United Nations Disarmament Yearbook 2016

United Nations UNODA

• Publisher: United Nations Publications
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9789213582527
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: International Business
• Index: Business

The United Nations Disarmament Yearbook, volume 41 (Part II): 2016, with a foreword by the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, summarizes developments and trends in 2016 on key issues of multilateral consideration at the international and regional levels; reviews the activity of the General Assembly, the Conference on Disarmament and the Disarmament Commission; and contains a handy timeline of highlights of multilateral disarmament in_x000D_2016.

First Place, United Nations Poster for Peace Contest 2016
Hilando la Paz
Ivan Ciro Palomino Huamani (Peru)

CHAPTER I

Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation

A nuclear-weapon-free world is the collective and shared responsibility of the entire international community. There is more than one path to reach that destination. Unfortunately, there are growing differences on how to get there.

KIM WON-SOO, UNITED NATIONS HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR DISARMAMENT AFFAIRS¹

Developments and trends, 2016

IN 2016, STATES took a number of new and historic steps to take forward multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations amid deepening divisions on the right approach to achieve and maintain a world without nuclear weapons. These steps came during a time of continued stagnation in the traditional multilateral disarmament forums, a lack of progress in the pursuit of further reductions in nuclear-weapon arsenals, growing concerns over deteriorating transatlantic security relations and the continued modernization and development of nuclear weapons by the possessor States.

Building upon the heightened awareness of the humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons, the General Assembly decided to convene in 2017 a United Nations conference to negotiate a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination.² This decision carried forward the recommendation of the Open-ended Working Group taking forward multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations, which met in 2016 with a mandate, inter alia, to substantively address concrete effective legal measures, legal provisions and norms that will need to be concluded to attain and maintain a world without nuclear weapons.

The move towards the negotiation of a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons resulted in a number of new initiatives to make progress on items long considered to be part of the so-called “step-by-step approach” to nuclear disarmament. These included a high-level push for agreement in the Conference on Disarmament on a compromise mandate for negotiating a treaty on fissile materials. Ultimately, the General Assembly sought to advance consideration of the elements for such a treaty by deciding to convene in 2017 and 2018 a high-level expert preparatory group on a fissile material cut-off treaty.³ The General Assembly also established a new expert group to study nuclear disarmament verification.⁴

Efforts to resume progress towards a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction did not result in any breakthrough in 2016, although the Arab States launched a new initiative to revitalize consideration of the matter.⁵ In contrast, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, agreed to between the E3/EU+3⁶ and the Islamic Republic of Iran, entered into its implementation phase in January, after the International Atomic Energy Agency verified that the Islamic Republic of Iran had carried out its required nuclear-related commitments. While the parties had to address various implementation issues throughout the year, they nonetheless displayed strong individual and collective commitments to preserving and upholding the agreement.

States possessing nuclear weapons variously continued the modernization and development of nuclear-weapon systems and some continued to increase and diversify their arsenals. The Russian Federation and the United States continued to implement their obligations under the Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, including through incremental reductions in their aggregate stockpiles of strategic nuclear weapons. However, the potential to achieve follow-on measures remained in question amid continuing accusations of non-compliance with existing arms control treaties, the termination of bilateral cooperation on nuclear risk reduction and fissile-material disposition, and a lack of negotiations to seek further reductions in their strategic nuclear arsenals or to address non-strategic nuclear weapons and other concerns relating to strategic security.

On various occasions throughout 2016, the international community marked the twentieth anniversary of the conclusion and opening for signature of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. These observations included a number of events held by the United Nations and the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization to commemorate the Treaty and to promote its universality and entry into force. While two additional States ratified the Treaty in 2016, there was no progress made with respect to the eight remaining States that must ratify the Treaty before it can enter into force.

The international community concluded a number of high-level processes in 2016 aimed at increasing the security of chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological materials. The final Nuclear Security Summit, held in March in Washington, DC, endorsed a set of action plans for relevant international organizations.⁷ In May, the 2005 Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material entered into force. The International Atomic Energy Agency convened a follow-up international conference on nuclear security in December, which provided a forum at both ministerial and technical levels for discussions on current progress and future developments in strengthening nuclear security globally. Also in December, the Security Council completed its quinquennial review of resolution 1540 (2004) with the adoption of resolution 2325 (2016).

International efforts to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula experienced major setbacks in 2016 as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea conducted two nuclear explosive tests and an unprecedented number of launches using ballistic-missile technology, prompting the Security Council to meet in emergency consultation on nine occasions. In response to these provocative acts, the Council adopted two rounds of additional sanctions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, resulting in the most expansive sanctions regime it had ever imposed.

