UN Conference on Nuclear Arms Ban Elects Morocco Vice-President

The United Nations Conference to negotiate a nuclear-weapon ban elected Morocco’s permanent representative at the UN headquarters in New York, Ambassador Omar Hilale, as Vice-President.

Both Morocco and South Africa were elected to the position as representatives of Africa, announced the President of the UN Conference on the nuclear arms ban, Elayne Whyte Gomez of Costa Rica at a plenary session.

Other elected countries for their respective regions are: Austria (Western Europe), Iran (Asia), New Zealand (Oceania) and Chile (Latin America).

Despite objections from major nuclear powers, more than 100 countries launched the first UN talks on a global nuclear weapons ban last Monday.

A total of 123 UN members announced in October that they would launch the UN conference to negotiate a legally binding nuclear ban treaty, even as most of the world’s declared and undeclared nuclear powers voted against the talks.

The United States, Britain, and France are among some 40 countries that have not participated in the conference.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution in December – 113 in favor to 35 against, with 13 abstentions -that decided to “negotiate a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination” and encouraged all member states to participate.