UN Secretary-General Introduces New Disarmament Agenda (May 24, 2018) [1]
On May 24, 2018, UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced the release of a new disarmament agenda [3] titled, “Securing our Common Future: An Agenda for Disarmament,” which discusses the elimination of nuclear weapons and other deadly weapons. In the report, Guterres lists his main aims in disarmament discussions with member state: “[R]esuming dialogue and negotiations for nuclear arms control and disarmament; extending the norms against nuclear weapons and their proliferation; and preparing for a world free of nuclear weapons.” The report also discusses three priority areas: weapons of mass destruction, conventional weapons, and new battlefield technologies. As noted in the press release [4], Guterres stated that “States that possess nuclear weapons have the primary responsibility for avoiding catastrophe [and] appealed to Russia and the US to resolve their dispute over the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty; to extend the New START treaty on strategic offensive arms, which is due to expire in just three years; and to take new steps towards reducing nuclear stockpiles.” It also discussed the international legal norms and treaties regarding nuclear weapons and urges states to ratify and follow existing treaties concerning nuclear weapons.