Ambassador Jorge Urbina is the permanent representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations. In 2009, he served as chairman of the 1540 Committee of the United Nations Security Council. In May of 2009 he spoke with Keith Porter, director of policy and outreach for the Stanley Foundation. Excerpts from that conversation appear below.

Jorge Urbina: Well, first of all, we have to recall that any Security Council resolution is a binding resolution for all the states. And that is very important. It is not on a voluntary basis. When the council adopts a resolution under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, that becomes a binding resolution for every state.

So the 1540 Resolution deals with non proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to non state actors, especially terrorists. But weapons of mass destruction being nuclear weapons, chemical weapons, or biological weapons. So Resolution 1540 establishes a series of duties for all states, obligations to be fulfilled by every state that should impede non state actors of having and trafficking, keeping, whatever, weapons of mass destructions, especially, as I mentioned, nuclear, chemical, or biological.

Q: And the resolution was passed in 2004. What has happened in the development of 1540 since then?

Urbina: Two other resolutions have followed. Those resolutions have renewed the committee that was established to implement the resolution and have established additional obligations leading in the same sense, meaning avoiding proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

The main obligation for every country at the beginning was to report to the United Nations, to the committee, the legislation, and the controls that they had in place against the possibility of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. As today, May 2009, over 160 governments have already reported to the committee. The committee has not yet taken stock on the quality of the norms and laws that every country has. We expect to do that in the future.

The committee actually helps governments comply with the obligations that they have according to the resolution.

Q: And you mentioned the committee, and I just want to make sure people understand that this resolution called for the establishment of a standing committee. And you serve as the chairman. Tell me something about your role as the chairman, and beyond what you've just said, what is the role of the committee?

Urbina: Well, the chairman - in fact, my own country sits in the committee, but in my capacity as chairman, I do not represent my country. I am there to chair the works to facilitate the adoption of decision, to work with a group of experts that help the committee. We have eight experts that work with us on a permanent basis, and we are trying to offer countries - to assist countries establishing what are their needs and offering them technical assistance to fulfill the duties of the resolution.

Q: There is also a part of this, isn't there, that involves countries requesting assistance. So they have a need and they can go to the committee to request help. How does that work?

Urbina: Yes. As I mentioned before, two other resolutions have followed 1540. So the committee has become sort of a clearinghouse for technical assistance, meaning that we do receive requests from governments that need technical assistance to fulfill their duties. And on the other hands, we have countries and we have international organizations that offer the committee the possibility of assisting the states. So we match the request for assistance with the offers of assistance that we have. That's the clearinghouse role of the committee.

Q: Today here in Washington, we had the lunch where you were the speaker, and we had a tremendous turnout. We had a big response to the invitation. A lot of people were there. As I talked to people involved in the American policy community, there was a real interest in what's happening here. And one of the authors of the Stanley Foundation report [on UNSCR 1540]," was just saying to me today that we've captured something that people are very much interested in. Why do you think there is this strong interest in 1540 right now?

Urbina: Well, first of all, let me tell you that I wish that the same interest that we had today in Washington would show in many other countries because the risks and the threats of non state actors, especially terrorists, having weapons of mass destruction or materials that could lead to the construction of weapons of mass destruction concern all humanity. There is no country safe from the threat of terrorism.

In the last few months, we have seen terrorists attacks in India. We have seen terrorists attacks in Algeria. And that is just to recall for us that the threat of terrorism is not something that is only threatening developed countries as in the past, unfortunately, the United States or Spain or England or Japan. Terrorism is actually threatening every country in the world. No continent is safe from this risk.

So we would like to see the same enthusiasm about 1540. And we are receiving support all over the world. Very recently, in a symposium on nuclear security in Vienna, every participant mentioned 1540, the 1540 committee, and the 1540 resolution. The world is becoming aware of the need to have laws, to have enforcement, and to have controls needed to avoid the possibility of non state actors having weapons of mass destruction.

(This text has been professionally transcribed. However, for timely distribution, it has not been edited or proofread against the tape.)