1540 Committee
Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004)

The 1540 Committee convened its 104th meeting on 2 August 2024. During the meeting discussions focused on the functioning of the assistance mechanism and included updates from the Group of Experts (GoE) on both ongoing and new requests for assistance. UNODA delivered a report on the Points of Contact training course, which took place in Beijing from 25 to 28 June 2024. The Committee also discussed preliminary topics for its upcoming meeting in September and addressed other relevant matters, including the 1540 Open Briefing, the process of filling vacancies on the GoE, and updates concerning States that have yet to submit their 1540 national reports.

On 4 June 2024, the 1540 Committee convened its 103rd meeting to discuss issues related to the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004), including areas of focus for 2024 and potential activities related to paragraph 12 of resolution 2663 (2022). The Committee discussed the compilation of information on the status of States' implementation of resolution 1540 (2004). Additionally, under any other matters, the Committee discussed the upcoming Points of Contact training scheduled for June 2024, and the dates for forthcoming Committee meetings.

The Committee held its 102nd meeting on 2 May 2024, to discuss and review various topics, including requests for assistance and the progress of matching them with available assistance offers. The Committee discussed the existing list of assistance providers, and explored options for the format and topics of voluntary technical reference guides. Additionally, the Committee conducted a preliminary review of potential topics for the next meeting in June 2024, outlining areas of focus. During the discussion under any other matters, the Committee addressed planned outgoing correspondence and UNODA provided an update to the Committee on the progress of onboarding appointees to the group of experts.

The 101st Meeting of the 1540 Committee convened on 22 March 2024, providing an update on specific activities related to the 20th anniversary of Resolution 1540 (2004). The discussions also included plans to schedule an open briefing in October 2024. Additionally, there were deliberations on issues related to 1540 Points of Contact, including training courses, aiming to enhance coordination and capacity-building efforts in this area. Lastly, the Committee addressed proposals regarding outreach strategies aimed at States that have not yet presented a first report on steps they have taken or intend to take to implement resolution 1540 (2004).

The 100th meeting of the 1540 Committee convened on 28 January 2024. The meeting began with discussions regarding plans to mark the twentieth anniversary of the resolution with proposed activities including the open briefings. Deliberations also focused on ways to strengthen procedures for processing assistance requests effectively. The Group of Experts, DPPA and UNODA briefed on their respective roles as part of the support structure of the Committee. Additionally, the Committee discussed issues related to nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons on which the Committee will focus on as outlined under OP 12 of Resolution 2663 (2022).

The 1540 Committee convened its 99th formal meeting on 24 January 2024 and welcomed the new elected members of the Security Council. The meeting addressed issues related to nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons on which the Committee will focus as outlined under OP 12 of Resolution 2663 (2022). Following this, the Committee turned its attention to the multi-year programme of outreach to Member States, as outlined in S/AC.44/2024/NOTE.6. Subsequent discussions revolved around the format and topics of voluntary technical reference guides, aligning with Resolution 2663 (2022) and S/AC.44/2024/NOTE.5. Additionally, the Committee discussed its 21st Programme of Work and initiated a preliminary review of topics for the upcoming February 2024 session.

On 28 December 2023, the 1540 Committee held its 98th meeting, covering several agenda items. The meeting commenced with a discussion on the current status of assistance requests and the ongoing efforts to align them with corresponding offers of support. Subsequently, the Committee shifted its focus to the annual review of the implementation status of resolution 1540 (2004), engaging in discussions on the content of the report. Furthermore, the meeting included preliminary planning discussions regarding potential agenda topics for the upcoming session scheduled in January 2024, as well as for the Committee’s 2024 Programme of Work. The Committee also engaged in deliberations regarding the selection of candidates to its Group of Experts.

