UNDC struggles to elect working group chair

On 20 April 2009, the United Nations Disarmament Commission (UNDC) convened to elect vice chairs and chairs for each of the two working groups scheduled to begin this year.

The Commission unanimously elected representatives of Benin and South Africa to serve as UNDC Vice Chairs, and South Africa to serve as chair of the working group on drafting elements for a declaration for the fourth disarmament decade. However, no candidate was nominated to chair the working group on recommendations for achieving the objective of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. That meetings of that working group have been cancelled until a volunteer steps forward to chair it.

After the chairs were elected, the working group on the draft declaration commenced its work.

Thanks to Martin Cieslik of the Lawyers' Committee on Nuclear Policy for reporting.