In 2012 the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 67/53, requesting the Secretary-General to establish a group of governmental experts with a membership of 25 experts to make recommendations on possible aspects that could contribute to a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. The group met four times, each time for two weeks, during years 2014 and 2015. The work of this group, which was successfully concluded on 2nd April 2015 by adoption of a report for the Secretary-General, represents the most thorough and in-depth examination of many FM(C)T related questions since the inception of the idea about a treaty banning fissile materials for nuclear weapons. For this reason the report constitutes a major step forward on the path to the future treaty and has undoubtedly the potential to supply the much needed momentum for the commencement of negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament.
The group requested and received briefings by representatives of the IAEA, OPCW and Provisional Technical Secretariat of the CTBTO. A high degree of granularity was pursued by the Group and special attention was paid to the substantive legal and technical implications of different aspects of a treaty. From the viewpoint of the Group, as the report indicates, the UNGA resolution 67/53 and the mandate contained in CD/1299 remain the most suitable basis on which future negotiations can be initiated.
Group of Governmental Experts chaired by Elissa Golberg (in the middle)