On 22 November 2023, the Committee convened its 97th meeting to address the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004), focusing on key areas highlighted in paragraph 12 of resolution 2663 (2022). Deliberations encompassed a proposal for new working procedures concerning correspondence with international, regional, and subregional organizations. Additionally, the meeting addressed updates to the 1540 Committee website, aimed at enhancing awareness. The Committee engaged in preliminary discussions on the topics planned for the next meeting in December 2023. The Committee also deliberated on the selection of members for the group of experts. The Chair briefed the Committee on the informal meetings held on November 10, focusing on the expert's selection, and a subsequent informal meeting with incoming Members of the Council on November 15.

The Committee held informal consultations on 3 October 2023. Committee members engaged in discussions after hearing the presentation from the Secretariat and the Group of Experts on the proposal for the assistance mechanism procedures. The Committee also studied other matters relevant to its work.

The Committee held its 96th meeting on 23 August 2023. During the meeting, the Committee exchanged views regarding the draft paper concerning assistance mechanism procedures and templates. The purpose of the paper is to offer recommendations for enhancing these procedures and associated templates, aiming to enhance the effectiveness of matchmaking and align with the objectives outlined in the 20th Programme of Work of the Committee. Additionally, Committee members engaged in discussions about the process of updating the list of international and regional organizations currently under consideration.

On 30 June 2023, the Committee held its 95th meeting. During the meeting the Committee dedicated time to discuss the implementation status of resolution 1540 (2004), in accordance with operative paragraph 12 of resolution 2663 (2022). The meeting also provided an opportunity for the Committee to receive a briefing from its support structure, including the Group of Experts, the Office for Disarmament Affairs and the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA). Each entity shared an overview of their respective responsibilities and challenges. Additionally, the Committee allocated time to deliberate on topics for its next meeting related to possible activities to undertake in line with operative paragraph 12 of resolution 2663 (2022). To conclude, the Chair provided an overview of his informal meetings with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Organization of American States/Inter-American Committee against Terrorism and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The informal bilateral meetings were aimed to address collaboration in implementation efforts related to Resolution 1540 (2004).

The Committee held its 94th meeting on 26 May 2023. The Committee discussed the 1540 assistance mechanism and heard updates from the Coordinator of the 1540 Committee’s Group of Experts, on the progress and challenges on matching of assistance requests and offers and considering possible additional providers. Members of the Committee discussed issues related to 1540 points of contact, including training of PoC’s. The Chair briefed on his participation in the Fifth Special Session of the Conference of the States Parties to Review the Operation of the Chemical Weapons Convention from 15-19 May. The Committee also gave a preliminary review of topics for the next meeting in June in accordance with its Programme of Work for 2023.

The Committee held its 93rd meeting on 18 April 2023. During the meeting the Committee exchanged ideas on the format and topics of voluntary technical reference guides as mandated in resolution 2663 (2022). Members of the Committee also discussed the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) and possible activities to undertake as provisioned in paragraph 12 of resolution 2663 (2022). The Committee heard updates from the Chair on the nomination process for vacancies within the Group of Experts and deliberated on the internal guidelines on matters regarding the Group of Experts. The Chair and the Coordinator of the Group of Experts briefed the Committee on participation in the workshop on strengthening the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) for IGAD Member States, held from 14-15 March in Nairobi, Kenya.

The 1540 Committee held its 92nd formal meeting on 2 March 2023. The Committee welcomed the new incoming Chair, Ambassador Hernán Pérez Loose, Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the United Nations, and newly incoming Members of the Committee: Japan, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland. Ambassador Loose commended the former Mexican Chair, and previous non-permanent members for their efforts during their tenure on the 1540 Committee. The Committee discussed the adoption of the Committee’s Programme of Work for the period from 1 February 2023 to 31 January 2024. The Committee also discussed the development of a multi-year programme of outreach to Member States, in agreement with the relevant Member States. Upon the request of the Chair, the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, explained the nomination process for vacancies within the Group of Experts. UNODA further reiterated its readiness to continue to provide support to the work of the Committee.

