Disarmament & Nonproliferation

U.N. committee against nukes, chemical and biological weapons renewed for next decade

The committee monitors implementation of council resolution 1540, approved in 2004 to prevent "non-state actors" from getting their hands on or trafficking a nuclear, biological or chemical weapon.

, and John Heilprin

November 30, 2022 . 10:32 PM

2 min read

The U.N. Security Council meets in New York to extend the mandate of a committee monitoring nuclear, biological, chemical weapons (AN/U.N. Web TV)

The U.N. Security Council unanimously extended for another 10 years its committee that works to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

The 15-0 vote by the U.N.'s most powerful arm on Wednesday authorizes its 1540 Committee to keep operating until Nov. 30, 2032. The committee monitors implementation of council resolution 1540, approved in 2004 to prevent "non-state actors" from getting their hands on or trafficking a nuclear, biological or chemical weapon.

The resolution calls on the committee to conduct comprehensive reviews on the resolution after five years and, before its mandate expires, report to the council on the conclusion of each of those reviews, including the first one by December 2027.