MaximsNewsNetwork: 05 September 2009 - UNTV: Ahead of a UN-sponsored conference on disarmament for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Mexico City next week, the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Sergio Duarte notes that "thousands of nuclear weapons capable of destroying entire cities" still remain in arsenals around the world.
Ambassador Claude Heller of Mexico and UN officials briefed reporters today (4 September) on the details of the upcoming 62nd Annual DPI/NGO Conference to take place in Mexico City. The Conference is being held under the slogan For Peace and Development: Disarm Now!
Participants from around the world will gather from 9 to 11 September, 2009, to discuss how they can contribute to reducing arms while advancing peace.
Heller said that the possibility of nuclear weapons proliferation will remain as long as there are nuclear weapons adding that that which does not exist cannot proliferate. At the same time he expressed optimism and said after a stalemate in the international fora, we are having a new momentum in disarmament.
The Conference will feature keynote addresses from major figures in the disarmament world. It is hoped that the three day exchange of ideas will afford civil society the opportunity to influence the global discussions and lay the groundwork for the all-important 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference.
High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Sergio Duarte, said that thousands of nuclear weapons that are capable of destroying entire cities still remain in arsenals in the world and his office believes that non-governmental organizations and civil society in general have a vital role to play in alleviating these dangers.
Charles Hitchcock, Chair of the Conference said that a declaration is expected as an outcome of the conference and will address issues it is hoped governments, NGOs and the UN will take into consideration, in relationship to the activities here at the UN in terms of weapons of mass destruction and the control of small arms.
The DPI/NGO Conference is the main NGO event of the year at the United Nations. It typically attracts 2,000 representatives from some 90 countries. This years conference is organized by a partnership of the U.N. Department of Public Information in cooperation with the DPI/NGO Executive Committee, the Government of Mexico, and the U.N. Office for Disarmament Affairs. For the second time in its six-decade history, the Conference is held outside the United Nations New York Headquarters.
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