The Committee held informal consultations on 5 July 2022 and discussed the overall outcomes of the open consultations. Members of the Committee exchanged ideas on how to incorporate various inputs presented at the open consultations and way forward in concluding the on-going comprehensive review. The Committee also heard from the Secretariat and the Group of Experts on the status of assistance requests received. Under any other business, the Committee also discussed different proposals to enhance the Committee’s outreach efforts and elements to be included in the final report of the Comprehensive Review.

The 1540 Committee held an open consultations on the Comprehensive Review of the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) as its formal 91st meeting in New York at United Nations Headquarters on 31 May, 1 and 2 June 2022. The open consultations provided Member States an opportunity to inform the Committee of their views on the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004), in particular to recommend practical ideas for its improvement. International and regional organisations relevant to the implementation of the resolution were also invited, along with selected participants from non-governmental organisations, academia, professional associations and industry.

The Committee held informal consultations on 10 May 2022 and reviewed the implementation of select paragraphs of resolution 2325 (2016). The Committee heard from the Coordinator of the Group of Experts and discussed each paragraph of the resolution and its implementation status in detail. The Committee further heard a presentation from the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs on its proposal to develop a new online database to assist the work of the Group of Experts updating the 1540 matrix. The Committee will continue discussions in view of the on-going comprehensive review of the status of implementation of resolution 1540 (2004), and the upcoming open consultations scheduled for 31 May – 2 June 2022.

The Committee held informal consultations on 5 April 2022 and discussed matters related to the implementation of Resolution 1540 (2004), comprehensive review, planned open consultations, and others.

The Committee held its 90th Meeting on 3 February 2022 at the ECOSOC Chamber of the United Nations Headquarters. The Chairperson took the opportunity to welcome the incoming members of the Committee, Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and the United Arab Emirates. At its 90th meeting, the Committee discussed its analysis of outreach to States and civil society including academia, industry, professional associations and parliamentarians and analysis of the assessment of the use of the Committee’s website through 25 April 2021, in the context of the 2021 comprehensive review. These two papers were led by Working Group 4, on Transparency and Media Outreach, and members of the Committee discussed the contents of the paper and exchanged their views. The Committee also discussed the analysis of the structure in support to the Committee in the context of the 2021 comprehensive review, which discussed different roles played by the current entities designated to support the Committee, namely the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Office for Disarmament Affairs, and the Committee’s Group of Experts. Under Other Matters, the Committee also discussed its plans to conclude the on-going comprehensive review and exchanged views on the upcoming expiration of the Committee’s mandate.

The Committee held its 89th Meeting on 3 September 2021 in the ECOSOC Chamber of the United Nations Headquarters. The Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, welcomed Ms. Irina Albrecht, a new member of the 1540 Committee’s Group of Experts. Ms. Albrecht began her assignment as an Expert as of 1 September 2021. The Coordinator of the Group of Experts, made introductory remarks on a previously-circulated paper on the analysis of the interaction between the 1540 Committee and international, regional and subregional organizations, UN bodies and 1267 and 1373 Committees during the period 26 April 2016 to 25 April 2021 within the context of the 2021 comprehensive review. Member States expressed their views on the current modality of the Committee’s interaction with various organization and entities and discussed ways to improve its cooperation.

The Committee held its 88th Meeting on 5 August 2021, in the ECOSOC Chambers of the United Nations Headquarters. The Coordinator of the Committee’s Group of Experts made a presentation on a paper the Group had prepared for the Committee on its assistance mechanism. Following the presentation, Members of the Committee shared their views on the current assistance mechanism and ways to improve it.

The Committee held its 87th Meeting on 15 June 2021 in the ECOSOC Chamber of the United Nations Headquarters. Following an introduction by the Coordinator of the 1540 Committee Group of Experts, Members of the Committee discussed a document prepared by the Group of Experts containing an analysis of updated matrix data for the 2021 comprehensive review of the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004).

