S/2016/1127 - Review of the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) on nuclear proliferation for 2016.

United Nations
Security Council

S/2016/1127

Distr.: General
29 December 2016
Original: English

Letter dated 29 December 2016 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) addressed to the President of the Security Council

On behalf of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004), I have the honour to refer to paragraph 9 of Security Council resolution 1977 (2011) and to transmit herewith the 2016 review of the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) (see annex).

I would appreciate it if the present letter and its annex were brought to the attention of the members of the Security Council and issued as a document of the Council.

(Signed) Roman Oyarzun Marchesi
Chair
Security Council Committee established
pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004)

Annex

Review of the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) for 2016

I. Introduction

1. In its resolution 1540 (2004), the Security Council expressed its intention to monitor closely the implementation of the resolution and, at the appropriate level, to take further decisions that might be required. On 20 April 2011, the Council, noting that the full implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) by all States was a long-term task, unanimously adopted resolution 1977 (2011), extending the mandate of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) for 10 years. In paragraph 9 of that resolution, the Council directed the Committee to prepare a review of the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) before the end of December each year, addressing in particular all aspects of paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of the resolution.

2. The present review, covering the period from 1 January to 31 December 2016, |1| focuses on the implementation of the Committee's fifteenth programme of work (S/2016/86) during that period.

II. Progress and achievements

3. In 2016, the Committee, chaired by Roman Oyarzun Marchesi (Spain), continued to facilitate and monitor the implementation by States of resolution 1540 (2004). The Committee held eight formal sessions and 12 informal sessions in the course of the year. In particular, the Committee held specific meetings in support of the comprehensive review of the implementation of the resolution (see S/2016/1038), including an informal meeting on the changing nature of proliferation threats (New York, 29 February), a special meeting on the 2016 comprehensive review (Madrid, 12 and 13 May) and formal open consultations with Member States (New York, 20-22 June).

4. The Committee's work was facilitated by the working group on monitoring and national implementation, coordinated by Alfredo Fernando Toro-Carnevali (Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)), which held three informal sessions; the working group on assistance, coordinated by Tomas Napolitano (France); the working group on cooperation with international organizations, coordinated by Tarek Mahfouz (Egypt), which held one informal session; and the working group on transparency and media outreach, coordinated by Tyler S. Moselle (United States of America).

A. Monitoring and national implementation

5. In accordance with the Committee's fifteenth programme of work, the working group on monitoring and national implementation considered the remaining 10 matrices presented to it by the Group of Experts, following the approval by the Committee of the 183 matrices considered in 2015. With the exception of one matrix, which remains under consideration, the Committee approved nine matrices, which were published on the Committee's website together with those published on 23 December 2015, bringing the total published number to 192 matrices.

6. The working group also looked into options for revising the matrix format. The Committee considered a revised format that streamlines the matrix through a reduction in the number of measures to be recorded and more closely follows the obligations contained in resolution 1540 (2004). The Committee expects to be complete its consideration of the revised format in the first quarter of 2017, followed by systematic revision of the matrices on the basis of the revised matrix format.

7. The working group further considered proposals on how to improve the maintenance, updating, retrieval, presentation and analysis of the data derived from the matrices, as presented by the Office of Information and Communications Technology and the Office for Disarmament Affairs of the Secretariat. As an initial step in this regard, the Committee endorsed the proposal of the Office for Disarmament Affairs to introduce new software to improve the efficiency of the matrix data storage, presentation and analysis.

8. In its resolution 1977 (2011), the Security Council called upon all States that had not yet done so to submit a first report to the Committee without delay. During the reporting period, Haiti submitted its first report to the Committee, following consultations between the Committee and Haiti on this issue. Of the 193 States Members of the United Nations, 177 have thus far provided reports to the Committee. The Committee continued its efforts to promote universal reporting, including through direct interaction and bilateral meetings between the Chair of the Committee and some non-reporting States. In this regard, at the African Union Review and Assistance Conference on the Implementation of Resolution 1540 (2004) in Africa, held in Addis Ababa on 6 and 7 April, the Chair held bilateral consultations with the delegations of Comoros, Equatorial Guinea and Zimbabwe to encourage submission of their initial national implementation reports. Furthermore, the Group of Experts held bilateral discussions with some non-reporting States, including in the margins of Committee meetings. In addition, a former member of the Group of Experts, with funding from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, continued her outreach activities with certain non-reporting States to facilitate the submission of their initial national implementation reports.

9. The Security Council, in its resolution 1977 (2011), encouraged States to provide, on a voluntary basis, additional information on their implementation of resolution 1540 (2004), including their effective practices in implementing the resolution. During the reporting period, 11 States from all regions of the world provided such information, including on measures related to prohibiting non-State actors from using nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and their means of delivery, as well as strengthened controls to prevent the illicit trafficking of such weapons and related materials. One of those States reported on its effective practices.

