Fact Sheet: Joint Statement on Promoting Full and Universal Implementation of UNSCR 1540 (2004)

THE WHITE HOUSE 

Office of the Press Secretary

______________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release                        

FACT SHEET

UN Security Council Resolution 1540

UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1540, adopted unanimously in 2004 under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, establishes legally binding obligations on all States to develop and enforce appropriate and effective measures against the proliferation of nuclear weapons or material, their means of delivery and related materials.  The resolution also created a UN Security Council subsidiary body, the 1540 Committee, to monitor and foster implementation of the resolution.

The Joint Statement on Promoting Full and Universal Implementation of UNSCR 1540, sponsored by Canada, Republic of Korea and Spain, recognizes the resolution and the 1540 Committee as key players in the international legal and institutional infrastructure for strengthening global nuclear security and combating nuclear terrorism.  In addition, the Joint Statement identifies ways to support the long-term efforts required to implement the resolution and the work of the 1540 Committee.  The Joint Statement further emphasizes the importance of the Second Comprehensive Review of the resolution by the 1540 Committee, now underway, in helping States achieve full implementation of the resolution by 2021, including the implementation of obligations to enhance the security of nuclear materials worldwide.

As part of its commitment to the Joint Statement, the United States pledges to continued support of the resolution and the 1540 Committee, robust participation in the Second Comprehensive Review of the resolution, and the submission of regular reporting on domestic implementation of the resolution. To further meet its obligations and commitments, the United States maintains a wide range of assistance programs and outreach efforts to help others implement their UNSCR 1540 obligations.

UNSCR 1540 and the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism constitute key parts of the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit’s Action Plan in support of the UN, in which the United States and other Summit participating States commit to further stregthen the global nuclear security architecture by working to enhance the capacity of States to implement their UNSCR 1540 obligations.  As part of this Action Plan, the United States and other Summit participants pledge to increase our efforts to enhance national implementation, coordination and cooperation, assistance, and outreach under the umbrella of UNSCR 1540.  Furthermore, the United States reaffirms its commitment to full implementation of the resolution as part of the Summit’s Joint Statement on Promoting Full and Universal Implementation of UNSCR 1540. 

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