United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stressed that nuclear disarmament will continue to be a priority, underscoring the importance of the upcoming 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, which will be headed by the Philippines.

According to Ban, disarmament and non-proliferation will continue to be one of his top priorities, highlighting major events in the months ahead.

“I pledge to continue to do everything in my power to advance the goal of a world free of weapons of mass destruction,” he said.

Among the events this year focusing on nuclear non-proliferation include the upcoming session of the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, Switzerland this month, the Global Zero Summit in Paris, France and the Munich Security Conference, as well as April’s Summit on Nuclear Security in Washington, USA followed by the NPT Review Conference slated for May at the UN Headquarters in New York.

Ban said that with NPT facing “a number of challenges,” a successful outcome at the Review Conference would strengthen confidence not only in the Treaty but also for the collective global effort to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.

The Philippines has been elected president of the 2010 NPT Review Conference and will be represented by President-elect Libran Cabactulan.

A workshop will be hosted by the Philippines in February in preparation for the said conference. The workshop is expected to be attended by 50 to 70 nuclear experts and government officials from 37 states, international organizations and international non-government organizations.

According to Cabactulan, the 2010 NPT Review Conference hopes to come up with a balanced agreement as the last Review Conference, held in 2005, had not resulted in an agreement.