General Assembly Security Council

STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR BHAGWANT S. BISHNOI, ACTING PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE AT THE UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL OPEN DEBATE ON NON-PROLIFERATION ENTITLED ‘COMMEMORATING THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF RESOLUTION 1540 [2004] AND LOOKING AHEAD ON MAY 07, 2014

 

Thank you, Mr. President.

1 At the outset, I would like to express India s appreciation for scheduling this discussion on a subject of great significance for us, our region and the world. I also thank the Deputy Secretary General H.E. Jan Eliasson for his comprehensive briefing on the subject.

 

2. India has an unwavering commitment to international efforts to prevent non-state actors and terrorists from acquiring WMDs and their means of delivery. We fully supports all efforts of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) to implement its mandate. We are conscious of the dangers that the transfers of such WMDs to non-state actors could entail. Given the evolving complex challenges emanating from non-state actors to international peace and security, such risks and our responses need to be tailored appropriately and the 1540 Committee can play its role in this regard.

 

3. The international community must join hands to eliminate the risks relating to sensitive materials and technologies falling into the hands of terrorists and non-state actors. The international response to the threat needs to be national as well as multilateral and global. India believes that meeting new proliferation challenges requires reinvigorated approaches in a variety of multilateral and global forums. The focus on non-state actors must not take attention away from national responsibility to curb proliferation.

 

Mr. President

4. India had supported the general objectives of UNSCR 1540. The resolution is in line with our own General Assembly resolution Measures to prevent terrorists from gaining access to WMD  , adopted by consensus every year since it was first introduced in 2002, and now co-sponsored by more than 70 member states. As member of the Security Council, India supported resolution 1977 (2011) extending the mandate of the 1540 Committee for a period of 10 years until 25 April 2021.In cooperation with the UN Office of Disarmament Affairs India had organized a 1540 Workshop on Building New Synergies on Nuclear Security   in New Delhi on 30 November-1 December 2012 following a commitment announced at the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit. Discussions at the Workshop were substantive and focused on building new synergies on nuclear security.

 

Mr. President

5. India has always expressed its readiness to offer assistance to other countries in capacity building and in fulfilling their obligations under UNSCR 1540. Nationally, India has enacted a number of effective laws and regulations and has put in place institutions and administrative mechanisms to prohibit WMD access to terrorists and non-state actors. After the adoption of UNSCR 1540, India took additional steps to further strengthen its existing legislative and regulatory mechanism for exercising controls over WMDs and their means of delivery. The WMD Act enacted in June 2005 provides for an integrated and over-arching legislation on prohibiting unlawful activities in relation to WMDs, their delivery systems and related materials, equipment and technologies. Amendments to the 1992 Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act passed in 2010 further strengthened our national export control system.

 

6. India has never been a source of proliferation of sensitive materials and technologies. We are proud of our record on nuclear security and nuclear non-proliferation but we are not complacent. India is committed to upholding and strengthening physical security of nuclear facilities and materials. India is committed to maintaining effective national export controls consistent with the highest international standards and is prepared to make its contribution as a full member of the respective multilateral export control regimes.

 

Mr. President

7. The 1540 resolution has contributed to greater awareness amongst States on the need for effective measures at the national level to prevent terrorists and non-state actors gaining access to sensitive materials and technologies. Reporting by states of their implementation measures facilitates the overview of the implementation by the 1540 Committee. Measures for the implementation of the resolution should be undertaken by the states based on their national practices and processes. Assistance and cooperation for States requesting such assistance is a key element of the implementation process. Such assistance programmes should be suited to the specific national or regional requirements.

 

8. In conclusion let me state that the 1540 Committee has also established cooperative relations with several international organizations. Consistent with their respective mandates, the IAEA and the OPCW can contribute to the objectives of the 1540 resolution. We commend Ambassador Oh Joon for his stewardship of 1540 Committee, as also the professionalism with which the Committee has been implementing its mandate.

 

I thank you.

 

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