President,
Norway was a proud co-sponsor of the landmark “veto-initiative” resolution 76/262 which has spurred our convening today, and we note the Special Report produced by the Council in this regard.
It is our opinion that all vetoes should be held to account, but the General Assembly cannot only lament missed opportunities for Council action. We must also set out our expectations that the Council fulfill its duty to international peace and security. And we ready to see this Assembly to make the most of its Charter-defined role to inspire necessary action where it has been prevented by the use and threat of the veto.
President,
Norway is deeply concerned over the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) continued development of its unlawful Weapons of Mass Destruction and ballistic missile programs, and the evolving efforts to circumvent the UN Security Council’s sanctions, clearly undermining global nonproliferation efforts.
This includes reports that weapons from the DPRK are being used by Russia in its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.
In assessing the implementation of the sanctions on the DPRK, the 1718 Committee’s Panel of Experts plays a crucial role. For the last 14 years it has provided fact-based, assessments, analysis, recommendations, and delivered informative and independent reports to all UN Member States.
President,
As former Chair of the 1718 Committee, we know the vital role the Panel of Experts play in the 1718 Committee’s work and for the wider UN membership.
The PoE’s reporting is a critical source of information for all UN Member States in better understanding the sanctions implementation, attempts of sanctions evasion, and how to improve UN Security Council resolution enforcement.
Every UN Member State benefit from Panel’s reporting, especially smaller Member State with limited capacity to monitor developments on the ground.
The Panel of Experts has experienced united support of the Security Council and had their mandate renewed every year by consensus.
This vital reporting is now missing because one Permanent Member chose to cast a veto in the Security Council meeting on 28 March 2024 blocking a renewal of the panels mandate. This is deeply concerning.
We also regret that one other Permanent Member in the same Council meeting argued against the need to renew the mandate.
The Council’s unanimously adopted sanctions measures are an essential part of our efforts to slow the development of – and to counter – the DPRK’s prohibited weapons programs.
Without the Panels reporting the Security Council, and all of us, will lose an important source of information in their efforts to maintain international peace and security.
There is a clear need for further action to retain the function of the Panel of Experts beyond the expiration of the mandate on April 30th.
Thank you.