Date:
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
PeaceWomen Consolidated Themes:
The United Nations' secretary-general is appealing to the world's main nuclear disarmament forum to get down to work after years of deadlock, warning it that it is "in danger of sinking."
Ban Ki-moon's message to the 65-nation Conference on Disarmament came as it held its first meeting of 2012. The body hasn't produced anything substantial since the 1996 nuclear test-ban treaty.
In a message read to the conference by the head of the U.N.'s Geneva office, Ban said: "I urge you to seize this moment, when the world is focused intently on advancing disarmament goals."
He added that, if the conference remains deadlocked, the U.N. General Assembly "is ready to consider other options to move the disarmament agenda forward."
