THIRD SESSION OF THE PREPATATORY COMMITTEE FOR 2010 NUCLEAR NON-P[ROLIFERATION TREATY REVIEW CONFERENCE SECCESSFULLY CONCIUDES WITH THE ADOPTION OF CONSENSUS REPOT

Third session of the Preparatory Committee for 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference successfully concludes with the adoption of consensus report

NPT meeting in progress Photo credit: Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs

The Preparatory Committee for the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons held its third session from 4 to 15 May at United Nations Headquarters in New York. This was the last of three sessions of the Preparatory Committee that will be held prior to the 2010 Review Conference.

This session, which was open to all parties to the Treaty, observer States, specialized agencies, international and regional intergovernmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations, addressed both substantive and procedural issues related to the Treaty and the upcoming Review Conference in 2010. The ten days of meetings were chaired by Ambassador Boniface G. Chidyausiku of Zimbabwe.

119 States parties participated in this third session. Palestine participated as an observer as did the following specialized agencies and international and regional intergovernmental organizations: the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean, the European Commission, the League of Arab States, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive-Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization.

Addressing the session on its opening, the Secretary-General told delegates that “People understand intuitively that nuclear weapons will never make us more secure. They know that real security lies in responding to poverty, climate change, armed conflict and instability. They want Governments to invest in plans for growth and development, not weapons of mass destruction. If you can set us on a course towards achieving a nuclear-weapon-free world, you will send a message of hope to the world.”

Global Security Institute event Global Security Institute Board Member Christie Brinkley Gareth Evans of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament Henrik Salander, Chairman of the Middle Powers Initiative Hideo Hiraoka, Member of the Japanese Diet Photo credit: Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs

In his statement, the Chairman noted that delegates were meeting at an opportune time in the history of the NPT. There was abundant political goodwill from all States Parties for the Review Conference to succeed. He wanted to appeal to the meeting that it should not lose the great opportunity that was before it.

Following a general exchange of views on all aspects of the implementation of the Treaty, during which more than 60 statements were made, the Committee’s early meetings were devoted to the procedural issues for the Review Conference in 2010 which were successfully finalized at the session. This includes the provisional agenda and draft rules of procedure as well as the unanimous endorsement of the candidacy of Ambassador Libran N. Cabactulan of the Philippines for the presidency of the 2010 Review Conference.

The meeting also decided that the 2010 Review Conference will be held from 3-28 May in New York.

UNODA, National Film Board of Canada and Pugwash film screening event UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Sergio Duarte and Former Under-Secretary General for Disarmament Jayantha Dhanapala Photo credit: Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs

Several meetings were dedicated to substantive discussion on the following three clusters of issues: 1) the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, disarmament and international peace and security; 2) non-proliferation, nuclear-weapon-free zones and safeguards; and 3) the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Within this framework the Committee also discussed security assurances to non-nuclear-weapon states against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons; regional issues, including the resolution on the Middle East adopted by the 1995 Review and Extension and other provisions of the Treaty such as Article X on withdrawal from the Treaty.

In the margins of the meeting more than 50 side and special events were held by States parties, specialized agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which included discussions on the nuclear fuel cycle, disarmament and non-proliferation education, IAEA safeguards and prospects for nuclear weapons abolition.

The events included the premiere New York film screening of “the Strangest Dream” on the life and work of Joseph Rotblat, one of the founders of the modern peace movement. 77 NGOs participated in the session with more than a dozen addressing the Committee in a meeting set aside specifically for presentations by NGOs. The Treaty, which entered into force in 1970 and was extended indefinitely in 1995, requires that review conferences be held every five years. The Treaty is regarded as the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime. Its objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament, and to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy

http://www.un.org/disarmament/HomePage/ODAPublications/ODAUpdate/2009/June/index.html#0L

Penulis : Drs.Simon Arnold Julian Jacob