The Committee held a closed Video Teleconference (VTC) on 18 March 2021. Upon invitation of the Committee, the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs presented a briefing, for the consideration of the Committee, on the logistical arrangements and possible modalities of the planned open consultations on the status of implementation of resolution 1540 (2004). The Committee further discussed the progress made on the annual programme of work for 2021 and exchanged views on the current practice of approving participation of members of the Group of Experts in outreach activities.

The Committee held an informal meeting virtually on 27 January 2021. On its first meeting of 2021, the Committee welcomed the newly elected members of the Security Council to the Committee and also welcomed the new Chairperson of the Committee, H.E. Ambassador Juan Ramón de la Fuente Ramírez of Mexico. The Committee discussed the 2021 Programme of Work, led by the United Kingdom in its capacity as the Vice-Chair of the Committee. The Committee also discussed plans for the on-going Comprehensive Review and heard from the Coordinator of the 1540 Committee Group of Experts, on the current progress of the Review and items to be considered by the Committee in planning its next steps.

The Committee held a closed Video Teleconference (VTC) 15 December 2020. The Committee heard updates from the Coordinator of the 1540 Committee’s Group of Experts on the progress of the comprehensive review activities and conducted an annual review of the Committee’s work in 2020. The Coordinators of the four Working Groups of the Committee provided updates on the progress of work in their respective working groups. The Committee also heard general updates from the Group of Experts, Office for Disarmament Affairs and the Department for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.

As the meeting was the final meeting to be held in 2020, Members of the Committee thanked the outgoing Chair of the Committee, H.E. Ambassador Triansyah Djani, for his leadership and hard work as the Committee Chair and also thanked the other outgoing members of the Security Council for their work and cooperation. The Committee Members also expressed welcome to the incoming members of the Security Council who were also present at the meeting as observers.

The Committee held its 86th Meeting on 21 October 2020 in the ECOSOC Chamber of the United Nations Headquarters. The Committee welcomed newly elected members of the Security Council, who will also join the Committee as of 2021. The Committee heard a briefing from the Coordinator of the 1540 Committee’s Group of Experts, who, on behalf of the Group, updated the Committee on the status of the on-going Comprehensive Review on the status of implementation of resolution 1540 (2004), including the on-going consultations with Member States on updates to the 1540 Matrices. Mr. Brewer further provided a suggested timeline for the Comprehensive Review for the Committee’s consideration. The Committee further heard briefings from its supporting organs of the UN Secretariat: the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs and the UN Department of Political and Peacekeeping Affairs.

The Committee held an informal meeting on 16 July 2020 and discussed the on-going review of all Member States’ 1540 Matrices. The Coordinator of the 1540 Committee’s Group of Experts, updated the Committee on the status of the process and the remaining steps to finalize the review/update. The Committee also discussed the revised schedule of the Comprehensive Review of the Implementation Status of Resolution 1540 (2004), in consideration of the impact of COVID-19 outbreak. The Committee agreed to continue the discussions and to finalize a revised schedule in the near future.

The Committee held an informal meeting on 13 May 2020 and discussed current progress on the planned work of the Committee in accordance with its 2020 Programme of Work. The Committee focused on assessing the impact of COVID-19 on its work and ways to mitigate challenges presented by this global pandemic. The Committee further discussed ways to move forward with the on-going comprehensive review on the status of implementation of resolution 1540 including its plans to hold open consultations. The Committee also received updates from the Group of Experts, the Office for Disarmament Affairs and the Security Council Affairs Division of the Department for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, on their respective support to the Committee.

The 1540 Committee held its 85th formal meeting on 19 February 2020. The Chair welcomed the new members of the Committee and provided a procedural briefing to Chairs of the Regional Groups on the Comprehensive Review, currently underway, of resolution 1540 (2004). The Committee exchanged views on the activities for 2020, including Open Consultations in June related to the Comprehensive Review.

