ICNND - Australian Embassy

Australian Embassy

Russian Federation

Embassy address: 10A/2 Podkolokolny Pereulok, 109028 Moscow - Telephone: 956 6070 - Fax: 956 6170

MEDIA RELEASE

For release: Tuesday 16 June 2009

JOINT STATEMENT BY GARETH EVANS AND YORIKO KAWAGUCHI, CO-CHAIRS

3rd Meeting of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament and Consultation with Global Nuclear Industry

Moscow: June 2009

The International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament will hold its third meeting in Moscow, 20-21 June. Convening the meeting in Moscow reflects the vital role of Russia in global security and arms control issues.

The Co-Chairs Gareth Evans and Yoriko Kawaguchi welcomed the current renewed momentum in Russia – United States exchanges on further nuclear arms reductions. “Recent developments give great encouragement to the work of our Commission. It is vitally important that early progress be achieved in deeper cuts to nuclear arsenals” they said, adding that these efforts would contribute greatly to the prospects of a successful conference in 2010 to review the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

At its Moscow meeting the Commission will continue its focus on the structure and content of an action plan to address the interconnected challenges of non-proliferation, disarmament and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The aim is to dramatically minimise, then ultimately eliminate, the role of nuclear weapons. The Commission’s report will be expressly aimed at stimulating and influencing high level political discussion and decision-making across the world on all nuclear issues. The timing of the report, to be released by early 2010, is intended to help forge a consensus on the outcomes of the 2010 NPT Review Conference.

As part of its series of meetings in Moscow, the Commission will have a round table consultation with representatives of the world’s nuclear power industry ranging over six continents – in addition to host institutions in Russia, the experts will come from firms based in South Africa, Brazil and Argentina, Australia and Japan, Canada and the United States, and from France and the UK. The consultation with industry is to ensure the Commission fully understands the interests and concerns of the nuclear power generating sector, and to explore how industry might further support global non-proliferation and disarmament objectives.

Consistent with the need to engage all key actors globally the Commission will next meet in Hiroshima in October. For detailed background on the Commission, an independent global panel established by the governments of Australia and Japan, see www.icnnd.org.

Please direct media inquiries to Republic: Galina Zlotskaya +7 916 299 3671 (Russian and English) and ICNND Secretariat: Leona Landers +61 2 421 488457 (English)

COMMISSION

Gareth Evans
Yoriko Kawaguchi
Co-Chairs

Turki Al Faisal
Alexei Arbatov
Gro Harlem Brundtland
Frene Noshir Ginwala
François Heisbourg
Jehangir Karamat
Brajesh Mishra
Klaus Naumann
William Perry
Wang Yingfan
Shirley Williams
Wiryono Sastrohandoyo
Ernesto Zedillo

Advisory Board

Nobuyasu Abe*
Shlomo Ben-Ami
Celso Amorim
Hans Blix
Lakhdar Brahimi
John Carlson
Nabil Fahmy
Louise Fréchette
Lawrence Freedman
Roberto García-Moritán
Han Sung-Joo
Prasad Kariyawasam
Henry Kissinger
Shunsuke Kondo
Anne Lauvergeon
Martine Letts*
Patricia Lewis*
Antonio Martino
Sam Nunn
Robert O’Neill
George Perkovich*
Michael Quinlan
V R Raghavan*
George Robertson
Michel Rocard
Adam Daniel Rotfeld
Yukio Satoh
George Shultz
Hans van den Broek
*Research Consultants

Associated Research Centres

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (US)
Delhi Policy Group (India)
Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique (France)
Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (Costa Rica)
Japan Institute of International Affairs (Japan)
King’s College London (UK)
Lowy Institute for International Policy (Australia)