10. The 11 States that submitted additional information were Armenia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Croatia, Germany, Egypt, Peru, Slovenia, Ukraine, the United States of America and Uzbekistan. Armenia reported on the adoption of new legislation in the chemical and biological fields, decrees on physical protection rules for radioactive materials and export control measures. Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Croatia, Egypt, Peru and Slovenia provided updates to their matrices. Germany provided an example of effective practice in the form of programmes and tools used to work with and inform the private sector on the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004). Ukraine provided updated information on domestic legislation adopted, including on export controls and on the physical protection of biological materials. The United States of America provided additional information on measures taken to secure nuclear weapons and materials and on assistance and outreach.

11. In its resolution 1977 (2011), the Security Council encouraged States to prepare, on a voluntary basis, national implementation action plans to map out their priorities and plans for further implementing resolution 1540 (2004). In 2016, five such plans were submitted. Canada submitted an updated plan, while Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi and Uzbekistan submitted their first plan, bringing to 26 the total number of such plans received by the Committee since 2007. With the exception of the updated plan submitted by Canada, all the plans submitted in 2016 were developed with the assistance of the Group of Experts. During 2016, the Group of Experts was also involved in efforts to develop national implementation action plans through direct interaction with Antigua and Barbuda, Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Kyrgyzstan, Peru and Suriname. Plans for Chile, Guatemala and Peru were still in the process of being drafted at the end of 2016. The other countries will be engaged in developing their plans in 2017.

12. The Security Council, in its resolution 1977 (2011), also recognized the importance of active engagement and dialogue by the Committee with States on their implementation of resolution 1540 (2004), including through visits to States at their invitation. In 2016, Lesotho and Guatemala invited the Committee and its experts to undertake a visit and to assist them in the drafting of their national implementation action plans. These visits took place from 12 to 14 April and 9 to 11 November, respectively, and provided an opportunity to exchange updated information on the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004), identify achievements, gaps and assistance needs and, where appropriate, map out future actions to implement the resolution. During the visit to Lesotho, relevant national officials, including representatives at senior governmental level, met with the Committee's experts. Following this visit, Lesotho submitted its plan to the Committee.

13. States are encouraged to inform the Committee of their points of contact on the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004), both in their capitals and in their permanent missions in New York. Points of contact can facilitate States' internal coordination on implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) as well as collaboration and contact with the Committee. To date, 97 States have nominated national points of contact, an increase of eight in relation to 2015.

14. In accordance with its fifteenth programme of work, the Committee continued to encourage the expansion of the network of points of contact and the development of training courses conducted at the regional level for points of contact. The first regional training course was hosted by China in 2015 (see S/2015/1052, para. 11). Two further courses were held in 2016 with the participation of members of the Committee and instructors from its Group of Experts: a course held in Kaliningrad, Russian Federation from 28 June to 1 July for States of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), hosted by the Russian Federation and supported by OSCE and the Office for Disarmament Affairs, and a course held in Santiago from 24 to 28 October for States in the Latin American and Caribbean region, hosted by Chile and supported by the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC). Morocco has offered to host a similar training course for national points of contact from Africa in 2017. These courses not only contribute to improving the knowledge of points of contact on resolution 1540 (2004), but also promote cooperation among points of contact at the regional level and provide the opportunity for relevant international organizations to raise awareness of relevant legally binding instruments whose implementation would also address some of the obligations under resolution 1540 (2004).

15. In accordance with its fifteenth programme of work, the Committee held an informal meeting on the changing nature of proliferation threats on 29 February 2016. The Committee heard presentations, including from civil society and academia, on relevant developments in science and technology and proliferation threats, proliferation financing, intangible technology transfer and remotely piloted aerial vehicles.

B. Assistance

16. In fulfilling its clearing house function, the Committee continued to channel requests received from States for assistance to potential providers and to post them on its website. Offers of assistance received from States and relevant international organizations were also published on the website. In its role of facilitating technical assistance by matching offers with requests for assistance, the Committee and its experts continued to undertake dialogue with potential assistance providers. The Group of Experts also continued to keep an up-to-date consolidated list of assistance requests so that it could be made available, as required, in response to requests for information and at appropriate outreach events.

17. The Committee received letters from States and international organizations indicating their readiness to consider the assistance requests, informing the Committee about current activities or possible areas in which assistance could be offered and indicating their willingness to explore possibilities for donor funding in order to respond positively to the requests. Such responses were made to Lesotho from South Africa and to Zambia from South Africa and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

18. In 2016, Lesotho submitted a new request for assistance to the Committee. In response to that request, the Group of Experts visited Lesotho to assist its Government in the drafting of a voluntary national implementation action plan.

