Trina Saha
Acting Political Coordinator
New York, New York
March 14, 2022
AS DELIVERED
Thank you, Mr. President, and the United States thanks Mexico for your leadership in achieving the unanimous adoption of Resolution 2622. This technical extension of the 1540 mandate through most of the remainder of this year will allow the Committee and its Group of Experts to continue their important work, while providing sufficient time to complete a meaningful and inclusive Comprehensive Review and to submit that Review’s report to the Security Council.
The United States underscores its full support for the 1540 Committee as a powerful multilateral tool to help prevent the most dangerous weapons from falling into the hands of non-state actors. We support the continued work of the Committee under your Chairmanship and look forward to collaborating with our fellow Committee members to complete the substantive work before us in the months ahead.
A meaningful Comprehensive Review that brings together Member States and civil society, international and regional organizations, industry, and academia, is essential to ensuring the Committee continues to meet the challenges of preventing non-state actors, including terrorists and terrorist groups, from acquiring or using weapons of mass destruction and related goods and know-how. In this regard, we welcome the opportunity to engage these stakeholders through the Review’s Open Sessions that the Chair has scheduled for May and June.
As we undertake the work of the Comprehensive Review and mandate renewal, we will prioritize the full implementation of states’ obligations under Resolution 1540 by improving the functionality and credibility of the Committee, further empowering its Group of Experts, and enhancing its support for assistance and outreach-related activities. We support the Chair’s ambitious but achievable timeline to complete the Comprehensive Review. In particular, we appreciate that the timeline underscores the importance of streamlining the Group of Experts’ work to strengthen the Committee, while also recognizing the vitally important roles played by international organizations, international regional organizations, and civil society in promoting our shared goal of ensuring effective state-level implementation of Resolution 1540.
We remain committed to collaborating closely with fellow Council Members to conduct a successful review that will inform the most effective and constructive substantive mandate renewal later this year. The possibility of weapons of mass destruction being acquired and used by terrorists or other non-state actors remains one of the greatest threats to international peace and security. Resolution 1540 is one of the few established, authoritative international instruments in place to address these threats. The Comprehensive Review and mandate renewal give us an opportunity to ensure that the Resolution and its implementation are as strong and effective as possible. The stakes could not be higher.
Thank you.
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