Disarmament

Conference on Disarmament (CD)

The Conference on Disarmament is the successor to various Geneva-based arms control bodies dating back to 1960. It was established in 1979 as the single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum of the international community, as a result of the First Special Session on Disarmament of the United Nations General Assembly (UNSSOD I) held in 1978.

The CD inherited a list of priorities from the (UNSSOD I), which is still regarded as the basis of its work, although its agenda currently focuses on the following issues: cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament; the prevention of nuclear war; prevention of an arms race in outer space; negative security assurances; new types of weapons of mass destruction and new systems of such weapons; comprehensive programme of disarmament and transparency in armaments.

Since concluding its negotiations on the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in 1992 and negotiating the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty from 1994-96, the CD has experienced a situation of continuous deadlock due to its inability to adopt a Programme of Work.

Following several decisions to enlarge its membership, the CD now has 65 member states.

Greece participates as observer in the CD work and is the first in the list of candidate countries for full membership, having applied for membership in 1982. In this regard, Greece is an active member of the Informal Group of Observer States (IGOS) and has called for the need for the CD to review its membership, in accordance with Rule 2 of its Rules of Procedure (CD/8/Rev. 9). Moreover, Greece has actively supported the idea to appoint a Special Rapporteur on the issue of Enlargement.