January 25, 2016

Conference on Disarmament Holding First 2016 Public Plenary Today

By ExchangeMonitor

The United Nations’ (UN) Conference on Disarmament is holding its first public plenary of the 2016 session today in Geneva, Switzerland. Kim Won-Soo, acting U.N. high representative for disarmament affairs, will read a declaration from the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at the session of the multilateral arms control negotiating forum, the U.N. said. The 2016 session will consist of three parts, with the first extending from Jan. 25 to April 1, the second from May 16 to July 1, and the third from Aug. 2 to Sept. 16.

The Conference on Disarmament, consisting of 65 member states including the United States, Russia, France, and Germany, is expected to start 2016 by adopting its agenda for the year and establishing its schedule of activities for the session. Nigeria will be the first president for 2016, followed by Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, and the Republic of Korea.

The conference’s primary focus, according to the U.N., involves “cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament; prevention of nuclear war,” and related arms control issues. Disarmament agreements such as the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, the Chemical Weapons Convention, and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) have been negotiated through the conference. The conference has faced a stalemate since completing CTBT negotiations in 1996 due to a lack of consensus on a fissile material cutoff treaty – specifically Pakistan’s withdrawal of support on a preliminary work plan.

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