Malawi asked to enforce UN 1540 resolution
The United Nations (UN) Security Council has asked the Malawi Government to quickly enforce appropriate legislation that prohibit proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons as required under Resolution 1540.
Speaking during a report writing workshop on the UN Security Council Resolution 1540 in Lilongwe on Wednesday, a member of the 1540 committee, Dovydas Spokauskas, urged government to establish domestic controls to prevent proliferation or delivery of harmful weapons.
Said Spokauspas: “While the resolution clearly spells out obligations, states decide how they are implemented in accordance with their own legal, regulatory and control systems. Our presence in this country, therefore, demonstrates that these obligations cover a broad range of issues such as export controls, proliferation and physical protection.”
He then asked Malawi to produce its 1540 report in time, describing the information contained in such reports as of immense importance since it provides the basis upon which the Security Council can conduct dialogue with States.
In his remarks, deputy director of Political Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Warren Gunda, assured the delegation that the country will have produced its initial 1540 draft report by the end of the workshop.
Resolution 1540 was by the UN Security Council in 2004 and member States were expected to produce initial reports within the first year of the resolution’s adoption and Malawi was unable to meet this deadline.
