Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
License needed for work use Register

World Video | Defence | Foreign Affairs | Natural Events | Trade | NZ in World News | NZ National News Video | NZ Regional News | Search

 

UN Moves To Keep Germ-Chem-Nuke Weapons Contained

UN Panel Working To Keep Chemical, Germ And Nuclear Arms Out Of Terrorist Hands

The ability of countries to prevent terrorists, black marketers and other private interests from acquiring weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) will soon get needed help from a Security Council committee set up to monitor the problem, the panel's chairman said today.

The so-called 1540 Committee, named after the Security Council resolution which established the body in April, has already received reports from Turkmenistan and Malta and would soon be fully functional, Ambassador Mihnea Ioan Motoc of Romania told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York.

Numerous national leaders addressing the General Assembly during its annual high-level debate have been warning that the risk of WMDs reaching terrorists is the most ominous current security threat, he said.

Resolution 1540 calls on States to adopt legislative and administrative regulations to deal with WMD proliferation and to report within six months on their efforts to execute the measure's requirements. The deadline for the first reports is 28 October.

Because the text was adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, in theory the 15-member Council has the power to enforce decisions relating to it through tribunals, embargoes or military force after all peaceful means of persuading delinquent Member States have been exhausted.

As chairman of the WMD committee, Ambassador Motoc has contacted the Directors-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in a bid to coordinate their work on non-proliferation.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
World Headlines

 
UN News: Aid Access Is Key Priority

Among the key issues facing diplomats is securing the release of a reported 199 Israeli hostages, seized during the Hamas raid. “History is watching,” says Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths. “This war was started by taking those hostages. Of course, there's a history between Palestinian people and the Israeli people, and I'm not denying any of that. But that act alone lit a fire, which can only be put out with the release of those hostages.” More


Save The Children: Four Earthquakes In a Week Leave Thousands Homeless

Families in western Afghanistan are reeling after a fourth earthquake hit Herat Province, crumbling buildings and forcing people to flee once again, with thousands now living in tents exposed to fierce winds and dust storms. The latest 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit 30 km outside of Herat on Sunday, shattering communities still reeling from strong and shallow aftershocks. More

UN News: Nowhere To Go In Gaza

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said some 1.1M people would be expected to leave northern Gaza and that such a movement would be “impossible” without devastating humanitarian consequences and appeals for the order to be rescinded. The WHO joined the call for Israel to rescind the relocation order, which amounted to a “death sentence” for many. More


Access Now: Telecom Blackout In Gaza An Attack On Human Rights

By October 10, reports indicated that fixed-line internet, mobile data, SMS, telephone, and TV networks are all seriously compromised. With significant and increasing damage to the electrical grid, orders by the Israeli Ministry of Energy to stop supplying electricity and the last remaining power station now out of fuel, many are no longer able to charge devices that are essential to communicate and access information. More

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.