Article 1
1. In accordance with the EU Strategy, which sets the objective of upholding, implementing and strengthening the multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation treaties and agreements, the Union shall provide support to States in the African, the Asia-Pacific and the Latin America and Caribbean regions to participate in the high-level fissile material cut-off treaty expert preparatory group consultative process. 2. The projects providing support to States in the African, the Asia-Pacific and the Latin America and Caribbean regions to participate in the high-level FMCT expert preparatory group consultative process, corresponding to measures in line with the EU Strategy, shall consist of sub-regional workshops, expert meetings, substantive support activities provided to United Nations Member States, and the establishment of a repository of relevant information and publications. 3. The aim of the projects shall be: — the facilitation of dialogue at the regional level among States in the African, the Asia-Pacific and the Latin America and Caribbean regions; — the development of a sense of ownership of the issue among States in these regions; — the identification of the national needs and policy priorities of States in these regions; — the involvement of relevant regional organisations in the discussions on a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices to be negotiated in the framework of the Conference on Disarmament; — the evaluation of the implications of the process at the regional level and of the role that relevant regional and international organization may play in that process; — the comparative analysis of the implications of the process for each region; — the facilitation of the transmission of knowledge between academia, civil society organisations and Member States relating to fissile materials. 4. A detailed description of the projects is set out in the Annex.