UNREC support to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania in the drafting of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004) initial Report

5 - 6 July 20107. The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC), in cooperation with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and with support of the 1540 Committee Group of Experts, organized a workshop on the implementation of resolution 1540.

The main objective of the workshop was to facilitate the effective implementation of resolution 1540 by stakeholders in Mauritania and to assist the Government in drafting its first national report. It was the first activity organized by United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) through UNREC relating to the implementation of resolution 1540 in Mauritania.

The two days meeting brought together twenty two participants, including representatives from the Ministries of Interior, Trade and Investment, Foreign Affairs, Justice, Health, Agriculture, Mauritanian Defense Forces, Mauritanian Police Service, the Financial Intelligence Unit, Customs and intelligence authorities, delegates from Mauritanian National Authority of Radiology and Nuclear Security as well as a member from the Civil Society.

The workshop was opened by the General Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, followed by presentations made by the two members of the 1540 Committee’s Expert Group and UNREC. On behalf of the Government, the General Secretary stated that the related use of weapons of mass destruction by non-state actors poses a great challenge which Mauritania recognizes, highlighting the importance of the related work of the 1540 Committee Experts and UNREC as well as the Government’s appreciation of the outreach efforts of UNREC towards the materialization of this workshop.

The technical assistance rendered through the workshop helped to develop the Mauritania’s initial national report on resolution 1540. In addition, the workshop contributed to enhance understanding of national stakeholders in Mauritania on the obligations of the resolution and facilitated a needs analysis for further assistance. As background, Mauritania has ratified, acceded and signed the legally binding instruments relating to the provisions of resolution 1540, in particular operating paragraphs 1, 2 and 3, which include the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Biological Weapons Convention and the Geneva Protocol of 1925.

As of today, UNREC, in cooperation with the 1540 Committee Experts, has conducted a broad range of activities in Africa in support of the implementation of resolution 1540. These include: three workshops based on language groups (English, French and Portuguese), two country visits for initial report drafting in Malawi and Zambia, three country visits for voluntary national implementation action plan drafting in Malawi, Senegal and Togo, two capacity building workshops to assist the 1540 interministerial Committee of Gabon and Togo and one sub-regional workshop on export control, attended by four countries of the G-5 Sahel (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Niger). However, there are still 12 remaining countries in Africa are still yet to submit their national reports on resolution 1540.

The United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004) calls on States to refrain from providing any form of support to non-State actors that attempt to develop, acquire, manufacture, possess, transport, transfer or use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their means of delivery.

For additional information about the 1540 Committee, please visit http://www.un.org/sc/1540/

Opening statement by Dr. Jiaming Miao, Officer in Charge UNREC

Closing statement by Dr. Jiaming Miao, Officer in Charge UNREC