Kathmandu (Pahichan) September 14 – The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, in cooperation with its Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific, is organizing a regional workshop to engage Member States of Central, South and Southeast Asia in consultations on the outcome of the High-Level FMCT Expert Preparatory Group, UN said in a press statement.

The workshop will be held from 17 to 18 September in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 71/259, the Secretary-General established in 2017 a High-Level FMCT Expert Preparatory Group “to consider and make recommendations on substantial elements of a future non-discriminatory, multilateral and internationally and effectively verifiable treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.” The High-Level FMCT Expert Preparatory Group concluded its second two-week session in June 2018, statement reads.

The workshop aims to facilitate dialogue at the sub-regional level among Member States on a future treaty and its relationship with already existing global and regional instruments. It will also allow knowledge and information sharing on issues relevant to banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices and will provide an opportunity to exchange views and discuss challenges and ways ahead in relation to a future treaty, it further added.

The workshop is made possible with the financial support from the European Union pursuant to Council Decision 2017/2284 “to provide support to States in the African, Asia-Pacific and Latin America and Caribbean regions to participate in the high-level fissile material cut-off treaty expert preparatory group consultative process”.