The 1540 Committee held a formal meeting on 20 December 2019 to review the progress made during 2019. The Committee received briefings from the four coordinators of the Working Groups (Mr. Enri Prietoo of Peru, Ms. Alexia Jarrot of France, Mr. Antonin Benjamin Bieke of Côte d’Ivoire and Mr. Stephen Knight of the United States of America), the Group of Experts, the Office for Disarmament Affairs and the Department for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. The Chair also presented to the Committee the progress being made on the working paper on the Specificity of States and expressed his appreciation for all the inputs he received from Members and Experts. The Chair, on behalf of the Committee, concluded the meeting by expressing his gratitude to members who have reached the end of their terms in the Committee (Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Kuwait, Peru and Poland), and welcomed new Members who will take on their role as of 1 January 2020 (Estonia, Niger, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia and Viet Nam).

The Committee held two informal meetings with relevant international, regional and sub-regional organizations on the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) and successor resolutions, focusing on challenges and effective practices.

The Committee held an open consultation with United Nations Member States, International and Regional Organizations on “Specificity of States” on Friday, 4 October 2019. The Chair briefed the participants on the overview of resolution 1540 (2004) with specific reference to the specificity of States, indicated in operative paragraph 11 of resolution 2325 (2016) and exchanged views with participating States and IROs.

On 21 August 2019, the 1540 Committee held informal consultations and discussed the ongoing update of the national 1540 matrices and the timeline of the 2021 Comprehensive Review. The Committee further heard briefings from UNODA and the DPPA on updates in the offices’ respective areas in support of the activities of the 1540 Committee.

On 7 June 2018, Chile and Colombia made a public presentation of the results of their peer review to the Security Council Committee pursuant to Resolution 1540 (2004) and different delegations from the GRULAC region.

The Committee promotes the sharing of experiences, lessons learned and effective practices in the areas covered by Resolution 1540 (2004), and especially encourages States to conduct, where appropriate, peer reviews on a voluntary basis as they are an excellent tool to evaluate and reinforce effective national and regional capacities.

[Peer Review Report]

The Committee held its 77th formal meeting on 26 July 2017 and shared updates on the progress of work of the Committee.

The Chair invited all the Working Group coordinators to update the Committee on the progress made in accordance with the 2017 Programme of Work of the Committee, and further the Coordinator of the Group of Experts to also provide updates on the works of the Group of Experts in the first half of 2017.

The Committee designated Senegal and the United Kingdom, two of the vice-chairs of the Committee, to oversee the preparations of the report to the Security Council on the evaluation of the Special Political Mission supporting the Committee, which was mandated by resolution 2325 (2016).

The Committee further discussed, upon the suggestion of the Russian Federation, the potential development of a template that could be used in the future by the Group of Experts or Committee Members, when making statements on behalf of the Committee in outside meetings.

The Committee held its 76th formal meeting on 31 January 2017. The committee welcomed the new incoming Chair, Ambassador Sacha Sergio Llorentty Solíz of Bolivia, and newly incoming Members of the Committee: Ethiopia, Italy, Kazakhstan, and Sweden.

The Committee discussed the adoption of the Committee’s Programme of Work for 1 February 2017 – 31 January 2018 which was postponed to a later stage due to pending items which required further consultations. Pending issues included the timeline for an evaluation of the Special Political Mission supporting the Committee, which was mandated by resolution 2325 (2016), and specific methods to discuss evolving proliferation risks in the coming year. As set forth in resolution 2325 (2016), the Programme of Work should be submitted to the Security Council before the end of January 2017.

The Committee also welcomed Japan as the newly appointed Coordinator of the Working Group on Monitoring and National Implementation and listened to briefings on all Working Groups’ past activities and plans for 2017. Mr. Enrique Ochoa, on behalf of the Group of Experts, also briefed the Committee on the activities of the Group and its plans for 2017. Members of the Committee commended the efforts of each Working Group Coordinators and the Group of Experts.

