NEW YORK, August 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — In May 2014, Malawi invited the Security Council’s 1540 Committee and the 1540 Experts to a country visit to discuss the implementation of resolution 1540 and to receive assistance in the drafting of its national 1540 report.
The country visit follows the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament (UNREC) organized workshop on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1540 (2004) for non-reporting English-speaking United Nations Member States, which was held in April 2014 in Pretoria.
The country visit will include a joint meeting of the 1540 Committee, the Malawi National Counter-Terrorism Committee (NCTC) and the National Committee on Anti-Money Laundering/Combating Financing of Terrorism (N-AML/CFT).
On 28 April 2004, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1540 (2004) under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, which affirms that the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and their means of delivery constitutes a threat to international peace and security. The resolution obliges States, inter alia, to refrain from supporting by any means non-State actors, from developing, acquiring, manufacturing, possessing, transporting, transferring or using nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their delivery systems.
Resolution 1977 (2011) encourages the 1540 Committee to actively engage in dialogue with States on the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004), including through visits to States at their invitation. Resolution 1977 (2011) also calls upon all States that have not yet presented a first report on steps they have taken or intend to take to implement resolution 1540 (2004) to submit such a report to the 1540 Committee.
For further information please contact the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC), tel.: +228 22 53 50 00; e-mail: mail@unrec.org; web: http://www.unrec.org/.
Source: AFRICAWIN
