Non-Proliferation: Briefing on the Work of the 1540 Committee
On Monday morning (16 March), Council members are expected to receive the annual update on the work of the 1540 Committee. Adopted on 28 April 2004, resolution 1540 aims to prevent non-state actors from gaining access to weapons of mass destruction (WMD). It requires states to establish appropriate domestic controls to prevent the proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and their means of delivery, and encourages enhanced international cooperation to support these efforts.
The usual practice is for the Chair of the 1540 Committee to brief Council members on the Committee’s activities. At the time of writing, however, the chair had not yet been appointed, as Council members continue to negotiate this year’s allocation of subsidiary body chairs. Consequently, the US is expected to brief on the report in its capacity as Council President in March. Ambassador Eloy Alfaro de Alba (Panama) served as Chair of the 1540 Committee last year.
Alfaro last briefed the Council on 19 November 2025, alongside the chairs of the Council’s other counter-terrorism-related committees. In his remarks, he highlighted the important role that resolution 1540 plays as a fundamental pillar of the international non-proliferation architecture in preventing non-state actors from accessing weapons of mass destruction.
A key aspect of the Committee’s work relates to its support for member states in implementing the resolution and strengthening their capacity in this regard. At Monday’s meeting, the US is likely to refer to the open briefing for member states as well as regional and subregional organisations held on 29-30 October 2025, which provided an opportunity for the sharing of lessons learned and best practices in implementing the resolution. It appears that 42 member states and nine subregional, regional, and international organisations delivered statements during the briefing.
In addition to open briefings, the Committee organises outreach activities as part of its efforts to enable member states to better understand and implement the obligations set out in resolution 1540. Last year, the Committee apparently participated in 26 outreach events at national, subregional, regional and international levels. During Monday’s briefing, the US may provide updates on a regional training course for Points of Contact (PoC) in Latin America and the Caribbean—the first such course since 2016, which was held in Panama City between 15 and 17 December 2025. The Committee encourages member states to designate national PoCs for the implementation of resolution 1540, and 157 member states have done so.
The Committee also assists member states in developing voluntary national implementation action plans, which play an important role in facilitating the implementation of resolution 1540. So far, 185 member states have submitted their initial national reports outlining the measures they have taken to comply with the resolution’s obligations. During Monday’s briefing, the US may provide an update on the Committee’s outreach to the remaining states that have yet to do so to assist them in developing such plans.
In accordance with resolution 2663 of 30 November 2022, which last renewed the 1540 Committee’s mandate, the Committee is expected to conduct a comprehensive review on the status of implementation of resolution 1540 by December 2027. At Monday’s meeting, the US is expected to provide updates on the preparatory work, including the adoption of a modalities paper in December 2025 that will serve as a guide for the 2027 comprehensive review process.
In light of this review process, the US’ briefing may underscore the role of the Group of Experts (GoE) in assisting the Committee’s work. The GoE is supposed to have nine experts, but is now operating with only six, as three vacancies remain under consideration by the 1540 Committee. In January, the Secretary-General appointed Luiz Carlos de Faria from Brazil to serve as Coordinator of the GoE, following the completion of the tenure of the previous coordinator.
Every year, the Committee is expected to submit its annual programme of work to the Security Council in January. As the allocation of subsidiary body chairs have yet to be decided, the UK (which traditionally serves as the vice-chair of the 1540 Committee and served as Council President in February) submitted a report covering the period from 1 February 2026 to 31 January 2027, which includes a comprehensive list of planned activities to support the implementation of resolution 1540 by all member states. This report was adopted by the Committee after passing a no-objection procedure.
At Monday’s meeting, Council members are expected to reiterate their support for the objectives of resolution 1540 and highlight the importance of its implementation. Council members also support the role of the Committee and its GoE in engaging with member states to provide technical assistance and capacity development in implementing resolution 1540. However, there have been some disagreements among Council members regarding the GoE. Some Council members, such as the US, have advocated less committee oversight of its work. (Currently, proposals by the 1540 Committee’s GoE must be approved by the Committee members through a no-objection procedure.) Russia, however, maintains that the GoE should act under the Committee’s strict direction.
These disagreements surfaced during the November 2025 briefing, when Russia reiterated its opposition to what it characterised as attempts to expand the activities of the GoE beyond its mandate. The US, for its part, expressed disappointment over the GoE’s inability to attend regional and subregional meetings due to the opposition of one Council member, arguing that such restrictions undermine global non-proliferation efforts.