Upon the request of the Russian Federation, the Committee also discussed the procedure for signing contracts for members of the Group of Experts.

The Committee held an informal meeting on 19 October 2016 and discussed the ongoing process of the Comprehensive Review of the implementation status of UNSCR 1540 (2004). Newly incoming committee members were also invited as observers to the meeting to ensure that they are informed of the on-going process. The committee heard from the Director and Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, followed by the 1540 Group of Experts Coordinator, providing detailed explanations on key priority areas in the review.

Following the briefings, an active discussion took place as Experts and ODA provided answers to questions and clarifications, taking note of members’ concerns. Members of the committee expressed appreciation to the work of ODA and the Group of Experts and provided specific feedback on the updated Comprehensive Review draft report and further suggestions to improve the report.

The Committee also discussed ways to move forward with the process. The Chair emphasized the need for an efficient and speedy process, but at the same time noted the need for a thorough and mutually agreed review that can produce productive recommendations for the future. The Committee decided to hold further meetings to discuss and finalise the report of the 2016 Comprehensive Review in the near future.

As set forth in resolution 1977 (2011), the report must be submitted to the Security Council before December 2016.

The Committee held its 75th formal meeting on 27 September 2016. The Chair, Ambassador Román Oyarzun Marchesi of Spain, commended the efforts of all Committee Members, Group of Experts, and Office for Disarmament Affairs on the ongoing process of the Comprehensive Review of the implementation status of UNSCR 1540 (2004). He noted that substantial progress has been made in the implementation of resolution 1540 over the last 5 years, but additional efforts, such as increased number of annual State Visits and National Round-table meetings, more efficient use of Committee resources, and better support to the Committee’s activities, are needed to achieve full and universal implementation.

Following the Chair’s remarks, members of the Committee provided general remarks on the draft report of the 2016 Comprehensive Review, and provided specific recommendations to strengthen the 1540 framework and keep its activities relevant to growing risks and threats. Committee members expressed their appreciation to the Chair’s leadership and the efforts of all parties involved in the Comprehensive Review process, and pledged to stay engaged in discussions on the specifics of the report.

The working group coordinators and the coordinator of the group of experts also made general remarks updating the Committee on their recent activities, and also plans for the remainder of 2016.

The Committee held an informal meeting on 29 March 2016 to hear a briefing by the Coordinator of Working Group III on progress made in cooperation between the Committee and intergovernmental organizations and other relevant United Nations bodies.

The representatives of the following six organizations were invited to share their experience in cooperation with the 1540 Committee and its Group of Experts, as well as to provide recommendations for improved cooperation: the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Customs Organization (WCO).

All the representatives stressed the importance of ongoing cooperation and coordination with the Committee and its Group of Experts and made practical proposals for strengthening cooperation with the aim of contributing to the 2016 Comprehensive Review. The Committee expressed appreciation for their collaborations with the Committee in the areas of mutual interest and hoped to explore avenues of further cooperation.

The Committee held an informal meeting on 16 March 2016 to hear a briefing by Germany on the outcome of the latest Wiesbaden conference, held on 19-20 November 2015.

The annual Wiesbaden conferences are an initiative of the German Government to enhance partnership with industry in implementing Security Council resolution 1540 (2004). The latest Fourth Wiesbaden Conference on 19-20 November 2015 was dedicated to making contributions to the 2016 Comprehensive Review of implementation of resolution 1540.
Germany also informed the Committee of its intention to organize a briefing on the Wiesbaden conferences during a Committee’s open review meeting with Member States in June 2016.

The Committee commended Germany for the leadership role the Government has played in strengthening partnership with industry and looked forward to Germany’s continuing support to the work of the Committee.

The Committee organized an informal meeting in the form of a seminar on 29 February 2016. The seminar entitled “The Changing Nature of Proliferation Threats” was organized to inform embers of the Committee on issues of evolving proliferation threats. Four speakers were invited to brief on the following three topics: Intangible technology transfers, proliferation financing and robotics.