19. The African Union Commission, with the support of the Office for Disarmament Affairs, convened the Review and Assistance Conference on the Implementation of Resolution 1540 (2004) in Africa on 6 and 7 April 2016 in Addis Ababa. All African Union member States were invited. During the Conference, Committee members and experts as well as relevant international organizations and donor States held bilateral consultations with 12 of the 16 African States that formally requested assistance, therefore providing a matchmaking platform for assistance.

20. Also during the course of the Conference, participants welcomed the substantial assistance programmes offered by States, international organizations and others and commended the dedicated efforts by the Committee and its Expert Group to match offers of assistance with requests made. The view was expressed that the delivery of assistance needed to be strengthened and States that were considering the submission of assistance requests were encouraged to engage with the assistance providers, the Committee and the African Union Commission to formulate specific requests that would facilitate a response. A number of regional specialized governmental and non-governmental organizations briefed participants on their efforts and initiatives to facilitate the implementation of activities related to resolution 1540 (2004).

21. UNLIREC continued to support States in the Latin American and Caribbean region in the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) through a legislative assistance package. A national round table was organized in Peru with the participation of the Group of Experts, during which a legislative study was presented.

22. In response to a request from Panama, the Group of Experts participated in a meeting in Panama City in cooperation with the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism of the Organization of American States (OAS) to support Panama in the development of its voluntary national implementation action plan.

23. In 2016, the experts participated in meetings of the working group of the Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction held in Tokyo on 14 and 15 January and 8 and 9 September. At the January meeting the experts reiterated to potential assistance providers the requests received by the Committee and informed them about the 2016 review and assistance conference being organized by the African Union (see paras. 8 and 19 above). At the September meeting the experts shared data derived from the analysis carried out in during the 2016 comprehensive review and informed participants about the results of the review and assistance conference. During an assistance matchmaking session, representatives of participating States and international organizations exchanged views with the Group of Experts on their respective assistance projects and on current assistance matchmaking mechanisms.

24. In 2016, the first financial contribution dedicated to supporting assistance to States was received from Canada. This grant was made to support assistance by the Group of Experts to certain States in Latin America and the Caribbean in the development of their national implementation action plans.

C. Cooperation with international, regional and subregional organizations

25. In 2016 the Committee continued to develop its collaboration with relevant international and regional organizations, including United Nations entities. The working group on cooperation with international organizations produced a strategy paper on practical steps for enhancing cooperation with relevant international and regional organizations for 2016 -2017.

26. Among the highlights in 2016 were the following:

(a) The Secretary-General of the World Customs Organization gave a briefing to the Committee on 9 February on its activities related to resolution 1540 (2004) and on ways of enhancing its collaboration with the Committee, particularly with regard to assistance;

(b) The Committee continued its discussion with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with a view to encouraging it to include in its missions to Member States advice on the legal obligations under resolution 1540 (2004). This discussion was conducted mainly by the experts through participation in the nuclear security information exchange meetings held by IAEA. To further improve cooperation efforts, in particular in relation to enhancing complementarity between the 1540 voluntary national implementation action plans and the IAEA Integrated Nuclear Security Support Plans, the Group of Experts participated in a regional workshop on the security support plans held in Ouagadougou from 23 to 25 November. Other events in which the experts participated included the IAEA international training course on nuclear security, held from 29 February to 4 March in Madrid, and the International Conference on Nuclear Security held by IAEA from 5 to 9 December;

(c) The Committee and the experts intensified their collaboration with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) by participating in events organized by or in cooperation with OPCW. These included the meeting of the OPCW Open-Ended Working Group on Terrorism held in The Hague on 10 October and the stakeholders' forum for States parties in Africa on the adoption of national implementing legislation related to the Chemical Weapons Convention, held in Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania from 8 to 10 November. The Group of Experts participated by videoconference in an OPCW seminar on current practices and challenges in the chemical trade, held in Rizhao, China on 16 and 17 June. The Group of Experts held bilateral consultations with the Technical Secretariat of OPCW on 22 April in the margins of the Global Summit on Chemical Safety and Security, held in Kielce, Poland;

(d) The Committee continued its cooperation with the Biological Weapons Convention Implementation Support Unit. An expert participated in event organized by the Support Unit in Wuxi, China from 5 to 7 September in anticipation of the Eighth Biological Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention. The Group of Experts held consultations with the Support Unit, the World Organisation for Animal Health, and the World Health Organization from 12 to 14 October. On 8 November a statement on behalf of the Chair of the Committee was delivered at the Eighth Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention (available from www.un.org/en/sc/1540/pdf/Chair%20Statement%20BWC%20RC%202016.pdf);

(e) The Group of Experts held consultations with the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) on 13 October in Lyon, France to discuss developments in the comprehensive review and plans for 2017;

(f) The Committee and its experts continued their cooperation with the Financial Action Task Force and related regional bodies through participation in events dedicated to proliferation financing. The experts participated in two events on combatting the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction organized by the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering, one held in Kuala Lumpur from 9 to 11 March and the other in Seoul from 23 to 26 August. The Group of Experts met with the secretariat of the Financial Action Task Force and the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism on 14 December to discuss issues of common concern with regard to proliferation financing.

