UNICRI is pleased to announce the second call for contributions for the second issue of the 1540 Compass, due for publication in mid-September 2024. The 1540 Compass is an e-journal dedicated to advancing the objectives, awareness and implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1540 (2004) (UNSCR 1540) and its successor resolutions. The journal aims to be a trusted source of knowledge, analysis, and dialogue for countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and their means of delivery by non-State actors.
Building on the success of the inaugural edition of the 1540 Compass, commemorating the resolution’s 20th anniversary, this second issue will focus on operative paragraph 3 (c) and (d) of UNSCR 1540.[1] We therefore extend a warm invitation to representatives of Member States, practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and professionals engaged in issues related to strategic trade, border and export controls, trans-shipment regulations, and associated law enforcement measures to contribute articles, interviews, opinion pieces, case studies, news items and event notifications for publication. Your insights and expertise will enrich the analysis of these critical issues.
Submission Guidelines:
Typical content may include articles sharing best practices, experiences, and innovative strategies regarding the implementation of operative paragraph 3 (c) and (d) of resolution 1540. Additionally, commentaries on UNSCR 1540-related literature are encouraged. There will also be a section dedicated to UNSCR 1540-related news items and event notifications; submissions of this nature are also welcome.
The theme for this publication will focus on issues related to the implementation of operative paragraph 3 (c) and (d) of resolution 1540. We encourage submissions on this topic, including:
– Border and export controls (i.e., legal frameworks, enforcement, technical capacity and infrastructure, customs controls, illicit trafficking, export licensing, re-export controls, etc.).
– Controls related to items, i.e. national control lists, dual-use items or technologies, and intangible technology transfers.
– Controls related to transactions, i.e. end-user verification and controls, proliferation financing, brokering, trans-shipment, (international) transit, and free-trade zones.
– The importance of outreach with industry and academia.
Article submissions should not exceed 1,500 words. Event notifications and news items should not exceed 150 words. Contributions should adhere to the journal’s style, formatting, and citation guidelines indicated in the UN Editorial Manual, available here.
Please also send us a short author biography (no more than 100 words) and abstract (no more than 200 words) with your submission (these do not count towards the word count).
In order to ensure a diverse range of contributors, UNICRI will accept contributions in any of the six UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish). Contributors give their permission for UNICRI to translate the content into English for publication in the 1540 Compass.
Interested contributors are invited to send their contributions to UNICRI-1540compass@un.org.
For inclusion in the next issue, please send contributions no later than 30 June 2024.
Background
With generous support from the US Department of State, UNICRI relaunched the 1540 Compass in April 2024 in an online format. The 1540 Compass was originally launched in 2012 by the Center for International Trade and Security (CITS) at the University of Georgia in hard copy format.
Under the initial direction of Dr. Igor Khripunov, and in cooperation with the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, the 1540 Compass was designed to provide an accessible forum on the effective implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1540. Back issues of the 1540 Compass can be found at the following link.
[1] Operative paragraph 3 of S/RES/1540(2004) “Decides also that all States shall take and enforce effective measures to establish domestic controls to prevent the proliferation of nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons and their means of delivery, including by establishing appropriate controls over related materials and to this end shall: […].
(c) Develop and maintain appropriate effective border controls and law enforcement efforts to detect, deter, prevent and combat, including through international cooperation when necessary, the illicit trafficking and brokering in such items in accordance with their national legal authorities and legislation and consistent with international law;
(d) Establish, develop, review and maintain appropriate effective national export and trans-shipment controls over such items, including appropriate laws and regulations to control export, transit, trans-shipment and re-export and controls on providing funds and services related to such export and trans-shipment such as financing, and transporting that would contribute to proliferation, as well as establishing end-user controls; and establishing and enforcing appropriate criminal or civil penalties for violations of such export control laws and regulations”. For the full text of the resolution, please see: https://undocs.org/Home/Mobile?FinalSymbol=S%2FRES%2F1540(2004)&Language=E&DeviceType=Desktop&LangRequested=False
