21 January,2009 03:07 PM IST | | PTI
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has asked the international community to build on the momentum generated by recent progress made towards disarmament to rid the world of nuclear weapons.
"The UN and the Conference on Disarmament should seize this moment and be in the vanguard of efforts towards a world free of nuclear weapons," Ban said pointing to the "promising signs" made in the past few months, including initiatives by the US, the UK, France, China, Russia, the European Union, non-aligned countries and other governments.
"From conventional weapons and small arms to weapons of mass destruction, the risks are clear," Ban said in his message to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva yesterday.
The Secretary General stressed on the need to revitalise the international disarmament agenda and boost the UN's effectiveness in the field.
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He said, "I remain committed to using every opportunity, in my meetings with government leaders and my outreach to civil society, to forge partnerships and mobilise action."
Given the current global financial turmoil, "advancing the disarmament agenda could produce a tangible peace dividend when the world needs it most," Ban said.
Established in 1979 as the single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum of the international community, the Conference currently has over 60 member states.
