Statement by the delegation of Ukraine at the Joint briefing by Chairs of subsidiary bodies of the Security Council
Mr. President,
Close collaboration between 1267, 1373 and 1540 Committees is essential for achieving the goal of effective international cooperation in the field of countering terrorism and WMD non-proliferation, including through ensuring comprehensive implementation of relevant UNSC resolutions.
Thus, I would like to thank our three distinguished colleagues for providing extensive information on the activities of the respective Committees and highly commend the efforts of the Chairs and respective Experts’ Groups.
In particular, we take positive note of the increase of their country visits and other outreach activities to facilitate the improvement of national counter-terrorism mechanisms, to assist in identification of terrorist threats on the ground and to assess countries’ needs for technical assistance. Among recent examples are the visits to terrorist vulnerable regions, like Afghanistan and the Lake Chad Basin, by the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and the 1267 Committee Monitoring Team.
Also, close cooperation between these expert groups contribute greatly to the Secretary-General’s periodic reports on the threat posed by ISIL and its affiliates worldwide.
Let me briefly touch upon an issue of particular importance for the functioning of the respective Committees.
The recently adopted resolutions of the Security Council, specifically 2309 on aviation security, 2322 on international judicial cooperation, 2341 on protecting critical infrastructure and 2347 on protecting cultural property, have significantly expanded the mandate of the Counter-Terrorism Committee and the CTED.
We are pleased that these topics are duly reflected in the Committees’ programmes of work and that the CTED is doing its utmost to deliver expert support for UN and member states’ activities in these areas. Yet, we have to admit that effective implementation of mandated tasks requires adequate capacity and resources.
It is very encouraging that the CTED has managed to share this increased workload with its Research network, which started off by producing on the heels of resolution 2341 a comprehensive trends report on the protection of critical infrastructure against terrorist attacks.
Therefore, we support strengthening the CTED capabilities and are looking forward to the review of the Directorate’s mandate this December.
Mr. President,
Ensuring full implementation of resolution 1540 underpins my country’s position in the field of non-proliferation. Given the objective need for continuous improvement of the process of practical implementation of the provisions of the resolution, Ukraine maintains an active discussion at the national level and interagency meetings, with participation of representatives of all profile state bodies, as well as respective non-governmental organizations and community experts on the matter intended to strengthen coordination of all national institutions involved in this process.
Our national implementation of resolution 1540 will be enhanced by the development of the “Road map”, addressing, in particular, the following areas:
— Development of the National Action Plan (NAP) for the implementation of resolution. In this connection we recall that according to paragraph 8 of UNSCR 1977 (2011), UN member states are invited to develop NAPs which define their priorities in this direction.
— Establishment of the National Contact Centre in Ukraine on the implementation of resolution 1540 and the establishment of an interagency working group on the implementation of the Resolution.
— Interaction between government agencies and non-governmental organizations. Given the growing challenges and threats in the field of non-proliferation, the development of cooperation between the public and private sectors, including industrial and specialized research institutions, is of particular relevance.
Mr. President,
The year of 2016 marked a significant stage in fostering the WMD non-proliferation regime. A possible use of weapons of mass destruction is a clear and ever present danger to the humankind. The risk of the world’s most dangerous materials falling into wrong hands, either intentionally or as a result of neglect or oversight, remains high.
Thus, strengthening cooperation in preventing proliferation of WMDs and their components, as well as building synergies among all stakeholders, including relevant international, regional, sub-regional, non-governmental organizations, is an urgent task. In this context, the 1540 Committee should also continue to promote outreach activities, in conformity with the Comprehensive Review recommendations and provisions of resolution 2325.
Therefore, we join others in reconfirming our support to the Comprehensive Review of implementation of resolution 1540, which culminated in a unanimous adoption of resolution 2325 in December last year. Conclusions and recommendations of the 2016 Comprehensive Review, once properly implemented, will significantly reinforce or even reenergize resolution 1540. The Review report clearly demonstrates the differentiated implementation progress regarding both WMD types and various obligations contained in the resolution. This document also contributes to defining specific areas for each concerned party as to where national, regional or international efforts should be intensified.
However, despite all the measures by Member States to reduce proliferation risks, the world is witnessing growing and ever more sophisticated threats in this area. These risks arise not only from gaps in national legislation but also from the rapid development of science and technology, as well as e-commerce along with a lack of threat awareness among academia, industry and civil societies.
In the past decade, chemical and biological materials were quite often referred to as potential weapons of terrorists, non-state actors and rogue states. Apparently, this assumption appears to be true, as confirmed by the recent events. Ukraine’s position in this regard is very clear — any use of WMD under any circumstances has to be met with a strong response from the international community. Perpetrators of such abhorrent acts must be held accountable and the Council cannot afford remaining silent or indifferent on this subject.
I thank you for your attention.