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Support to the Conference on Disarmament’s Subsidiary Bodies 2018

Support to the Conference on Disarmament’s Subsidiary Bodies 2018

27/03/2018

On 27 March, the 65-member Conference on Disarmament decided to form subsidiary bodies on five items of its agenda (CD 21/26). While this decision does not see the Conference formally resume negotiations on disarmament agreements, it is a step toward it after nearly two decades of deadlock. It is hoped that the respective subsidiary body discussions will contribute to increased understanding and trust among delegations and pave the way for resumed negotiations in areas such as curbing fissile material production, nuclear disarmament, preventing an arms race in outer space, negative security assurances, and to address international security risks raised by particular developments in science and technology. Following a request by the President of the Conference (Switzerland) and the five subsidiary body coordinators, UNIDIR is contributing expertise and assistance to the CD’s subsidiary body deliberations through presentations, papers, and other forms of support.