27. Regional and subregional organizations continued to play an active role in enhancing the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004). The principal activities included the following:

(a) At the 2016 African Union review and assistance conference (see paras. 8 and 19 above), the Group of Experts discussed specific initiatives to support implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) in Africa, including training courses for points of contact for States in the African region;

(b) OSCE continued its close cooperation with the Committee and led the regional efforts to enhance implementation of resolution 1540 (2004). A message from the Chair was delivered to the dialogue meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Cooperation held on 4 May in Vienna. In 2016, OSCE organized a series of outreach events for the implementation of the resolution for participating States, including (i) a training workshop on effective report writing for members of the Tajikistan working group on the their national implementation action plan in Dushanbe on 29 February and 1 March; (ii) a workshop on legal/regulatory requirements for strategic trade controls for Central Asian States in Vienna from 18 to 20 May; (iii) the first stage in a trilateral peer review between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan held in Minsk, supported by Belarus, from 1 to 5 August; (iv) a training course for national points of contact of OSCE States in Kaliningrad, Russian Federation from 28 June to 1 July (see also para. 13 above); and (v) a national round table on the preparation of a new voluntary national implementation action plan for Kyrgyzstan from 14 to 17 September in Issyk Kul;

(c) The European Union continued its financial support for the promotion of implementation of resolution 1540 (2004). The experts participated in a 2016 workshop on countering nuclear smuggling co-hosted by the European Commission and the United States from 8 to 11 March in Karlsruhe, Germany;

(d) OAS strengthened its cooperation with the Committee through its Inter-American Committee against Terrorism. In 2016, the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism organized a meeting from 28 to 29 July in Panama City to assist Panama in drafting a national implementation action plan;

(e) The Pacific Islands Forum organized a regional workshop on the model provisions on counter-terrorism and transnational crime on 18 and 19 May in Auckland, New Zealand. The workshop revised the Forum's 2002 model provisions on counter-terrorism and transnational organized crime, which had been developed with the support of UNODC, thereby providing a basis for Forum members to strengthen legal frameworks, including those related to resolution 1540 (2004), required to give effect to counter-terrorism and transnational organized crime policies;

(f) The Group of Experts, as a member of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force, continued its participation in activities to implement the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. The Group of Experts participated in the working group on border management and law enforcement and the working group on weapons of mass destruction of the Task Force. In addition, the Group of Experts participated in thematic briefings of mutual interest organized by the Task Force and the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001) concerning counter-terrorism (Counter-Terrorism Committee) throughout the year;

(g) The Committee continued to cooperate with the Counter-Terrorism Committee and the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Da'esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities, and their experts, within their respective mandates. The expert groups and panels of the three committees continued to share relevant information in order to discuss common issues and coordinate actions. In 2016, the Group of Experts joined country visits to Kyrgyzstan from 24 to 26 February and to Kazakhstan from 16 to 20 May led by the Counter-Terrorism Committee, enabling the Committee and the Group of Experts to engage with appropriate officials in those countries on the full range of obligations incurred pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004);

(h) In addition, during 2016 the Chair briefed the Security Council on 4 May, together with the Chair of the Committee established pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) and the Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (see www.un.org/en/sc/1540/reports-and-briefings/pdf/statement.chair.sc.4may16.pdf). For scheduling and other reasons beyond the control of the Committee, only one joint briefing of the Security Council took place in 2016 instead of the two envisaged in the 2016 programme of work;

(i) The Committee and its Group of Experts continued its interactions with UNODC on the implementation of the counter-terrorism conventions and the obligations of resolution 1540 (2004) with a view to enhancing future collaborative efforts, especially improving assistance coordination. A coordination meeting with UNODC was held on 13 April in Vienna attended by the Group of Experts. The UNODC Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific internally shared with the Group of Experts its weekly Southeast Asia/Pacific counter-terrorism news bulletin;

(j) Cooperation with the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC), UNLIREC and the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD) continued. UNREC assisted in the organization of a workshop on export controls for materials related to resolution 1540 (2004) by the countries of the Group of Five for the Sahel, held on 27 and 28 July in Niamey. UNLIREC organized a workshop on guidelines for preventing and combatting the financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction on 27 and 28 June in Port of Spain. In collaboration with Belize, Peru and Trinidad and Tobago, UNLIREC planned the organization of five national workshops (three for Trinidad and Tobago) on the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) to be held in November and December in response to requests from those Member States. The first was held for Peru on 2 November. With UNRCPD the Group of Experts participated by videoconference in the Southeast Asia workshop on building capacity for the implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty, held on 4 and 5 April in Bangkok. The purpose of the discussion was to point out the complementarity of implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty with that of resolution 1540 (2004);

