New Agreement Signals Major Shift in International Arms Control and Disarmament Efforts

For the first time in a decade, the international body dedicated to discussing arms control and disarmament unanimously agreed on a program of work today, opening the door to negotiations on nuclear weapons, fissile materials, and space security.
The Conference on Disarmament (CD), located in Geneva, Switzerland, was established in 1979 as the single, international body where multilateral disarmament negotiations take place. It is here, in the grand Palais des Nations on the shores of Lake Geneva that diplomats have hammered out previous treaties banning chemical and biological weapons as well as the comprehensive ban on nuclear testing.

Today’s consensus resolution was the culmination of a long process aimed at returning the Conference to work, a process championed by Ambassador Jazaïry from Algeria during his Presidency of the CD. Secure World Foundation (SWF) Executive Director Dr. Ray Williamson commented, "The return to substantive work is a huge step forward for international diplomacy on arms control and disarmament.”

Another initiative by Ambassador Jazaïry was the session on 28 May in which four non-government organizations (NGOs) were invited to address the CD. Facilitated by the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), the event marked the first time an NGO panel has been invited to speak at an informal plenary session of the CD, according to SWF Legal and Policy Advisor Ben Baseley-Walker.

The program of work, document CD 1863, establishes four Working Groups on the topics of nuclear disarmament, control on production of fissile material, prevention of an arms race in outer space and assuring non-nuclear weapon States against the threat or risk of nuclear weapons. Three Special Coordinators were also established, tasked with making recommendations on how the CD should tackle the issues of new types of WMD, comprehensive disarmament, and transparency.

Mr. Baseley-Walker noted that the mood at the conference was one of revitalized international cooperation and commitment to move forward. He added, "Should the Committee choose to invite us, I hope that Secure World Foundation and others can continue to contribute to the thinking of the CD in the spirit of this session, and that the expertise of elements of civil society can help to support the renewed vitality of the Conference."

For more information on space security and international diplomacy, contact the Secure World Foundation:

Phil Smith
Communications Director
Secure World Foundation
Phone: +1 (303) 554-1560
Mobile: +1 (505) 918-6093
Email: psmith@swfound.org