UNDERSTANDING THE IMPLICATIONS OF UN SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION 1540 |
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| Authors: | BEN STEYN |
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| Institution: | He has been the Chemical and Biological Defence Advisor to the Surgeon General of the South African National Defence Force since 1993. He has also been the technical adviser for the South African Delegation to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention since 1992. The views expressed in this paper are those of the author and should not be interpreted as representing any positions or views of the South African government, any government agency or institution, or any other agency or institution related to the South African government. |
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| Abstract: | The UN Security Council passed Resolution 1540 in 2004 so that states can pass laws that will assist in the prevention of access to weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Not everyone was pleased with the resolution as it is seen to be giving a false sense of security. This essay seeks to shed light on the resolution by outlining what the requirements as well as concerns are. It also discusses the implementation process of the resolution in detail, incorporating concerns raised by some states. One of the concerns is that the resolution is drafted in broad terms and contains many requirements that are vague and open to interpretation. Based on these broad terms, states are required to adopt and enforce appropriate effective laws which prohibit any non-state actor from manufacturing, acquiring, possessing, developing, transporting, transferring or using nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. |
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