Displaying 11 - 20 of 59
Sri Lanka establishes National Inventory of Dangerous Pathogens in key step to implement the Biological Weapons Convention, with support from UNODA and the Netherlands
18 November 2022 marked a milestone moment for Sri Lanka’s biosecurity efforts, when experts from the Dutch Biosecurity Office handed over critical software to high-level officials from the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health to enable the formal establishment of a National Inventory of Dangerous Pathogens (NIDP). The ceremony took place in the framework of a technical workshop, which was held in Chilaw, Sri Lanka on 17 and 18 November. The two-day workshop concluded a series of initiatives, including a virtual training held in May 2022 and an in-person workshop in Bangkok last…
The 2022 OSCE – UNODA Scholarship for Peace and Security concludes with an in-person training in Vienna
As part of the fifth edition of the Scholarship for Peace and Security, a joint initiative by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) Vienna Office and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), 44 young female professionals from 39 OSCE participating States and two Partners for Co-operation participated in a week-long hands-on training in Vienna from 7 to 11 November 2022. Following eight weeks of thematically based online training and expert workshops earlier this year, the in-person training provided participants with the…
Technical experts and scientists convene in India for multistakeholder discussions on the benefits and risks of advancements in science and technology for the Biological Weapons Convention ahead of Review Conference
As part of the activities conducted under EU Council Decision 2021/2072, and in preparation for the Ninth Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), the UNODA Geneva Branch, in cooperation with the Ministry of External Affairs of India and the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), organized an International Science and Technology Conference entitled “Advancements in Science and Technology: Benefits and Risks for the BWC.” The Conference was held in New Delhi, India, on 11-12 October 2022 in a hybrid mode. A total of 56…
Conversation on the benefits of adopting a humanitarian approach to disarmament
In its latest edition of the Vienna Conversation Series, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) Vienna Office, in partnership with the Republic of Ireland and the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) Vienna, hosted a hybrid event entitled “Updating our vision for disarmament: inspiring action from the humanitarian approach” on Tuesday, 8 November 2022. Rebecca Jovin, Chief of the UNODA Vienna Office, welcomes speakers and audience participants at the Vienna Conversation Series event This roundtable-style event aimed at engaging the…
First Committee side event on gender-responsive small arms control: lessons from national implementation
On 25 October 2022, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) hosted a virtual side event entitled ‘Gender-responsive Small Arms Control: Lessons from National Implementation’ on the margins of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly First Committee. The event was sponsored by the European Union as part of the global project in support of gender mainstreamed policies, programmes and actions in the fight against small arms trafficking and misuse, in line with the Women, Peace and Security agenda. Ms. Claudia Garcia Guiza, Political Affairs…
East African States join efforts in support of the universalization and effective implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention
A Regional Workshop on the universalization and effective implementation of the Biological Weapons for East Africa was held in Mombasa, Kenya, on 18-19 October 2022. The event was organized by UNODA’s Implementation Support Unit for the Biological Weapons Convention, in collaboration with the Government of Kenya through the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI). With close to 100 participants from Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania and Uganda, the workshop provided…
Disarmament Week kicks off with meeting between High Representative for Disarmament Affairs and civil society members to discuss mobilizing action for the elimination of nuclear weapons
On 24 October 2022, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu met for an informal consultation with civil society organizations at the United Nations Headquarters. The discussion focused on nuclear disarmament, particularly with respect to heightened tensions and dangerous rhetoric around nuclear weapons in the context of the war in Ukraine. Including within the frameworks of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), the past year saw broad and active participation by civil society…
#Leaders4Tomorrow present their ideas to advance disarmament education in First Committee side event
On 19 October 2022, a group of young leaders presented their projects to engage youth on topics related to disarmament, non-proliferation, and arms control in a side event of the United Nations General Assembly’s First Committee. Ms. Soo Hyun Kim, #Youth4Disarmament lead with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), moderated the event. The side event provided a platform for young people to share their perspectives and ideas for the future of disarmament, and sparked intergenerational dialogue on ways to advance our shared disarmament objectives.The cohort of young…
UNIDIR and UNODA introduce delegates to responsible AI for peace and security
At the margins of the First Committee of the General Assembly, the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) co-hosted a side-event titled Introduction to Responsible AI for Peace and Security. While the global AI policy landscape is still at a nascent stage, many stakeholders share the goal that AI be designed, developed, deployed, and used in a responsible manner, in accordance with legal and ethical values and for the benefit of society. To ensure this, governments, international organizations, private…
Burundi officials strategize on integrating gender approaches in fight against illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons
From July 11 to 14 2022, 45 experts gathered in Bujumbura, Republic of Burundi, to discuss how to integrate gender dimensions into the fight against the proliferation, trafficking and misuse of small arms and light weapons (SALW). Over the course of two workshops, organised by the National Permanent Commission for the Fight against the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (CNAP), in collaboration with the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) and the Regional Centre on Small Arms and Light Weapons (RECSA), the participants…