Fourth issue of 1540 Compass: Emerging Technologies: Challenges and Opportunities
From AI to blockchain, emerging technologies are reshaping the landscape of WMD non-proliferation. This issue of the 1540 Compass explores how innovation can serve as both a challenge and a catalyst for stronger implementation of UNSCR 1540.
The 1540 Compass is an e-journal dedicated to advancing the objectives, awareness, and implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1540 (2004) (UNSCR 1540) and its successor resolutions. The journal aims to be a trusted source of knowledge, analysis, and dialogue for countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and their means of delivery by non-State actors.
The fourth issue explores how rapid technological advances are reshaping the non-proliferation landscape. This theme focuses on the intersection of critical technologies and the objectives of UNSCR 1540, highlighting how advancements can both bolster and challenge efforts to prevent the proliferation of WMDs and their delivery systems by non-State actors.
From artificial intelligence and big data to blockchain and cyber tools, contributors analyse both the risks and the promise these innovations bring. Topics addressed include:
- A timeline mapping how resolution 1540 and related instruments have adapted to the evolving threat environment
- Reflections on the role of technology in implementation practices
- In-depth analyses of how cybersecurity threats intersect with the physical protection of WMD materials
- The role of AI and non-State actors in WMD proliferation
- How technologies (from advanced encryption protocols to AI)can enable risk mitigation and strengthen compliance with UNSCR 1540
- The importance of partnerships between academia and private industry in reinforcing implementation efforts and fostering innovation in security governance
- Critical reflections on technology’s double-edged role, including the emerging chemical threat posed by fentanyl and its derivatives
We invite you to explore this issue and reflect on the opportunities and challenges that new technologies bring to the fore in strengthening global non-proliferation norms.
