CD unable to implement its programme of work this year

On Monday morning, the current president of the Conference on Disarmament (CD) announced that despite intensive consultations open to all interested delegations, consensus on the implementation framework for the programme of work "still eludes" the Conference. Pakistan's proposed amendments to the framework, as reported on in the 27 August CD Report, are laid out in document CD/1873. Reportedly a revised implementation framework was circulated to missions, though it has not been made available publically and apparently did not garner consensus.

Conference president Ambassador Strohal from Austria explained that due to the lack of time remaining in the CD's 2009 session, the presidents have turned to preparing a draft report, which they will make available sometime during the week.

Next meetings
The next plenary meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, 2 September, when the Austrian Foreign Minister will address the Conference at 10:00 AM, and subsequently launch with Handicap International, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Norway a study on assisting victims of landmines and explosive remnants of war here in this very same room on Wednesday at 11:00 AM. In addition, the designated chairperson of the General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security will address the CD on Thursday, 3 September at 10:00 AM.

Notes from the gallery
Reaching Critical Will regrets that the CD could not reach agreement over how to implement its programme of work this year. We hope that this setback does not preclude sincere efforts to prevent the production of fissile materials or an arms race in outer space, or to advance security assurances to non-nuclear weapon states or nuclear disarmament. To overcome the difficulties faced this year in the CD, 2010's session will require some truly "outside the box" thinking and we look forward to engaging with governments toward this end.

Ray Acheson, Reaching Critical Will of WILPF