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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…
UNODA and the Kyrgyz Republic prepare for peer review exercise on the implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention
On 12 – 14 October 2021, the UNODA Geneva Branch, the Implementation Support Unit (ISU) of the Biological Weapons Convention(BWC) and a delegation from the Kyrgyz Republic held a three-day preparatory meeting in Geneva to discuss a forthcoming peer review exercise, which will be conducted in the framework of European Union Council Decision 2019/97 in support of the BWC. Participants prepared a draft programme and timeline for the exercise, while also discussing the Kyrgyz Republic’s draft Law on Biosafety which is currently being reviewed at the national level. Representatives…
Government officials, parliamentarians, civil society and UN agencies meet to advance Nepal’s accession to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT)
In collaboration with the Women for Peace and Democracy in Nepal (WPDN) and the Government of Nepal, the United Nation Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD) conducted a national workshop “To Promote the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) and Support Nepal’s Accession to the Treaty” in Nagarkot, Nepal on 24 and 25 November 2021. 32 participants from governmental departments, the federal parliament, civil society, UN agencies and the European Union attended the workshop in Nagarkot, Nepal. Thirty-two representatives from the…
UNODA and UNCCT hold a virtual training on biological preparedness and response for Nigeria
On 14-16 December 2021, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) Geneva Branch/Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) Implementation Support Unit and the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office (UNOCT) co-organized a virtual training on Biological Preparedness and Response for Nigeria. The training, which gathered 85 participants from 28 entities, was organized in close collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser, the National Authority on Chemical and Biological Weapons Conventions of…
Disarmament4Educators in Asia project concludes with global live webinar
Over the past eighteen months, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) has been building regional academic networks and enhancing institutional knowledge of disarmament educators in Asia and the Pacific on developing and implementing disarmament education programs. As part of its “Strengthening Academic Infrastructures for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Education in Asia – Educating the Educators” project, UNODA provided a series of tailored trainings, aimed at strengthening the educators’ substantive knowledge about disarmament and non-proliferation and…
Niger launches 2021 edition of Africa Amnesty Month
On 10 November, the Republic of Niger officially launched its Africa Amnesty Month project. Since 2017, the African Union (AU) has declared the month of September of each year as Africa Amnesty Month for the surrender and collection of illegally owned small arms and light weapons (SALW). In 2021, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) supports the implementation of the Africa Amnesty Month initiative in three countries, namely Madagascar, Niger and Uganda. The project is funded by the Federal Republic of Germany, while its implementation is facilitated by the Regional…
Seoul stage for student discussions on disarmament
The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and its Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD), in cooperation with the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) and Hanyang University School of International Studies (HYSIS), conducted a student-focused hybrid webinar event on disarmament and non-proliferation education. Hundred students and educators from universities worldwide joined theevent, which was held at Hanyang University in Seoul, the Republic of Korea, on the 13 November. Thirty university students joined the…