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Experts reflect on the origin, relevance, and future of CCW Protocol IV on Blinding Laser Weapons
On 17 November 2022, UNODA Geneva hosted a webinar on the genesis, history and relevance of Protocol IV on Blinding Laser Weapons of the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW). The webinar was organized on the margins of the Meeting of High Contracting Parties to the CCW, as part of the EU Council decision (CFSP) 2021/1694 in support of the universalization, implementation and strengthening of the CCW. Growing humanitarian concern over the development of blinding laser weapons reached the international arena in the late 1980s.…
What’s next for disarmament education? UNODA Vienna Office launches new strategy as it celebrates 10-year anniversary
In a “soft launch” event held in Vienna on 5 December 2022, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) announced the publication of its first ever Disarmament Education Strategy. The audience included members of the local diplomatic community and the United Nations family, representatives of regional and civil society organizations, as well as past and present staff of the UNODA Vienna Office. The strategy aims to adopt a more strategic approach and develop a common framework for UNODA’s disarmament education work. Disarmament education has long been a key…
It’s a wrap! A year of responsible innovation in AI for disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation
Thanks to a generous contribution from the Republic of Korea, in 2022 the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) carried out their first global project on the responsible innovation of AI for disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation. Responsible AI is a young and evolving field of research and practice. While it is widely being discussed as a fitting approach to AI governance, more work needs to be done to understand how it can be put into practice across critical sectors, how to coordinate the many…
French-speaking African parliamentarians convene to discuss regional security and civil-military relations during Disarmament Week
During this year’s Disarmament Week, the United Nations Regional Center for Peace, and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) organized a workshop with parliamentarians from French-speaking African countries on their contributions to establishing effective defense and security policies in Africa. Co-funded by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), the event linked the parliamentarians with expert panelists from the Institute for Security Studies (ISS Africa) and the Parliamentarian Forum on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PFSALW), with a view to discussing ways to …
Estudio Regional Presenta Medidas Para el Fortalecimento de la No Proliferación de Armas Biológicas en América Latina y el Caribe
En el marco de la Novena Conferencia de Revisión de la Convención sobre las Armas Biológicas (CABT), el Centro Regional de las Naciones Unidas para la Paz, el Desarme y el Desarrollo en América Latina y el Caribe (UNLIREC) presentó el Estudio regional “La no proliferación de armas biológicas: desafíos y oportunidades para la América Latina y el Caribe”. El nuevo estudio brinda un panorama general sobre los avances que los Estados de dicha región hicieron en la adopción de marcos legales nacionales y medidas prácticas para implementar sus compromisos internacionales contra la…
Regional Study Outlines Steps to Strengthen the Non-Proliferation of Biological Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean
In the framework of the Ninth Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) launched a regional study entitled ‘Non-proliferation of biological weapons: Challenges and Opportunities for Latin America and the Caribbean’. The new study provides an overview of the progress that States in the region have made in adopting national legal frameworks and practical measures to implement their international commitments against the proliferation of…
Mongolia operationalizes its 1540 national action plan to prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to non-State actors
From 6 to 8 December 2022, the Office for Disarmament Affairs (ODA) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) supported the Government of Mongolia to deliver a national roundtable that sought to review its national plan to prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to non-State actors, as prescribed by United Nations Security Council resolution 1540 (2004). In Ulaan Baatar, participants identified ways to strengthen the country’s implementation of this landmark resolution, which aims to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to non-…
Representatives of the Economic Community of West African States and ODA’s Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa discuss effective small arms control
On 23 November 2022, the National Commissions on Small Arms and Light Weapons from the fifteen Member States of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), led by the Small Arms Division of the ECOWAS Commission, visited the UN Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC). The visit, which was covered by local media, was aimed at discussing ways to strengthen efforts to counter the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons in West Africa. After UNREC presented its mandate, strategic plan, and work in line with the Office for…
Teachers meet at the United Nations to strategize about disarmament education
On 8 November 2022, a group of public high school teachers located across New York City participated in a workshop about disarmament education and nuclear disarmament. 25 educators attended the event, which was organized by Hibakusha Stories, an initiative of the non-governmental organization Youth Arts New York, in partnership with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA). The professional development workshop forms part of UNODA’s efforts to engage with educators to strengthen and expand disarmament education across the globe. The event…
Cambodia takes steps towards strengthening its Strategic Trade Control Enforcement to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to non-State actors
The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) supported the Royal Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia in organizing a national workshop to raise awareness amongst policymakers and senior Government officials on resolution 1540 (2004) which aims to prevent the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons to non-State actors. This workshop was part of UNODA’s ongoing program to support States’ efforts towards fully implementing their obligations under this resolution. Jointly organized with the World Customs Organization (WCO) and with a financial…