US Urges UN Members to Tighten Controls on WMD-Related Goods

The U.S. this week urged U.N. Security Council members “to be especially diligent” in implementing Resolution 1540, which calls on countries to prevent transfers of weapons of mass destruction and “know-how” to non-state actors. In an April 29 statement, the State Department marked the 20th anniversary of the resolution and said UNSC members should make sure “transfers of sensitive goods and know-how with both WMD and legitimate commercial applications” aren't “allowed to fall outside of regulatory control and into the hands of proliferators.”

The U.S. is “highly concerned by the threat of terrorism and the risks posed by other non-state actors seeking to acquire, develop, traffic or use nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and their means of delivery,” the State Department said. “We urge all nations to work together to fulfill our respective UNSCR 1540 commitments.”