(k) The Committee continued its interaction with the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). The Group of Experts participated in a meeting of governmental experts on unmanned aerial vehicles held in Geneva on 15 and 16 November. The participating Committee expert spoke on the concerns in relation to unmanned aerial vehicles being used as a delivery means for nuclear, chemical and biological weapons;

(l) In 2016, the Committee continued its cooperation with other relevant entities and arrangements, including the Missile Technology Control Regime and the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism.

D. Transparency and outreach

28. Transparency and outreach make important contributions to fostering greater cooperation and raising the awareness of States, parliamentarians, relevant international, regional and subregional organizations and civil society, including industry, regarding the obligations of resolution 1540 (2004) and their implementation.

29. Direct outreach to States, relevant international, regional and subregional organizations and, where appropriate, civil society is important and is one of the principal tools to reach both wider and targeted audiences.

30. In 2016, there were 46 outreach events in which the Chair, Committee members and experts participated (see enclosure).

31. While States are responsible for implementation of the obligations of resolution 1540 (2004), parliamentarians and industry play important roles: the former where, in accordance with national procedures, their action is necessary to implement legislation to meet the requirements of operative paragraphs 2 and 3; the latter because industry is at the leading edge of implementation of domestic controls on "related materials".

32. Of note, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) organized a regional seminar for African parliamentarians in Côte d'Ivoire in February 2016 that focused entirely on implementation of the obligations of resolution 1540 (2004). Seventy parliamentarians participated in the event, which was the first of its kind. In addition, a Committee member attended the 135th Assembly of IPU on 26 and 27 October in Geneva.

33. With respect to industry, in 2016, the Committee and its Group of Experts participated in four events that directly engaged industry and provided opportunities to work with and inform industry regarding its obligations under national laws:

(a) A conference on export controls organized by the Aussenwirtschafts-Akademie GmbH on 19 and 20 January in Frankfurt, Germany;

(b) A global chemical safety and security summit and accompanying chemical safety and security fair organized by the International Centre for Chemical Safety and Security and Targi Kielce S.A. in cooperation with the Government of Poland from 18 to 20 April in Kielce, Poland;

(c) A seminar on current practices and challenges in the chemical trade organized by the Government of China and the Technical Secretariat of OPCW on 16 and 17 June in Rizhao, China (by videoconference);

(d) An industrial outreach conference (Wiesbaden process) on resolution 1540 (2004) in Asia, hosted by the Republic of Korea and supported by Germany, held on 27 and 28 September in Seoul;

34. In 2016, the Committee's website was maintained as a tool to raise public awareness and is the main source of information and resources relating to resolution 1540 (2004) for use by Member States, Committee members and civil society and industry. With support from the Office for Disarmament Affairs, it was regularly updated. The updates included:

(a) A calendar of outreach events and workshops already conducted and confirmed upcoming events, including information notes on such activities;

(b) A list of frequently asked questions;

(d) Assistance requests and offers;

(e) National reports and voluntary national implementation action plans;

(f) Statements and presentations by the Chair and Committee members.

35. In 2016. the Committee continued with the publication of quarterly messages from the Chair (see, for example, www.un.org/en/sc/1540/chair-message.shtml). Transparency was further amplified by sending new information via e-mail to a distribution list that numbered about 2,000 as at 22 December.

36. A project was initiated in 2015 to redesign and modernize the Committee's website. The result in 2016was a new design with enhanced usability and appeal. It is expected that the improved website will be launched in the first quarter of 2017.

37. During 2016, the website had 66,818 visits, which represented an increase of 9.3 per cent in comparison with the previous year. Over the past two years the overall increase in visits to the website has been 11 per cent.

38. In 2016, 11 press releases were published on Committee events, compared to nine in 2015.

39. In 2016, outreach was pursued in a novel way in the form of the international student essay competition on resolution 1540 (2004). The competition was managed by the Stimson Center. Eligible students were invited to submit essays suggesting ways forward for implementation of the resolution 1540 (2004) in a country of their choice. One hundred and fifty students from 44 countries submitted essays.

E. Administrative issues

40. The Department of Political Affairs and the Office for Disarmament Affairs of the Secretariat continued to provide support to the Committee and its experts. Thanks to the goodwill and cooperation of the individuals involved, it was possible to minimize the inefficiencies and duplication of effort inherent in a situation of divided responsibility.

