Investigating allegations of CBW use: reviving the UN Secretary-General's mechanism

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Description/Abstract

This study traces the evolution of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General's mechanism for investigating the alleged use of chemical and biological weapons. Instigated in 1981, the mechanism has been used on 12 occasions, the last in 1992. Despite atrophying for many years, it has been receiving renewed attention of late, particularly since it has become clear that a comprehensive verification is unlikely to emerge soon. In addition to the UN Secretariat taking the initiative recently in reinvigorating certain aspects of the mechanism, the UN General Assembly in September 2006 somewhat unexpectedly encouraged the UN Secretary-General to begin his own efforts to update it. This timely study by Jez Littlewood is intended to contribute to the work now envisaged on a UN mechanism, which, long neglected, may now take its rightful place in the international toolbox for combating the scourge of chemical, biological and toxin weapons.