Issues related to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty

Entry into force and universality

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT)⁸ edged closer to universalization in 2016 with ratifications by Myanmar and Swaziland in September, raising the total number of ratifying States to 166 out of 183 signatory States. Nonetheless, entry into force of the CTBT remains unfinished business, as there are still 8 of the 44 States listed in annex 2 to the Treaty that have yet to ratify.

Twentieth anniversary events

The Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) convened the CTBT symposium “Science and Diplomacy for Peace and Security: the CTBT@20” from 25 January to 4 February, which served as the first in a series of events to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the Treaty. Approximately 650 participants from all corners of the globe took part in the symposium, either in person or online through the CTBTO Knowledge and Training Portal.⁹ All the remaining non-ratifying annex 2 States were represented at the symposium with the exception of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The symposium was composed of panel discussions and lectures with world-renowned experts in the field of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, as well as interactive practical exercises and a simulation of a future CTBTO Executive Council deliberation on the authorization of an on-site inspection.

In April, the CTBTO held an event in Vienna entitled “CTBT@20: Panel Discussion with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon”. During the discussion, the Secretary-General addressed the audience on the need for the entry into force of the CTBT, stating that the Treaty had “proven its value again and again”, and that the CTBTO was “at the forefront of detecting possible nuclear tests”.¹⁰ Joining the Secretary-General on the panel were the CTBTO Executive Secretary, Lassina Zerbo; the United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Kim Won-soo; the former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister of Finance and Vice-Chancellor of Austria, Michael Spindelegger; and the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations in Vienna and member of the CTBT Group of Eminent Persons, Susan Le Jeune d’Allegeershecque. The event in Vienna was followed across the world via media coverage, webcast¹¹ and social media.

Over 120 delegations attended the opening of the “20 Years CTBT Ministerial Meeting”, held in Vienna on 13 and 14 June. The Ministerial Meeting brought together ministers and other high-level officials to discuss, review and reinvigorate the discussion on the entry into force of the Treaty. At the side event “CTBT@20: The Way Forward—The role of Civil Society”, panellists discussed new initiatives to accelerate the entry into force of the Treaty, as well as the role of civil society in leading and supporting such efforts. In addition, an exhibition at the Vienna International Centre’s Rotunda offered hands-on experience with on-site inspection equipment.

On 23 September, the Security Council convened for a historic debate on the eve of the twentieth anniversary of the opening for signature of the CTBT. Following the debate, the Council adopted resolution 2310 (2016), which was co-sponsored by 42 countries and passed with 14 affirmative votes, with the sole abstention of Egypt. In the resolution, the Council called on all States to refrain from conducting any nuclear explosions, to maintain their moratoriums and to continue supporting and strengthening the verification regime. The Council also recognized that, even prior to the Treaty’s entry into force, the monitoring and analytical elements of the verification regime were at the disposal of the international community and contributed to regional stability as a significant confidence-building measure.

Eighth Ministerial Meeting of the Friends of the CTBT

Three days before the twentieth anniversary of the opening for signature of the CTBT, foreign ministers and representatives of member States convened in New York on 21 September to issue a joint call for the Treaty’s prompt entry into force. The call was made by the eighth Ministerial Meeting of the “Friends of the CTBT”, chaired by Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Japan and the Netherlands in cooperation with Kazakhstan¹² and the United Nations.

In his remarks¹³ during the meeting, Secretary-General Ban stated that the failure of the Treaty to enter into force “was unacceptable when I entered office in 2007” and was “beyond unacceptable now”. Speaking at the meeting, Executive Secretary Zerbo expressed his hope of progress with the CTBT despite challenges, recalling the important role of States signatories as stakeholders in the process that would lead to the entry of the Treaty into force. Additionally, he noted that ...

Table of contents

• The United Nations: Disarmament Yearbook
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgements
• Chapter I. Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation
• Chapter II. Biological and chemical weapons
• Chapter III. Conventional weapons
• Chapter IV. Regional disarmament
• Chapter V. Emerging, cross-cutting and other issues
• Chapter VI. Disarmament machinery
• Chapter VII. Information and outreach
• Appendix I. Status of multilateral arms regulation and disarmament agreements
• Appendix II. The Future of Multilateral Disarmament: Secretary-General's speech
• Appendix III. Disarmament resolutions and decisions listed by chapter
• Appendix IV. Acronyms