Statement by First Deputy Permanent Representative Dmitry Polyanskiy at the briefing of Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (non-proliferation)
Mme.President,
We thank Chair of the 1540 Committee Ambassador Juan Ramon de la Fuente Ramirez for a meaningful briefing about the activity of this subsidiary body of the Security Council and its priorities for the upcoming period.
Russia is invariably committed to the goals and tasks of UNSC resolution 1540. We highly appreciate the document’s inherent spirit of global cooperation. We believe it important to support the preventive non-proliferation character of the resolution.
1540 Committee pursues critical tasks of monitoring member states’ compliance with the resolution and coordinating efforts in granting technical assistance to states upon their request. There is still much to be done to achieve our primary goal – have all states implement resolution 1540 based on their respective capabilities. Therefore, we need the Committee to focus on upholding its tasks despite all difficulties, be it a pandemic or a complex global situation. We count on the Committee to boost its activity at all major tracks. For this purpose, we need to maintain a constructive spirit of cooperation within this body, and center its work around the principle of consensus.
On 25 February, Security Council adopted resolution 2622 that envisaged a technical rollover of 1540 mandate until 30 November 2022. Russia joined the consensus on this decision in order to contribute to completion of a Comprehensive Review of SC resolution 1540 that unfortunately was postponed several times.
We expect that this year we will be able to convene open consultations with member states as part of the comprehensive review process. We are convinced that such consultations should be inclusive and bring together maximum possible number of states so they can have meaningful discussions on issues of non-proliferation and prevention of WMDs and WMD materials falling in the hands of non-state entities. We appreciate the Chair of the 1540 Committee and the UN Secretariat taking efforts to arrange for an in-person format of the consultations.
We look forward to endorsement of documents regarding the consultations’ modalities and to receiving an invitation from the Committee so that member states have enough time to get ready for the event. Since it is states who implement provisions of resolution 1540, their contributions after the open consultations are necessary for preparing a thorough final report of the Comprehensive Review to be submitted to the Security Council.
Let me flag how important it is to endorse a long-term mandate of the 1540 Committee after 30 November. We are convinced that it must proceed from the unifying basis of UNSC resolution 1540 and be aimed at supporting the fundamental principles of Committee’s work, without endowing it with intrusive or attributive authorities. This is the only way we can make sure that this subsidiary body of the Security Council can keep pursuing its critical tasks and facilitate implementation of resolution 1540 in the interests of the whole global community.
Thank you.
