Greetings from Brodnica, Poland. A quick thanks to my partner in blog, Jackie Miller, who is helping keep the flame alive while I attempt to have a bit of a holiday.
I managed to pick up a signal from the Polish countryside and reviewed the latest goings-on in the world. Here, with thanks to Jon Medalia at CRS, is one worth noting:
On 20 April (I AM in Europe), the UN SC unanimously adopted resolution 1977, extending the mandate of the 1540 Committee for another decade. As readers will remember, the original resolution 1540 of 2004 “established binding obligations on all states to refrain from providing any form of support to non-state actors seeking WMD, to adopt and enforce effective laws that prohibit non-state actors from any involvement with the proliferation of WMD, and to take effective measures to prevent WMD proliferation — including security measures, border controls, and law enforcement efforts to prevent illicit trafficking in WMD, their means of delivery, and related materials.” The Committee’s mandate was slated to expire on 25 April, 2011. However, as expected, it was renewed and extended.
Clearly, there is more work to be done. The new resolution permits the 1540 Committee to continue its work, now aided by a Group of Experts to provide technical support.
The text of the resolution can be found here:
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2011/sc10228.doc.htm
The Department of State chimes in here:
http://www.state.gov/t/isn/rls/fs/161355.htm
Needless to say, Brazil and India added their two cents on the matter.
And for a handy resource on 1540 background and implementation, the always relevant James Martin Center for Nonproliferation studies, via the Nuclear Threat Initiative, created a database where you can find the two reports submitted to the UNSC by the Committee. The third, just submitted, will probably be uploaded soon:
http://www.nti.org/db/1540/index.html
Finally, I would note that, since the original resolution was intended, at least by the U.S., the UK and others, to support the Bush-era Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), which was, in turn, announced in Krakow, Poland in 2003, it seems apt that I’d be writing about this latest development from, well, Poland.