Thank you, Mr. President,
I would like to start by thanking Ecuador, as the chair of the 1540 Committee, for convening this open briefing today.
20 years ago, the international community filled an important gap in international law: By adopting resolution 1540, we established an essential tool to prevent and counter the risk of non-state actors gaining access to weapons of mass destruction.And after 20 years, I think it is safe to say: this resolution is a success.
It has strengthened counter-proliferation standards worldwide. It is one of the most important legal bases under international law for export control regimes.
However, we must not cease in our efforts for a full and effective implementation. The risk that weapons of mass destruction fall into the hands of terrorists remains present, and continues to pose a major threat for global security.
Mr Chair, functioning export controls are one of the most effective tools to prevent the unlawful acquisition of goods and technology needed for manufacturing WMD. At the same time, export controls are an investment in the competitiveness and reliability of countries as an investment destination, making trade in sensitive goods and technology possible.
In 2023, Germany launched an ongoing, dedicated outreach program called “Enhancing Export Control Capacities of Countries for Implementation of Resolution 1540”. The program focuses on cooperation with partners in Latin America and Africa.
In addition, we believe that the involvement of civil society is key to success factor.
So, in 2012, Germany established the Wiesbaden process, designed to foster dialogue and cooperation between states and industries to support implementation of export controls.
And in 2023, we started the Erlangen Initiative that aims at enhancing cooperation and dialogue with academia.
The first regional conference of the Erlangen Initiative will take place on this month, on the 30th of October 2024 in Singapore. We thank Singapore for their willingness to host.
Following up on previous regional and central conferences of the Wiesbaden Process and Erlangen Initiative, we were able to provide strong bilateral support to interested states in developing up-to-date export control systems. We look forward to continuing and expanding our support to interested states.
Thank you.