“Norway is working actively towards the goal of a world without nuclear weapons, and the Government is giving special priority to verification efforts,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Ine Eriksen Søreide stated when Norway was elected chair of the Group of Governmental Experts in May 2018. In addition to taking on the role as chair, Norway has agreed to be a champion state for the action on nuclear disarmament verification in the UN Secretary-General’s disarmament agenda.
The Governmental Group of Experts was established following the UN General Assembly’s resolution no. 71/67 on nuclear disarmament verification from 2016. The resolution encourages states to work together to identify and develop practical and effective disarmament verification measures that can facilitate the objective of achieving and maintaining a world without nuclear weapons. Norway sponsored the resolution, which was supported by one hundred and seventy-seven states.
Last week, the expert group met for the second time to continue its deliberations on how to advance the verification of nuclear disarmament. The group will present its work to the UN General Assembly in 2019.
Based on:
«Norway to chair UN expert group on nuclear disarmament verification» (press release from Norwegian MFA, 14 May 2018, https://www.regjeringen.no/en/aktuelt/expert_group/id2601178/).
«Sterk støtte til norsk resolusjon om nedrustning» (press release from Norwegian MFA, 28 September 2016, https://www.regjeringen.no/no/aktuelt/res-nedrustning/id2518174/).
Other sources:
The website of the UN General-Secretary’s disarmament agenda (https://www.un.org/disarmament/sg-agenda/en/ -> Disarmament to save humanity -> Towards the elimination of nuclear weapons -> Action point 8: Develop nuclear disarmament verification.
“Nuclear disarmament verification” (A/RES/71/67, https://gafc-vote.un.org/UNODA/vote.nsf/e9e05f9ef74d8c7f05256705006e0a60/4a46e19225a7ca2f8525809600700701/$FILE/A%20RES%2071%2067.pdf).