Joint Statement by Gareth Evans and Yoriko Kawaguchi, Co-chairs 

2^nd Meeting of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament: Washington: 13-15 February 2009

The International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament will hold its second meeting in Washington 13-15 February. The meeting is timed to underline the importance the Commission attaches to early engagement with the new United States administration, recognising the critical leadership role the U.S. will have in reinvigorating the global effort against the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and achieving their ultimate elimination.

Co-Chairs Gareth Evans and Yoriko Kawaguchi said the Commission welcomed the priority President Obama and leading members of his administration were already giving to these issues, and would take the opportunity to urge the U.S. to take a number of specific early actions during 2009, and in the lead up to the May 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference which would clearly demonstrate a change of direction and fundamentally transform the international debate. These would include ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, reviving international negotiations aimed at cutting off the future production of any fissile material for nuclear weapons, negotiation with Russia of further deep cuts in strategic weapons numbers, and initiation of wider strategic dialogues with Russia and China on nuclear-related issues

The Washington meeting will focus on the structure and content of an action plan to effectively deal with the interconnected challenges of non-proliferation, disarmament and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to dramatically minimise, then ultimately eliminate, the role of nuclear weapons. The Commission’s report, targeted for the end of 2009, will be expressly aimed at stimulating and influencing high level political discussion and decision-making across the world on all these issues.

Consistent with the need to engage all key actors globally the Commission will next meet in Moscow in June and in Hiroshima in October. It also plans to convene regional outreach meetings during the course of the year in South Asia (New Delhi), North Asia (Beijing), Latin America (Santiago) and the Middle East (Cairo). For detailed background on the Commission, an independent global panel established by the governments of Australia and Japan, see www.icnnd.org