CNS Feature Story

Workshop attendees
Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade Sanjar Mukanbetov, CNS Assistant Director Elena Sokova, Deputy Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan Askarbek Beshimov, Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan Marat Usupov, and Ambassador Markus Mueller, head of OSCE mission in Bishkek at the opening of the workshop.

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Workshop on Implementing UNSC Resolution 1540 in the Kyrgyz Republic

On October 16-17, 2007, CNS and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic conducted a workshop in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1540 in the Kyrgyz Republic.

October 23, 2007


On October 16-17, 2007, the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic conducted a workshop in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 in the Kyrgyz Republic. Financial support for the meeting was provided by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

The Bishkek workshop was a result of recommendations adopted by a regional seminar conducted by CNS in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in October 2006 on implementing UNSCR 1540 in Central Asia and the Caucasus. The Almaty seminar highlighted the need to increase the national capacity of states in the region to implement fully the resolution. It also emphasized the importance of developing national implementation plans, a perspective shared by the Kyrgyz Republic, which expressed a desire to host a national workshop on implementing UNSCR 1540.

The main objectives of the Bishkek workshop were: 1) to increase the awareness of relevant Kyrgyz government agencies and experts of 1540 issues, implementation requirements in particular; 2) to assist in the identification of country-specific needs to fully implement the requirements of Resolution 1540, as well as strategies, mechanisms, and activities to address them; and 3) to facilitate cooperative assistance projects to address the needs. Representatives from various Kyrgyz ministries and other governmental bodies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Emergencies, Agency for Environmental Protection, Customs, and other agencies, participated in the seminar. Along with Kyrgyz participants, representatives from the Central Asian region, including Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, also attended the workshop. Seminar participants from outside the region included experts and officials from the United Nations 1540 Committee, Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), European Union, Canada, Japan, Romania, Russia, and the United States.

Workshop Group Photo

CNS Assistant Director Elena Sokova, Deputy Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan Askarbek Beshimov, and Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade Sanjar Mukanbetov opened the seminar and welcomed the participants. Their remarks were followed by a keynote presentation by Ambassador Peter Burian, the Chairman of the UN 1540 Committee. He stressed the importance of UNSCR 1540 and emphasized that implementation of the resolution is a long-term process requiring effort and cooperation on national, regional, and international levels and that the seminar in Bishkek is a good example of such cooperation in addressing country-specific needs.

The workshop agenda [PDF] included presentations on the other countries' experiences in implementing the resolution and developing national action plans; Kyrgyzstan's own efforts in implementing Resolution 1540; and nonproliferation assistance and other cooperative programs in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia. The seminar also featured bilateral consultations between Kyrgyz participants and representatives of donor countries and organizations on ways in which states and international organizations can provide assistance to Kyrgyzstan in implementing Resolution 1540.

Workshop Cover Most of the discussion at the workshop focused on specific needs and ways to set priorities to address remaining gaps in the legislative area, export controls, customs, and border controls and in securing nuclear, biological, and chemical materials. This work was aided by an assessment paper on the status of Resolution 1540 implementation in the Kyrgyz Republic [PDF] developed by CNS in advance of the workshop. Kyrgyz participants also presented an independent analysis of the country's needs and priorities. UN 1540 Committee expert Brad Howlett presented a step-by-step review of 1540 implementation, presenting the matrix developed by the Committee to review national reports and applying it to the information provided by Kyrgyzstan to the United Nations. In his closing remarks, Mr. Marat Usupov, Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan, stated that the papers and analyses presented at the workshop would serve as a foundation for the activities of an interagency working group and facilitate the development of a set of priorities for a national action plan.

The seminar participants underscored the importance of regional cooperation and the role of regional international organizations, including the OSCE, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the Commonwealth of Independent States in implementing Resolution 1540.

Summarizing the results of the Bishkek workshop, Ambassador Peter Burian thanked the participants for developing a basis for dialogue and partnership between the UN 1540 Committee and Kyrgyzstan. He expects that the workshop will lead to regular consultations between Kyrgyzstan and Committee experts, shape future Committee activities, and serve as an inspiration for other countries in their efforts to implement fully the resolution. Ambassador Burian noted that the work of the Center for Nonproliferation Studies is a laudable example of how NGOs can be involved in facilitating the process of implementing Resolution 1540.


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Author(s): NISNP
Related Resources: NIS, Feature Story
Date Created: October 23, 2007
Date Updated: -NA-
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