NGOs Urge Boycott of North Korea’s ‘Absurd Chairmanship’ of UN Forum on Nuclear Disarmament

North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations Han Tae Song attends the Conference of Disarmament at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, on Feb. 27, 2018. Denis Balibouse/File Photo/Reuters

More than 40 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are calling for United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and member states, including the United States, Canada, UK, and E.U., to boycott sessions of the U.N. Conference on Disarmament after North Korea took over as chair of the forum on Monday.

The 65-nation Conference on Disarmament (CD), based in Geneva, will see member states discuss issues such as bringing an end to the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament, prevention of nuclear war, and transparency surrounding military weapons and equipment.