CD adopts schedule of activities before 6-week break
Mia Gandenberger | Reaching Critical Will
26 March 2014
The Conference on Disarmament (CD) met on Wednesday, 26 March 2014 to adopt a schedule of activities for the remainder of the 2014 session and to hear an address by Ms. Julie Bishop, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia. Further statements were delivered by the President of the CD, Mexico, the Group of 21, Brazil, the European Union, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
- The CD adopted schedule of activities for the remainder of the 2014 session based on the draft decision contained in CD/WP.580. The schedule includes a series of informal open-ended meetings that will be organized by five regional coordinators. As with the adoption on the re-establishment of the Informal Working Group, Mexico reiterated that, while it does not oppose the activities proposed, it does not constitute substantive work on the CD’s agenda items.
- The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia, Ms. Julie Bishop, addressed the CD outlining the Australian position on subjects such as the CD’s deadlock, the catastrophic consequences of a nuclear war, and the NPT.
- The Group of 21 delivered a statement on UNGA Resolution 68/32. The resolution calls for the urgent commencement of negotiations on a comprehensive convention on nuclear weapons within the CD, requests the United Nations Secretary General to seek the views of member states on achieving the elimination of nuclear weapons, and decides to convene of a follow-up meeting to the High-Level Meeting held on 26 September 2013.
- Mr. Andras Kos of Greece delivered a statement on behalf of the European Union (EU) on the Arms Trade Treaty and the EU member states’ progress regarding the ratification of the treaty. By the first anniversary of the adoption of the treaty next week, 15 member states will have deposited their instruments of ratifications and more will follow suit in the near future.
- Ambassador van der Kwast of the Netherlands gave a report of the Nuclear Security Summit that took place 24-25 March 2014 in The Hague and was attended by 53 countries, 4 international organizations, and representatives of civil society.
Next plenary meeting
The next plenary meeting will be held on Tuesday, 13 May at 10.00 in the Council Chamber.