Malawi Hosts Visit by Security Council’s 1540 Committee, 20 to 22 May 2015

New York, 29 May (Office for Disarmament Affairs) – A delegation supporting the work of the UN Security Council’s 1540 Committee has concluded a three-day visit to Malawi, carried out at the invitation of the Government.

The delegation consisted of two members of the 1540 Committee’s Expert Group as well as two representatives from the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC).

The main goal of the visit was to provide assistance to Malawi in the drafting process of its National Action Plan to guide the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1540 (2004). A preceding visit in August 2014 had focused on raising awareness and sharing information on the implementation of the resolution, as well as on assisting Malawi in the drafting process of its first 1540 national report, which was submitted the same year. Both visits concentrated further on identifying possible assistance needs and discussing future steps to be undertaken by Malawi in accordance with the resolution.
In Lilongwe, the delegation held working sessions with various national stakeholders involved in the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004), including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ministry of Environment Affairs (Malawi Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority), Ministry of Health and the Financial Intelligence Unit.

Resolution 1540 (2004) was adopted unanimously by the Security Council, under the United Nations Charter’s Chapter VII, on 28 April 2004. It obliges all States to refrain from providing any form of support to non-State actors attempting to develop, acquire, manufacture, possess, transport, transfer or use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their means of delivery. The resolution requires all States to establish domestic controls to prevent the proliferation of those weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, including by establishing appropriate controls over related materials.

The 1540 Committee, a subsidiary body of the Council, reports to it on implementation of the resolution. On 20 April 2011, the Security Council adopted resolution 1977 (2011), by which it extended the Committee’s mandate until 2021.

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