41. In 2016, many of the activities of the Committee were supported by voluntary contributions to the United Nations Trust Fund for Global and Regional Disarmament Activities. In 2016, Canada, Germany and Spain became contributors for the first time. In addition, funds were used in 2016 from grants provided in earlier years by Andorra, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Korea, the United States and the European Union.

III. Final considerations

42. With a few exceptions, the plan set out in the 2016 programme of work was fulfilled. In 2016, a substantial amount of work was carried out by the Committee and its Group of Experts in support of the 2016 comprehensive review in line with a separate work plan. That aspect is not covered in the present report.

43. With regard to implementation, the number of States that have yet to submit first reports has been reduced from 17 to 16. Fifteen of the 16 have been engaged with the issue, including with offers to assist, some more than once. |2| The Committee should continue this effort in 2017 and continue to encourage States to submit additional information on their implementation of resolution 1540 (2004), in particular informing the Committee of changes to measures identified in their published matrices and of effective practices they have implemented.

44. With the exception of one State, revised matrices for Member States are published on the Committee's website. No State is objecting in principle to the publication of its matrix. It is expected that the outstanding issues with the remaining State will be resolved early in 2017, resulting in all matrices being published. With a revised matrix template, the matrices can be revised systematically beginning in 2018.

45. The Committee should continue to engage with States that have asked it to assist them in developing national implementation action plans. With the consent of the State, the Committee should consider involving relevant international organizations in the development of such plans.

46. The training courses for points of contact are proving to be a useful tool of the Committee in fostering regional networks of officials dedicated to facilitating the implementation of the resolution. In 2017, a priority should be to hold such a training course in Africa, using qualified regional experts as instructors along with the Committee's experts.

47. The African Union's successful conduct of the review and assistance conference in Addis Ababa proved the value of the regional approach to assistance. Conferences on this model and should be pursued in other regions as needed and involve, at an early stage, those in a position to provide assistance in the planning of such conferences.

48. The first grant to the United Nations Trust Fund for Global and Regional Disarmament Activities, dedicated in this case to assistance in the Latin American and Caribbean region, is proving its worth as there has been a noteworthy increase in the Committee's direct engagement with States in that region, in particular in response to their requests for assistance in developing national implementation action plans. More such grants for specific Committee projects in other regions should be encouraged.

49. The submission of well-defined requests for assistance would facilitate the consideration of such requests by those in a position to offer assistance. Where appropriate, the Committee could indicate to States considering submitting requests that the Committee could assist in formulating such requests.

50. With regard to international cooperation, the more intensive collaboration with international organization is proving its worth, including the direct interactions by the Group of Experts at the headquarters of the most relevant international organizations. The more active role of regional organizations in supporting implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) has brought benefits, although tighter coordination in planning specific activities is necessary. Similarly, the regional centres of the Office for Disarmament Affairs have added value by facilitating the engagement of the Committee with States in a regional context, which should be further encouraged as appropriate.

51. Beginning in 2017, the Committee should hold meetings at least every other year with relevant international and regional organizations to improve cooperation and exchange of information on existing and future activities related to the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004).

52. Despite the demands of the comprehensive review, participation by Committee members and the experts in outreach events was maintained at a reasonable level. Priority was given to activities related to the comprehensive review. Innovations, in accordance with the 2016 programme of work, included the outreach to parliamentarians and a regional meeting with industry representatives. These activities proved valuable and similar initiatives should be undertaken in the future.

53. The improvements in electronic outreach through the Committee's website proved of value and merit further development as resources permit, including enhancement of technology to support the management and use of the Committee's data.

54. The Committee should continue to find ways to improve the efficiency of its support structure. From a financial perspective the support of the Committee has become even more dependent on voluntary contributions to the United Nations Trust Fund for Global and Regional Disarmament Activities, especially as the travel allocation from the United Nations regular budget continues to shrink.

Enclosure

Outreach events held in 2016 attended by the Chair or members of the Committee and/or its Group of Experts

Date Title Organizer/sponsor Location

Visits to States, at their invitation

12-14 April Assistance with the drafting of a voluntary national implementation action plan Lesotho and the Committee Maseru, Lesotho

9-11 November Development of national implementation action plan Guatemala, the Committee and the Office for Disarmament Affairs Guatemala City, Guatemala

Joint visits to States

24-26 February Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate visit to Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

16-20 May Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate visit to Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate Kazakhstan

Other country-specific activities

19 and 20 January National round table on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1540 (2004) Myanmar, Office for Disarmament Affairs Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar

29 February-1 March Workshop on the implementation of the national implementation action plan Tajikistan, OSCE Dushanbe

6 and 8 April Workshop on the development of legislation to implement Security Council resolution 1540 (2004), the Biological Weapons Convention and the Chemical Weapons Convention Jamaica, Verification Research, Training and Information Centre Kingston