Professor Gregory Koblentz of George Mason University provided an overview of proliferation threats posed by recent scientific and technological developments, such as gene editing, 3-D printing, UAV technology and cyber threats, while emphasizing that these scientific and technological advancements could also help implement resolution 1540 (2004). Mr. Raphaël Prenat, 1540 Expert, illustrated the scope, trends and new challenges of intangible technology transfers and made specific recommendations on how to tackle them. Professor Leonard Spector of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies provided insights on financing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery means. Mr. Michael Spies from the Office for Disarmament Affairs summarized a recently published “Study on Armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Prepared on the Recommendation of the Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters”, highlighting the chapter that discussed the characteristics and technological trends.

Each presentation was followed by questions and lively discussions. The Committee expressed its appreciation to all speakers for their contributions.

The Committee held an informal meeting on 9 February 2016. Mr. Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary-General of the World Customs Organization (WCO), was invited to update the Committee on progress made in the ongoing cooperation between the Committee and WCO since his last briefing to the Committee on 28 February 2014 and to discuss possible areas for future collaboration and synergies.

Mr. Mikuriya informed that the WCO Policy Commission adopted in December 2015 a resolution on the role of customs in international security. By this resolution, WCO identified high priority areas where customs could contribute to strengthen international security, and in this context, supported a deeper cooperation with relevant inter-governmental organizations. Mr. Mikuriya informed the Committee on the “WCO Strategic Trade Control Enforcement (STCE) project”. He expressed the expectation that in April 2016 the STCE project would be turned into a medium to long-term programme under which the WCO would be able to deliver more concrete technical assistance and training. The briefing was followed by interactive discussions with Committee members and 1540 Experts.

The Committee held its 68th formal meeting. The 1540 Committee Chair, Ambassador Román Oyarzun Marchesi of Spain, welcomed the new members of the Committee and solicited further support from all members for a successful and timely conclusion of the 2016 Comprehensive Review mandated by Security Council resolution 1977 (2011). The Chair also informed the Committee of the intention of Spain to host an open debate on the result of the 2016 Comprehensive Review during its Presidency in the Security Council in December 2016. In this connection, the Chair expressed hope that the Council would adopt a resolution updating resolution 1540 (2004), which would enable the international community to meet new threats. The Chair further reiterated the importance of achieving the goal of universal reporting by engaging with the remaining seventeen non-reporting States. The Coordinator of each Working Group briefed the Committee on progress made in its respective work plan and planned activities, in particular those geared towards providing timely and valuable contributions to the 2016 Comprehensive Review. The Coordinator and members of the 1540 Group of Experts also reported on their activities. The UN Office for Disarmament Affairs reiterated its readiness to continue to provide support to the work of the Committee. During the meeting, members of the Committee actively exchanged their views on issues falling within the mandate of the Committee.

The Committee held its 66th formal meeting. The 1540 Committee Chair, Ambassador Román Oyarzun Marchesi of Spain, emphasized his ongoing commitment to work toward the goal of universal reporting and recounted his bilateral consultations with most of the remaining eighteen non-reporting States in that regard. The Chair also expressed his appreciation to the Government of China for hosting the first-ever 1540 Points of Contact training course held for States in the Asia-Pacific region, highlighting the critical role of such courses in forwarding the Committee’s regional approach to 1540 implementation.

Following the Chair’s remarks, the Coordinators of the four Working Groups and the Coordinator of the 1540 Group of Experts briefed the Committee on their respective activities and plans for the coming months.

In a subsequent informal meeting of the 1540 Committee, the Chair of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), Ambassador Roald Næss of Norway, highlighted the connection established by resolution 1540 (2004) between WMD and their means of delivery, and expressed his hope that this first informal meeting between the Committee and MTCR members would foster broader cooperation between the two bodies in their efforts to halt WMD proliferation.