Statement by Ambassador Byrne Nason at UNSC Briefing by the Chair of 1540 Committee

Statement

Thank you Mr President. And I would like to thank you, Ambassador Ramirez (Juan), for your briefing today.  This has been a difficult and challenging year, and your work, and that of your team, has been really exemplary in guiding progress of the Council and guiding the progress of the Committee.

Ireland greatly values the work of the 1540 Committee.  It is more important than ever to reiterate that any threat or use of weapons of mass destruction is abhorrent. In  seeking to prevent Non-State Actors from acquiring and using WMD,  1540 is a critical part of the global non-proliferation architecture.

Its full implementation remains essential, and we encourage States to continue to take seriously their obligations under this Resolution. The 1540 Committee, and the Group of Experts, in our view, do vital work in this regard.

Ireland welcomes the technical rollover of the 1540 mandate agreed last month. It allows us time to complete the Comprehensive Review.

It’s important that the Comprehensive Review, and the Open Consultations planned for the end of May, are completed in the best way possible with the views and experiences of Member States fully reflected in the process. This will ensure strong and broad support for the mandate going forward.

A meaningful Review must also include the effective participation of international and regional organisations, of industry, of academia and civil society. While the onus of implementation falls on States, of course, the input of all relevant stakeholders is essential to ensure we  prevent  non state actors including terrorists  from acquiring, developing, trafficking in or using nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and their means of delivery .  This is not just important for the Review, but for the ongoing work of the Committee.

We should build on the important work done under Resolutions 1977 and 2325, extending the work of the Committee and the Group of Experts.

Ireland sees the Committee’s monitoring, outreach and assistance work as central to its mandate, helping States to identify and address any gaps and vulnerabilities in regulations and national control frameworks. We hope to see that further strengthened under this Review.

Finally, President, though the Comprehensive Review is a key part of the Committee’s work this year, it is vital that the regular work 

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