28 and 29 July Legislative assistance for the implementation of Security Council resolution 1540 (2004) in the Americas (development of the national implementation action plan of Panama) OAS, Panama Panama

14-17 September Kyrgyzstan national round table for development of the national implementation action plan Kyrgyzstan, the Committee, OSCE and the Office for Disarmament Affairs Bishkek

2 November Development of 1540 national implementation action plan Peru, the Committee and UNLIREC Lima, Peru

Other outreach activities

13-15 January Meeting of the working group of the Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction Japan Tokyo

19 and 20 January 2016 update on export controls Aussenwirtschafts-Akademie GmbH Frankfurt, Germany

20 January 12th Asian senior-level talks on non-proliferation Japan Tokyo

22 and 23 February Meeting of African parliamentarians Cote d'lvoire, IPU, Office for Disarmament Affairs Abidjan, Cote d'lvoire

29 February-4 March IAEA international training course on nuclear security Spain, IAEA Madrid

8-10 March Asia/Pacific Group on Money -Loundering Laundering regional workshop on applying Financial Action Task Force standards to combat the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction Malaysia, Asia/Pacific Group and Bank Negara Malaysia Liang Kijang, Malaysia

8-10 March European Commission-United States workshop on countering nuclear smuggling European Union, United States Karlsruhe, Germany

6 and 7 April Review and Assistance Conference on the Implementation of Resolution 1540 (2004) in Africa African Union, Office for Disarmament Affairs Addis Ababa

11 and 12 April IAEA information exchange meeting IAEA Vienna

18-20 April Global summit on chemical safety and security with accompanying chemical safety and security fair Poland, International Centre for Chemical Safety and Security Kielce, Poland

18 and 19 May Pacific legislative drafting workshop Pacific Islands Forum, UNODC Auckland, New Zealand

18-20 May Regional workshop for Central Asian States on legal and regulatory requirements of resolution 1540 (2004) for strategic trade control OSCE Vienna

8 and 9 June 1540 National round table on resolution 1540 (2004) Iraq, the Committee and the Office for Disarmament Affairs Vienna

16 and 17 June Chemical trade: current practices and challenges China, OPCW Rizhao, China

27 and 28 June Preparatory meeting for the IAEA 2016 International Conference on Nuclear Security IAEA Vienna

27 and 28 June Proliferation financing workshop Trinidad and Tobago, UNLIREC Port of Spain

28 June-1 July Points of contact training course The Russian Federation, the Committee and the Office for Disarmament Affairs Kaliningrad, Russian Federation

4-8 July Summer school on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation Mexico Mexico City

27 and 28 July Export control seminar Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and the Office for Disarmament Affairs Niamey

1 - 5 August Trilateral peer review between Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Belarus Governments of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Belarus supported by OSCE and UNRCPD Minsk

7-11 August Meeting of the International Law Association's committee on nuclear weapons, non-proliferation and contemporary international law International Law Association Johannesburg, South Africa

23-26 August Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering workshop on applying Financial Action Task Force standards to combat the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction Republic of Korea, Asia/ Pacific Group on Money Laundering Seoul

5 - 7 September Meeting on the eighth Biological Weapons Convention review conference China, Canada and the Biological Weapons Convention Implementation Support Unit Wuxi, China

8 and 9 September Meeting of the working group of the Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction Japan, Global Partnership Tokyo

27 and 28 September Regional industry conference (Wiesbaden process) Republic of Korea, Germany and the Office for Disarmament Affairs Seoul

28 September Meeting on implementing resolution 1540 (2004) through secure trade and investments Panama, Spain, OAS New York

29 September Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear risk mitigation in the context of combatting terrorism United Nations Group of Friends of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Risk Mitigation and Security Governance, UNICRI New York

30 September Discussion and award ceremony of the international student essay competition on resolution 1540 (2004) The Committee, Office for Disarmament Affairs Cambridge, United States

10 October Meeting of the OPCW Open-ended Working Group on Terrorism OPCW The Hague

Notes:

1. The 2016 review contains data and information received as at 22 December 2016. Data and information received in 2016 after that date will be reflected in the 2017 review. [Back]

2. The exception in 2016 was the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The most recent contact with that State on this subject was in October 2015, when an expert engaged with a senior official of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. [Back]

