Statement by the Republic of Slovenia at the Open Briefing by the Security Council Committee established pursuant to Resolution 1540

Thank you, Mr. President.

I wish to begin by thanking you, Ambassador de Alba and Mr. Adedeji Ebo, Director and Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs for your opening remarks.

Slovenia greatly values the work of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540. By seeking to prevent non-State actors from acquiring and using weapons of mass destruction, resolution 1540 remains a cornerstone of the global non-proliferation architecture. Its full and effective implementation is essential, and the 1540 Committee and its Group of Experts play a vital role in advancing this goal.

We welcome the fact that only eight Member States have yet to submit their initial national reports. Continued advocacy and engagement are needed to further reduce this number.

Slovenia also commends the Committee for its achievements over the past year. We particularly appreciate the improvements of the assistance mechanism, which now ensures a more effective matching between requests and offers of support.

The Committee’s expanded outreach through regional workshops and training for national points of contact has been instrumental in building capacity and raising awareness across regions.

Mr. President,

The full implementation of resolution 1540 is a long-term undertaking that requires sustained effort at the national, regional, and international levels. Open briefings such as today’s are important for fostering dialogue and sharing best practices, thereby strengthening the global effort to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. It is important to maintain and further enhance this practice.

The Committee’s tailored capacity-building initiatives, including regional training programs, are particularly valuable in this regard. We are pleased that, after a four-year hiatus, two training courses for points of contact were held last year, one for the Asia-Pacific region and one for Africa, and that Panama is now hosting a course for Latin America.

Mr. President,

Slovenia has always been a strong advocate of efforts to prevent non-State actors from acquiring and using nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, as well as related materials and means of delivery.

At the national level, we have strengthened inter-agency coordination among law enforcement, customs, and regulatory authorities to more effectively detect, prevent, and respond to proliferation risks.

At the regional level, we co-hosted with the United States in Ljubljana in mid-April this year regional workshop for practitioners from Central and Eastern Europe in the framework of Proliferation Security Initiative.

We also conduct regular trainings for law enforcement, and customs and border officials, to ensure they are well equipped to prevent proliferation activities. Furthermore, we have increased outreach to the academic and industrial sectors, raising awareness of dual-use technologies and emerging threats, and promoting a culture of responsibility in science and innovation.

At this point I wish to reaffirm Slovenia`s full support to the UN Trust Fund for Global and Regional Disarmament Activities. We will continue to contribute financially to its important work also this year.

Mr. President,

Slovenia remains committed to promoting gender equality across all aspects of our non-proliferation and disarmament work, in line with the Women, Peace and Security agenda. In this context we are, together with partners, hosting a side event today at 1:15 in Conference Room 8, entitled “Empowering Change: The Role of Women in WMD Non-Proliferation and Disarmament.” All delegations, Committee members, experts, and representatives of international and regional organizations are warmly welcome to join us.

Thank you.

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