More international co-operation needed to counter proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, say speakers at OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation

VIENNA, 17 October 2018 – Greater international co-operation can counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, said speakers at today’s meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC), which focused on the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 within the OSCE region.

Opening the discussions, Chairperson of the FSC and Permanent Representative of Sweden to the OSCE Ambassador Ulrika Funered said that 2019 will mark 15 years since the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1540 regarding the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by non-state actors.

“We can probably all agree that the Resolution’s implementation remains of the utmost importance and relevance, not least due to the fact that terrorist organizations have continuously shown interest in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and, in the case of Daesh, also used them,” she said. “It is my hope that we can use the upcoming anniversary of the Resolution’s adoption to further enhance the OSCE’s work to support its implementation in our region.”

Ambassador Funered added that Sweden, in its current role as Vice-Chair of the 1540 Committee, has consistently underlined the importance of co-operation with regional and sub-regional actors in the implementation of Resolution 1540.

Ambassador Jan Eliasson, Chair of the Governing Board of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), former Deputy Secretary-General of the UN and former Foreign Minister of Sweden, noted that Resolution 1540 underlines the importance of implementing the resolution through regional organizations.

“It is evident that proliferation is not a problem reserved for the periphery caused by alien groups with unacceptable ideologies. It is a problem here at home. Europe has a duty, we have a duty, to get our house in order and help each other to address the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,” he said. “Regional organizations are indispensable assistance providers. We need to seek a balance between internal and external capacity-building within regions in order to be credible. This applies to the OSCE and other regional organizations.”

Ana Hinojosa, Director of the Compliance and Facilitation Directorate at the World Customs Organization, said: “International terrorism organizations use traditional supply chains to support and facilitate their activities, for example the smuggling of armaments and ammunition, or to acquire strategic goods for proliferation of improvised explosive devices or worse. Given this fact, the security of any country, or in this case the European states, is literally only as strong as its weakest link. Reinforcing the capacities within the customs and border agencies in the security arena is an important part of strengthening those links.”

Ali Rached, Policy Analyst at the Counter Terrorism Directorate of INTERPOL’s General Secretariat, provided an overview of the Organization’s Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and how this supports the implementation of Resolution 1540. He described how INTERPOL’s facilitation of information-sharing and cross-border inter-agency co-operation as well as the Organization’s multilateral and bilateral global partnerships work to counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by non-state actors.