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Parliamentarians from African States not party to the Biological Weapons Convention gather in support of universalisation
On 10 and 11 February, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) welcomed parliamentary delegations from Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt and Somalia, five of the six African States not yet party to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), to Geneva for a high-level seminar in support of universalisation. The seminar focussed on raising awareness about the importance of BWC universalisation and sought to encourage broad regional and international cooperation to that end. Delegates with His Excellency Ambassador Frederico S. Duque…
Call for Papers: The impact of the global increase in military expenditure on the achievement of the sustainable development goals
In the Pact for the Future, adopted by the General Assembly in September 2024, Member States voiced their concern about the potential impact that the global increase in military expenditures could have on investments in sustainable development and sustaining peace. To that end, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to “provide analysis on the impact of the global increase in military expenditure on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by the end of the seventy-ninth session”. With the aim of encouraging engagement and reflection on this subject by Member…
Mauritania strengthens national implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention
From 13 to 14 January 2025 in Nouakchott, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the Radiation Protection, Nuclear Safety and Security Authority (ARSN) of Mauritania jointly organized a national workshop on strengthening the implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). This was the first workshop of its kind in Mauritania since it joined the BWC in 2015. Mauritania has made significant progress towards BWC implementation prior to the event including the nomination a BWC National Contact Point (NCP) in 2023 and the submission of its first…
African Amnesty Month: Djibouti launches activities to ‘Silence the Guns’
The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) took part in the launch of the African Amnesty Month (AAM) in Djibouti from 29th to 31st October, along with the Regional Centre on Small Arms (RECSA), which also represented the African Union. During the three-day mission, several activities were held to raise awareness about the fight against the illicit trade and use of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW). These included planting trees at Camp Lemonnier;a march from Camp Lemonnier to the National police shooting range; the…
The Implementation Support Unit on the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, a part of the Office for Disarmament Affairs, launches publication
Armed conflicts are a tragic reality of the world that we live in. However, as set out in the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), conventional weapons that are excessively injurious or whose effects are indiscriminate need not be part of this reality. The CCW is an important instrument of international humanitarian law. The CCW’s unique structure allows for the negotiation of new protocols. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said “A key strength of the Convention is its responsiveness to humanitarian issues raised by developments in weapon technologies and…
UNLIREC's Forces of Change II publication highlights the contribution of Latin American and Caribbean women to disarmament
Coinciding with the celebrations of the UN International Day on the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November 2014, UNODA’s Regional Disarmament Centre in Lima (UNLIREC) launched a new publication aimed at maintaining international momentum in progressing towards women’s empowerment in the security field. The UNLIREC publication entitled “Forces of Change II: Recognizing the contribution of Latin American and Caribbean Women to ” pays tribute to the women who capture the essence of resolution 65/69 adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2010 on women,…
UNLIREC partners with Mexico to promote gender and youth approaches to implementing the United Nations Programme of Action on small arms and the Arms Trade Treaty
On 13 November 2014 UN Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) organized a roundtable on incorporating gender and youth approaches when implementing the United Nations Programme of Action on Small Arms (PoA) and the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). The roundtable, which took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, responded to requests by States in the region for UNLIREC support in their implementation of international conventional arms regulation and control and instruments. With financial support from Australia,…
Regional Legal Assistance Arms Trade Treaty Workshop Aims at Preparing Governments for Cross-Border Weapons Transfer Responsibilities
NEW YORK, 17 November (Office for Disarmament Affairs) — A regional legal assistance workshop on the Arms Trade Treaty will take place in Siem Reap, Cambodia, 18–19 November 2014. Legal experts from 16 States from the Asia-Pacific region as well as representatives from the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC), academia and the United Nations will work on facilitating national ratification of the Treaty or accession to it. The meeting will focus on assessing what is needed for national legislation to comply with the…
"Teaching Hiroshima and Nagasaki", a Workshop on Nuclear Disarmament Held at The United Nations for New York City High School Teachers
“Teaching Hiroshima and Nagasaki” a workshop on nuclear disarmament for New York City high school teachers was held on 4 November 2014 at United Nations Headquarters. This is the third consecutive year such a workshop was held on Election Day when teachers at New York City Public Schools are given a day to participate in continuing education activities. Since 2012, Hibakusha Stories in collaboration with Peace Boat and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) organized a workshop on nuclear disarmament at United Nations Headquarters. John Ennis,…
Regional Workshop on The Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004) Hosted By The Government of The Republic of Korea
The Government of the Republic of Korea, in cooperation with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), hosted a Regional Workshop on Promoting Full Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004) on 27-28 October 2014 in Seoul. As the current Chair of the UN Security 1540 Committee, the Government of the Republic of Korea initiated this event, which focused on sharing effective implementation practices, revitalizing relevant assistance and developing a future strategy toward the 2016 Comprehensive Review of resolution 1540 (2004). The UN High…