA and a number of other partner organizations like Director Rajah from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Customs Organization, the International Criminal Police Organization, the African Union and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. I thank you so much for joining us today. Many organizations present here have worked closely on a number of issues, in particular on the Syrian chemical weapons file. We have learned a lot of lessons and accumulated experiences which can help us to work better in other issue areas. We have, together with the 1540 Committee cooperated closely with all of you in order to streamline our 1540 related activities, avoid duplication and assist States to enhance their implementation efforts. This special meeting on the 2016 Comprehensive Review presents a unique opportunity to discuss lessons learned and chart possible ways forward. We hope today’s engagement will mark the beginning of closer coordination of our mutual and respective efforts to address CBRN threats and risks. The Secretary-General asks that you fully invest in strengthening the preventative framework of resolution 1540 now, so that it can cope with existing and emerging challenges. Failure to do so is not an option. I look forward to a productive day of deliberations. Muchas gracias! I thank you!