Seminar on Implementing UNSC Resolution 1540 in Central Asia and the Caucasus

On October 9-10, 2006, the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, conducted a regional seminar in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on the full and timely implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1540 (UNSCR 1540) by the states of Central Asia and the Caucasus. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry and the MacArthur Foundation provided financial support for this event.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004), supplemented by Resolution 1673 (2006), recognizes that national governments are responsible for establishing effective domestic controls to prevent trafficking of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and related materials and requires all states to put in place and enforce effective accounting and physical protection measures, as well as border and export controls. In 2006 the Security Council emphasized the need for member states and international, regional and sub-regional organizations to share experiences and lessons learned in the areas covered by UNSCR 1540. According to the Resolution, the Security Council also recognized that some states may require assistance in implementing its provisions within their territories, and invited states in a position to do so to provide assistance in the legal and regulatory area, infrastructure development, and other aspects of implementing the Resolution.

The main objective of the seminar in Almaty was to consider ways in which states from inside and outside the regions, as well as relevant international organizations, could cooperate in the full and timely implementation of UNSCR 1540. Towards this end, the seminar identified and created a better understanding of the needs of different states in the regions with respect to nonproliferation export controls and the accounting, control, and physical protection of fissile material and chemical and biological items, as well as related material and means of delivery. Common problems and solutions related to implementing the Resolution were also identified.

Over 35 representatives from ministries of foreign affairs, nuclear regulatory authorities, nuclear industry, export control agencies, and biological facilities from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan shared their experience in implementing the Resolution and reporting on its implementation, provided overviews of current efforts and noted individual countries' and region-wide needs to fully implement the Resolution. Other seminar participants included experts and officials from outside the regions, including Canada, China, European Union, Germany, the International Atomic Energy Agency, Japan, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States. As such it provided an ideal forum for participants and experts from states in and outside the region, as well as relevant international organizations to cooperate and exchange views on ways to further improve implementation of the Resolution in the region.

Following the opening remarks by the deputy foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kairat Abdrakhmanov, and of Norway, Kjetil Skogrand, Ambassador Peter Burian, the Chairman of the 1540 Implementation Committee, addressed the participants and remarked on the significance of UNSCR 1540 and the status of its implementation. The workshop agenda was comprised of seven sessions addressing substantive issues of implementing UNSCR 1540 in the region. The agenda allowed for focused discussions on assistance and cooperation in implementing the Resolution; prohibitions, enactment and enforcement of national laws and measures; implementing measures related to accounting, securing, and the physical protection of fissile materials, chemical and biological items, related materials and means of delivery; and implementing measures related to export controls. The seminar concluded with a discussion on practical ways in which states and international organizations can cooperate in implementing UNSCR 1540 in the seminar's target regions.

One of the significant achievements of this seminar was that it brought together prospective donor countries with regional countries to assist them in meeting the Resolution's requirements. Several joint cooperative projects were identified to assist states in the region to build their capacity to fully implement the requirements of UNSCR 1540.

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