On Wednesday, June 8th, The Independent Commission on Multilateralism (ICM) webcasted a Public Consultation on its Discussion Paper: “Weapons of Mass Destruction, Non-proliferation, and Disarmament.”

The threat of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) may seem antiquated and unlikely to materialize, but the mere existence of WMD remains one of the paramount risks to global peace and stability. Nuclear weapons are the biggest gap in the multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation architecture. While important baseline tools to counter WMD threats and prevent proliferation exist, few of these tools address nuclear weapons, and even fewer deal with future threats.

This ICM Discussion Paper makes a series of recommendations addressing, among other issues, the disarmament machinery, the role and responsibilities of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), UN Security Council Resolution 1540, new technologies, and the role of civil society at the UN.

Discussants:
H.E. Mr. Vladimir Drobnjak, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Croatia to the UN
Ms. Ray Acheson, Director, Reaching Critical Will
Mr. Thomas Markram, Director and Deputy to the High Representative, Office for Disarmament Affairs, UN
Prof. Zia Mian, Director, Program on Science and Global Security, Princeton University

Moderator:
Ms. Véronique Pepin-Hallé, Senior Adviser, Independent Commission on Multilateralism