Information
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Date	Title	Organizer/sponsor	Location
Visits to States, at their invitation
12-14 April	Assistance with the drafting of a voluntary national implementation action plan	Lesotho and the Committee	Maseru, Lesotho
9-11 November	Development of national implementation action plan	Guatemala, the Committee and the Office for Disarmament Affairs	Guatemala City, Guatemala
Joint visits to States
24-26 February	Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate visit to Kyrgyzstan	Kyrgyzstan, Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate	Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
16-20 May	Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate visit to Kazakhstan	Kazakhstan, Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate	Kazakhstan
Other country-specific activities
19 and 20 January	National round table on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1540 (2004)	Myanmar, Office for Disarmament Affairs	Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar
29 February-1 March	Workshop on the implementation of the national implementation action plan	Tajikistan, OSCE	Dushanbe
6 and 8 April	Workshop on the development of legislation to implement Security Council resolution 1540 (2004), the Biological Weapons Convention and the Chemical Weapons Convention	Jamaica, Verification Research, Training and Information Centre	Kingston
28 and 29 July	Legislative assistance for the implementation of Security Council resolution 1540 (2004) in the Americas (development of the national implementation action plan of Panama)	OAS, Panama	Panama


14-17 September	Kyrgyzstan national round table for development of the national implementation action plan	Kyrgyzstan, the Committee, OSCE and the Office for Disarmament Affairs	Bishkek
2 November	Development of 1540 national implementation action plan	Peru, the Committee and UNLIREC	Lima, Peru
Other outreach activities
13-15 January	Meeting of the working group of the Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction	Japan	Tokyo
19 and 20 January	2016 update on export controls	Aussenwirtschafts-Akademie GmbH	Frankfurt, Germany
20 January	12th Asian senior-level talks on non-proliferation	Japan	Tokyo
22 and 23 February	Meeting of African parliamentarians	Cote d'lvoire, IPU, Office for Disarmament Affairs	Abidjan, Cote d'lvoire
29 February-4 March	IAEA international training course on nuclear security	Spain, IAEA	Madrid
8-10 March	Asia/Pacific Group on Money -Loundering Laundering regional workshop on applying Financial Action Task Force standards to combat the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction	Malaysia, Asia/Pacific Group and Bank Negara Malaysia	Liang Kijang, Malaysia
8-10 March	European Commission-United States workshop on countering nuclear smuggling	European Union, United States	Karlsruhe, Germany
6 and 7 April	Review and Assistance Conference on the Implementation of Resolution 1540 (2004) in Africa	African Union, Office for Disarmament Affairs	Addis Ababa
11 and 12 April	IAEA information exchange meeting	IAEA	Vienna
18-20 April	Global summit on chemical safety and security with accompanying chemical safety and security fair	Poland, International Centre for Chemical Safety and Security	Kielce, Poland
18 and 19 May	Pacific legislative drafting workshop	Pacific Islands Forum, UNODC	Auckland, New Zealand
18-20 May	Regional workshop for Central Asian States on legal and regulatory requirements of resolution 1540 (2004) for strategic trade control	OSCE	Vienna
8 and 9 June	1540 National round table on resolution 1540 (2004)	Iraq, the Committee and the Office for Disarmament Affairs	Vienna
16 and 17 June	Chemical trade: current practices and challenges	China, OPCW	Rizhao, China
27 and 28 June	Preparatory meeting for the IAEA 2016 International Conference on Nuclear Security	IAEA	Vienna
27 and 28 June	Proliferation financing workshop	Trinidad and Tobago, UNLIREC	Port of Spain
28 June-1 July	Points of contact training course	The Russian Federation, the Committee and the Office for Disarmament Affairs	Kaliningrad, Russian Federation
4-8 July	Summer school on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation	Mexico	Mexico City
27 and 28 July	Export control seminar	Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and the Office for Disarmament Affairs	Niamey
1 - 5 August	Trilateral peer review between Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Belarus	Governments of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Belarus supported by OSCE and UNRCPD	Minsk
7-11 August	Meeting of the International Law Association's committee on nuclear weapons, non-proliferation and contemporary international law	International Law Association	Johannesburg, South Africa
23-26 August	Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering workshop on applying Financial Action Task Force standards to combat the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction	Republic of Korea, Asia/ Pacific Group on Money Laundering	Seoul
5 - 7 September	Meeting on the eighth Biological Weapons Convention review conference	China, Canada and the Biological Weapons Convention Implementation Support Unit	Wuxi, China
8 and 9 September	Meeting of the working group of the Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction	Japan, Global Partnership	Tokyo
27 and 28 September	Regional industry conference (Wiesbaden process)	Republic of Korea, Germany and the Office for Disarmament Affairs	Seoul
28 September	Meeting on implementing resolution 1540 (2004) through secure trade and investments	Panama, Spain, OAS	New York
29 September	Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear risk mitigation in the context of combatting terrorism	United Nations Group of Friends of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Risk Mitigation and Security Governance, UNICRI	New York
30 September	Discussion and award ceremony of the international student essay competition on resolution 1540 (2004)	The Committee, Office for Disarmament Affairs	Cambridge, United States
10 October	Meeting of the OPCW Open-ended Working Group on Terrorism	OPCW	The Hague

29Dec16

Review of the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) on nuclear proliferation for 2016