Commemorated on Saturday, the Day of Remembrance pays tribute to those killed or injured by chemical weapons and urges nations to ensure such horrors are never repeated. In his message, the Secretary-General highlighted a major milestone achieved last year: the complete destruction of declared stockpiles under the Chemical Weapons Convention....
The High-Level Meeting was held to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, observed annually on 26 September. “There should be no place for these devices of death in our world,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Nuclear ‘spectre’ looming He warned, however, that “not since the...
Warning the Security Council, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu said that since the last briefing on weapons transfers only two weeks ago, the provision of military assistance and transfer of arms and ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces have continued in the context of Russia’s full-scale invasion of...
That’s according to Izumi Nakamitsu, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, who briefed the Security Council on Friday, quoting the latest figures available. “This is more than 700 people a day, or one person dying from small arms every two minutes”, she said. She added that “small arms and light weapons...
“The images arriving from the locality, home to just above 300 people, are absolutely horrifying,” UN Humanitarian Coordinator Denise Brown said in a statement issued shortly after the attack. Speaking on behalf of the UN and the humanitarian community, she expressed condolences to the bereaved families. “Our thoughts are also...
Since her last briefing in May, said Izumi Nakamitsu, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, reports from open sources indicate an influx in the transfer of heavy conventional weapons, including battle tanks, combat aircraft, artillery and missile systems. “There are reports that the supply of arms and ammunition has accelerated...
“We cannot go backwards,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a video message addressing the fifth Special Session of the States parties to review the operation of the Chemical Weapons Convention. ‘Senseless weapons of terror’ “The use of chemical weapons has persisted; each use threatens to reverse our hard-won gains,”...
“Emanating from any arms transfer is the inherent risk of diversion of the equipment to unauthorized end users,” said Izumi Nakamitsu, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs. Addressing the Council during the first open meeting of Russia’s month-long presidency – and during which many delegates referenced the ongoing conflict in...
Speaking on behalf of High Representative Izumi Nakamitsu, her deputy, Adedeji Ebo, said that “the absence of accountability” for the previous use of chemical weapons by combatants in Syria’s long-running civil war, “is a threat to international peace and security and a danger to us all”. “It is, therefore, imperative...
Updating ambassadors on the elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons programme, as per Security Council resolution 2118 (2013), High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, said she has been stressing each month “for many years now”, that continued unresolved inconsistencies meant Syria was out of compliance. Continued efforts, ‘unsuccessful’ Since her...
This marked the third time since the 24 February invasion that the Council has formally met at Russia’s request to address its ongoing allegations. The UN’s High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumu Nakamitsu, had previously informed ambassadors – first in March, and then again in May – that the...
The devastating harm caused by explosive weapons falling on population centres has been seen again and again, from Syria to Ethiopia, Myanmar and Iraq. The flood of images coming out of Ukraine have shocked many. On top of the deaths, the use of these weapons is a cause for long-term...