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"The Status of the Global Disarmament Agenda: Perspectives from the UN"
From 4 to 7 August 2014, Ms. Virginia Gamba, Director and Deputy to the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, attended a conference, hosted by the Rio Grande Municipality, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Under the rubric “peace begins at home”, the conference offered an opportunity for a comprehensive dialogue on international peace and cooperation with a view to fostering inter-regional cooperation between Latin America and Africa. The forum brought together international experts, diplomats and Argentinean representatives from all levels of government (municipal, provincial and…
Disarmament Affairs marks Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings at event in Vienna
Peace Bell at the Memorial Plaza, Vienna International Centre On Friday, 8 August, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (ODA) co-hosted the “Genbaku No Hi” event for the Vienna community who gathered at the Vienna International Centre to commemorate the victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombings that occurred on the 6th and 9th of August 1945. Participants ringing the Peace Bell at the Vienna International Centre Genbaku No Hi is an initiative to establish an official Atomic Bomb Memorial Day to be recognized every year on 8 August. An aspect of this…
Malawi Hosts Visit By Security Council 1540 Committee, 5-8 August 2014
The 1540 Committee member and experts visited a border check-point in order to observe the procedures in place NEW YORK, 8 August 2014 (Office for Disarmament Affairs) – A delegation of the Security Council’s 1540 Committee has wrapped up a four-day visit to Malawi, that took place at the invitation of the Government. A member of the 1540 Committee, Mr. Dovydas Spokauskas from the Permanent Mission of Lithuania to the United Nations led the delegation, which included two experts supporting the Committee’s work as well as officers from the United Nations Regional Centre…
Grenada makes progress in implementing Security Council resolution 1540 on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
Mr Bennie Lombard, one of the Experts of the 1540 Committee addresses participants at the training course UNLIREC officially launched its 1540 Programme with its first field activity in Grenada. This forms part of UNLIREC’s new 1540 assistance package for the Caribbean, which benefits from funding from US Department of State’s Bureau of International Security and Non-proliferation (ISN), aimed at assisting States in the region in their implementation of the resolution. On 10 June 2014, UNLIREC, together with an expert assisting the 1540 Committee and the CARICOM 1540 Coordinator, met…
UNLIREC provides legal assistance to Guyana to combat illicit firearms trafficking
Participants at the training course In response to a request from the Government of Guyana for specialized training to help its judicial sectors address the illicit trafficking in firearms, ammunition and explosives, and – in effect – contribute to a reduction in impunity and armed violence, UNLIREC organized a national course for judicial officers and legal practitioners in Guyana from 28-30 May 2014 in Georgetown. The specialized course trained 28 legal practitioners and law enforcement personnel on different techniques and procedures to combat illicit small arms trafficking…
UN Regional Disarmament Centre Supports Myanmar to Build Capacity in Small Arms Control
Group photo of workshop attendees In cooperation with the Government of Myanmar, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD) has just completed a two-day workshop on 15, 16 May 2014 to assist government agencies involved in small arms and light weapons control to effectively implement the UN Programme of Action (UN PoA) to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons. The workshop, which took place in Nay Pyi Taw, gathered around 50 government officials across the security sector to discuss the…
World Military Spending: Trends and Implications
Ms. Virginia Gamba delivers remarks at the event On Monday 14 April 2014, the Global Day of Action on Military Spending, an event titled “world military spending: trends and implications” took place at UN headquarters in New York. This event was co-organized by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), with the sponsorship of the Permanent Mission of Japan. Ms. Virginia Gamba, the Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, welcomed the participants and opened the event, noting that “this initiative…
UNLIREC and Peru intensify collaboration in arms control through stockpile management training
Workshop attendees on best practices and international standards in stockpile management The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in cooperation with the National Regulatory Entity for Security Services, Firearms, Ammunition and Explosives for Civil Use (SUCAMEC) of Peru, undertook a workshop on best practices and international standards in stockpile management from 21-23 April 2014 in Lima. With the objective of installing permanent technical capacities among operational personnel of the SUCAMEC and…
Advanced Training Course for States of the East African and Southern African sub-regions on conventional ammunition management utilizing the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG)
Getting ready for the training course Stockpiled ammunition can become unsafe if it is not properly stored and secured. Unintended explosions of ammunition depots have affected over 60 countries worldwide, leading to thousands of casualties over the past 15 years. Moreover, when depots are not well managed, they can become an unremitting source for diversion of ammunition to armed groups and criminals, thus sustaining conflicts and armed criminal activity. In order to address these urgent issues, all 193 countries of the United Nations have requested the development of the…
South Africa hosts workshop on reporting under Security Council Resolution 1540
Attendees of the Security Council Resolution 1540 workshop in South Africa The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, as well as their means of delivery, constitutes a threat to international peace and security. Acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1540 in April 2004, obliging all States to refrain from providing any form of support to non-State actors that attempt to develop, acquire, manufacture, possess, transport, transfer or use weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery. Under the resolution, all…