Research programmes

Arms control and disarmament
Researchers: Angela Woodward, Andreas Persbo, Scott Spence, Rocío Escauriaza Leal, Hassan Elbahtimy, David Cliff, and Yasemin Balci

VERTIC maintains a watching brief over all developments in the verification, implementation and compliance of arms control and disarmament agreements. VERTIC promotes the development and implementation of effective verification measures for arms control and disarmament treaties, and contributes to the public debate on such issues.

VERTIC’s active projects are:

• National implementation measures for treaties and norms prohibiting weapons of mass destruction (WMD);
• The UK-Norway Initiative on verified dismantlement of nuclear warheads;
• Verified nuclear disarmament;
• South Asian strategic stability dialouge;
• Supporting the CTBT’s provisional entry into force through communicating the readiness of the CTBTO and the verification regime
  

The basics of arms control and disarmament verification are explained in the pamphlet, A Guide to Verification for Arms Control and Disarmament, produced in 2002 in cooperation with the United Nations Association of the United Kingdom (UNA-UK).

For a 'General overview of existing verification mechanisms' see Trevor Findlay's presentation to the Seminar on Promoting Verification in Multilateral Arms Control Treates: Future Verification Regimes—the Fissile Materials Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT) Geneva, 28 March 2003. The conference was jointly organised by Japan, Australia and UNIDIR.

Coming to Terms with Security: A Handbook on Verification and Compliance provides a wealth of models and previous experience to draw on in developing appropriate and effective monitoring, verification and compliance systems. It includes agreements, terms and in-depth analyses and will interest the expert and the layperson alike. It is published in back-to-back English and Arabic format jointly by VERTIC and the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). For more information contact Angela Woodward.

National Implementation Measures (NIM)
Researchers: Angela Woodward,Scott Spence, Rocío Escauriaza Leal and Yasemin Balci

In order to give effect to international arms control and disarmament agreements states must bring their domestic law into conformity with their obligations under international law. The need to implement national measures was also highlighted by the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1540 (UNSCR 1540) in April 2004. This resolution obliges states to enact and enforce effective laws and supporting measures to prevent the proliferation of nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) weapons, related materials and their means of delivery and to prohibit non-state actors, especially terrorists, developing and using such weapons.

The NIM programme assists States in understanding what measures are required at the national level to comply with the prohibitions in the nuclear, biological and chemical weapons treaties and UN Security Council resolutions and provides support to implement them.

Funders: UK Strategic Programme Fund, the US State Department, Canada (Global Partnership Programme).

For more information, please visit VERTIC's dedicated NIM website.

The environment
Researcher: Larry MacFaul
VERTIC's environment programme seeks to promote the effective development, implementation and verification of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and related areas. Verification systems can include monitoring, reporting, review and compliance mechanisms. For an introduction to this topic please see 'A guide to verification for environmental agreements' (VERTIC, 2003).

VERTIC´s environment programme provides expert advice on developing treaty mechanisms and implementaton issues to governments, international organizations and civil society. We are regularly invited to participate in and contribute to international consultations, workshops and capacity building activities in a range of high-level forums. The programme provides research and analysis for publications by leading organizations. We also advise on project development and strategy and have experience in running multi-country and multi-partner processes.

The environment programme currently focuses on the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), its 1997 Kyoto Protocol, proposals for the post-2012 climate change regime, and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) and related areas. VERTIC has worked on climate change issues since 1991.

• Climate change

The environment programme is also working with Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs) to measure world-wide progress on tackling illegal logging.This work involves a biennial assessment of progress across a range of indicators and countries.

• Illegal logging

The environment programme is also exploring expansion within its current focus areas as well as in other areas concerning sustainable development, natural resources and related trade.

VERTIC maintains a watching brief on monitoring and verification developments across the MEA field.

Images: United Nations and D-NET

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