UN disarmament advisory panel set to meet against backdrop of rising military spending

An advisory board on disarmament issues to Secretary-General Kofi Annan is set to address disarmament and development against the backdrop of rising global military expenditures, estimated at $839 billion last year.

The Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters, which will meet in closed sessions in at UN Headquarters in New York from 5 to 7 February, meets twice a year and is tasked with advising the Secretary-General on arms limitation and disarmament. Ambassador Kostyantyn Gryshchenko of Ukraine will chair the sessions.

Over the past 25 years, the Board has made practical recommendations to the Secretary-General on a number of important issues dealing with arms control and non-proliferation.