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Western African States discuss the universalization and effective implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention
From 11 to 13 October 2023, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), in partnership with the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) and the government of Togo, held a regional workshop on the universalization and effective implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) in Western Africa. The three-day gathering in Lomé, Togo brought together approximately 65 participants from fourteen West African States Parties to the BWC (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia,…
Generation Z(ero): Young advocates share ideas for youth engagement in a side event to the UN General Assembly First Committee
On Monday, 23 October 2023, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) hosted a side event on the margins of the First Committee on the role of youth in advancing Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Arms Control (DNA). Moderated by Ms. Soo Hyun Kim, Political Affairs Officer, and Ms. Marykate Monaghan, Youth Outreach Consultant with ODA’s flagship initiative #Youth4Disarmament, the side event included a group of its “Leaders to the Future”, United Nations staff, as well as government and civil society representatives. With…
UNODA and the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan co-organized the 2023 Nuclear Discussion Forum titled “Prospects for the current review cycle of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons”
On 27 October 2023, the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan to the United Nations and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs co-organized the 2023 Nuclear Discussion Forum titled “Prospects for the current review cycle of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).” The meeting saw opening remarks from Ambassador Akan Rakhmetullin, Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the United Nations and Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs. The panel comprised of Ambassador Aidan Liddle, Permanent…
UNODA, France and Egypt reflect on consultations on the Programme of Action to Advance Responsible Behavior in the use of Information and Communications Technologies
On 19 October, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, together with the Permanent Missions of Egypt and France, held a side event of the General Assembly’s First Committee to discuss a series of regional and subregional consultations convened in 2023 on a prospective Programme of Action (PoA) to Advance Responsible State Behavior in the Use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) in the context of International Security. With the participation of Member States, representatives of regional and subregional organizations, and non-governmental entities, the discussion…
UNODA steps up efforts to empower future biosecurity leaders in the framework of the Biological Weapons Convention
In the past year, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) Geneva Branch together with the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) Implementation Support Unit (ISU) increased efforts to engage youth in the framework of the BWC, ushering in a new stage of youth involvement in promoting global biosecurity. A game-changer in disarmament and biosecurity, the Youth for Biosecurity Initiative has been at the forefront of UNODA’s efforts to increase youth participation in the context of the BWC. In 2023, the program received a major upgrade with the launch of the first…
Reham Al-Farra Memorial Journalism 2023 Fellows discuss global disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation with Office of Disarmament Affairs staff
From 13 to 29 August selected participants from the 2021 and 2022 cohorts travelled to the United Nations Headquarters for the 2023 Fellowship, having returned to be in-person after being held virtually during the Covid-19 pandemic. A component of the programme was a briefing by the representatives of the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) on 28 September. Representatives included Suzanne Oosterwijk, Regional Disarmament Information and Outreach Branch, Erika Kawahara, Weapons of Mass Destruction Branch, Beyza Unal, Science and Technology Unit, Laurie…
Towards a Structured, Multisectoral Approach to Implementing Resolution 1540 in Nigeria
With the support of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), The Federal Republic of Nigeria convened a national consultative meeting on strengthening the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1540 (2004). The meeting was held on 16-18 October 2023 in Abuja. Meeting participants pose for a group photograph Nigeria was among the first countries in Africa to affirm commitment to resolution 1540, which aims to prevent the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and their means to delivery to non-State actors. Since submitting its first…
UN Vienna marks International Day of Non-Violence and 75th Anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights with inspirational movie screening
Panelists Ashis Ray, Rebecca Jovin, Martin Nesirky, Simran Bedi, Moritz Ehrmann, and Rahul Bariyar holding Human Rights Declaration articles signs before the movie screening In observance of the International Day of Non-Violence and the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) in Vienna joined a thought-provoking Ciné-ONU documentary film screening. The event, held on 2 October 2023, featured the documentary “AHIMSA – Gandhi: The Power of the Powerless,” directed by Ramesh Sharma. Organized by the United…
UNODA and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons hold joint event about priorities and challenges for sustaining a world free of chemical weapons
On Wednesday, 18 October 2023, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) organized a joint event on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly First Committee to discuss the remaining priorities and challenges for sustaining a world free of chemical weapons after the verified destruction of all declared chemical weapons stockpiles in July 2023. In his opening remarks, Mr. Hong Li, Director, External Relations Division at the OPCW, introduced some of the contemporary security challenges relevant…
DDR practitioners and WAM experts join interactive training course on Effective Weapons and Ammunition Management in Ghana
From 2 to 6 October, the Department of Peace Operations (DPO) and the Office for Disarmament Affairs, in collaboration with the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA), and the Ammunition Management Advisory Team (AMAT), successfully organized the 2023 edition of the training course on “Effective Weapons and Ammunition Management (WAM) in a changing Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) context”. DDR practitioners and WAM experts during training course on Effective Weapons and Ammunition Management Hosted at the Kofi Annan…