CD holds first plenary after summer break

Mia Gandenberger | Reaching Critical Will
 

The Conference on Disarmament (CD) met on Thursday, 31 July, to mark the beginning of the final session of 2014. CD President Ambassador Anthony Andanje of Kenya updated member states on the progress of his inter-sessional consultations. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on behalf of the Group of 21 and the United Kingdom delivered statements. On Monday, 28 July, the CD’s Informal Working Group held a meeting that was closed to the public.

• As part of his consultations, the CD President presented a proposal for the establishment of an Informal Working Group on the methods of work of the CD during a meeting with the Regional Coordinators on Monday, 28 July. He is now awaiting their responses.
• Consultations on the role of a ‘Friend of the President’ are still on-going.
• The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea delivered a general statement on behalf of the Group of 21, focusing on nuclear disarmament, the CD’s impasse to agree on a programme of work, and the UN’s disarmament machinery in general. Among other things the Group highlighted the growing understanding of the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and welcomed the conferences on this subject.
• In closing, the CD President reminded member states to share their views with regard to the outstanding sessions under the Schedule of Activities that will take place in the first and second week of August. In this context, Ambassador Matthew Rowland of the United Kingdom expressed his intention not to continue the thematic discussions on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space as they had come to a “natural conclusion” during the previous session.

Next plenary

The next plenary meeting will be held on Tuesday, 5 August 2014 at 10am in the Council Chamber.