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Side event at the First Committee on Nuclear Disarmament Verification
On Wednesday 14 October the members of the First Committee enjoyed a side event hosted by the Permanent Mission of the United States, called “Harnessing the tools and technologies to realize nuclear disarmament: International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification.” The International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification (IPNDV) is an initiative of the US, and consists of more than 25 States that share expertise on technical, legal and logistic challenges related to nuclear disarmament verification mechanisms. The side event briefed the First Committee on the…
Side Event on Cyber and Autonomous Weapons
Dr. Heather Roff on “Cybersecurity, articial intelligence and autonomous weapons: Critical intersections.” The First Committee of the UN general Assembly on Disarmament and International Security commenced on Thursday 8 October, and 9 October saw this year’s first side event. It was hosted by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), and featured a lively discussion on Cyber and autonomous weapons: Potential overlap, interaction and vulnerabilities. The event started off with an introduction by Kerstin Vignard, Deputy to the Director at UNIDIR. She situated the…
Study on Armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
On 12 October 2015, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) published thestudy on armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The study was prepared by UNODA pursuant to the recommendation of the Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters in its report A/69/208 following its 2014 sessions, with assistance by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) and the Human Rights Institute at the Columbia University School of Law. The issue of UAVs is not new for the United Nations disarmament machinery. Historically, the primary concern…
Building Networks to Empower Women on Peace and Disarmament Issues
On 23 July 2015, for the second year in a row, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) in Vienna briefed the Women Ambassadors in Wien (WAW) on the mandate and upcoming initiatives of the Office. This year, the briefing took place at the European Union Permanent Mission and was centered on themes of bridging the gender gap and moving towards gender balance in disarmament and non-proliferation, as well as the role which education can play in order to empower more women to increase their contribution towards peace. Mr. Péricles Gasparini, Chief of UNODA Office at Vienna…
Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Education Partnership Gains New Strategic Thinkers
The First Steering Team Meeting in session (Photo Library: UNODA Vienna) The Steering Team, an expert group of 18 eminent members comprising of ambassadors and diplomats from permanent missions, regional organizations and NGOs, met for the first time on 2 September 2015 in Vienna, putting wind in the sails of United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs’(UNODA) Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (DNP) Education Partnership. The DNP Education Partnership, as regards its strategic vision, weaves together 4 of the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Post …
Women Scholarship for Peace (WSP) Meets Women in Nuclear (WIN)
Women Scholarship for Peace (WSP) meets Women in Nuclear (WiN) side event Women Scholarship for Peace (WSP), a series of initiatives coordinated by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and funded by Austria and Germany, made its first presentation and organized a booth at the exhibition hall of the 23rd Annual Women in Nuclear (WiN) Global Conference held in Vienna from 24 to 29 August 2015 in collaboration with the IAEA. WiN is a world-wide association of almost 25,000 women from 107 countries working in various fields of nuclear energy. Ms. Juliette…
Opening of the Exhibit to Mark the Second International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
Secretary-General to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva Michael Møller, Deputy for Legal and International Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran Abbas Araghchi , President of the General UN Assembly Mogens Lykketoft , Acting High Representative for Disarmament Affairs KIM Won-soo, and Chair-designate of the First Committee Karel van Oosterom. On 30 September 2015 the Acting High Representative for Disarmament Affairs KIM Won-soo officially opened an exhibit on the efforts of the United Nations to eliminate nuclear weapons. This exhibit was staged to raise awareness…
Commemoration of International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons in Geneva
Mr. Alyn Ware, Director of UNFOLD ZERO; Ambassador Maria Espinosa, Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the United Nations in Geneva and member of the World Future Council; and Mr. Marco Kalbusch, Secretary of the Conference on Disarmament and Officer-in-Charge of UNODA’s Geneva Branch On 22 September 2015, the Permanent Mission of Ecuador and the NGO UNFOLD Zero, in cooperation with UNODA and the NGO-Committee for Disarmament in Geneva organized a screening of the film, “The Man who saved the World,” in commemoration of International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.…
UNLIREC Provided Technical Assistance to Caribbean States to Combat Illicit Firearms
UNLIREC and the Forensics Laboratory of the Royal Bahamian Police Force (RBPF) From 31 August to 4 September 2015, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in collaboration with the government of The Bahamas, conducted a three-day training course, a technical assessment of national capabilities and infrastructures, and a seminar for prosecutors, magistrates, and other institutional representatives from investigative units or crime scene units, in Nassau. A three-day training course on operational forensic…
UNLIREC assists Trinidad and Tobago with the strengthening of Maritime and Port Security
Ms. Natalie Willis, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of National Security giving the Opening Address. She is accompanied by Mr. Nicolas Letter, 1540 Programme Coordinator, UNLIREC and Ms. Tracy Peverett, Deputy Director, Maritime Security, IMO. On 19-20 August 2015, United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) conducted a risk management table-top exercise on maritime security in Trinidad and Tobago, in partnership with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and in collaboration with the Ministry of…