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2023 Africa Amnesty Month gets underway in Maputo, Mozambique
On 11 and 12 September 2023 in Maputo, Mozambique, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) supported the African Union (AU) and the Government of Mozambique to organize the 2023 edition of Africa Amnesty Month (AAM). The core objective of the commemoration was to champion disarmament, arms control, and the establishment of sustainable peace throughout the African continent by encouraging the voluntary surrender of illicit arms held by civilians. Ambassador Churchil Ewumbue-Monomo of Cameroon, Chairperson of the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC)…
Disarmament community remembers Under-Secretary-General Jayantha Dhanapala
The extraordinary life and career of the first Under-Secretary-General of the reestablished Department for Disarmament Affairs, former Sri Lankan diplomat Mr. Jayantha Dhanapala, was honored at a memorial ceremony on Tuesday, 12 September. Co-organized by the Office for Disarmament Affairs (ODA), the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka and the Global Security Institute, the ceremony included eulogies from High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu, H. E. Mr. Mohan Pieris, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, and Mr. Dhanapala’s son Sivanka Dhanapala,…
AI experts from around the world connect for a multi-stakeholder dialogue on responsible AI for peace and security
On 13 and 14 September the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, and its partners at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) brought together 15 artificial intelligence (AI) experts from industry, academia, civil society and governance for two days of discussion. Over the course of the multi-stakeholder dialogue participants explored trends in AI research and innovation that may generate risks for peace and security, and looked at how such risks may be mitigated, including through the promotion of responsible innovation practices. Meeting under Chatham…
ODA and the Republic of Cameroon convene national workshop to renew efforts to implement UN Security Council resolution 1540 (2004)
With the support of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), the Republic of Cameroon convened a national workshop to renew efforts to implement UN Security Council resolution 1540 (2004). The resolution requires States to refrain from providing any form of support to non-state actors that attempt to develop, acquire, manufacture, posses, transport, transfer or use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their means of delivery. The workshop, which was held from 12 to 14 September in Yaoundé, brought together nearly 60 participants from 35 ministries and…
Young changemakers present their recommendations to strengthen disarmament processes at side event to NPT Preparatory Committee
On 31 July 2023, ten young leaders presented their innovative ideas and recommendations to inspire inclusive, diverse, and efficient multilateral processes in an official side event to the first Preparatory Committee meeting for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Ms. Marykate Monaghan, Youth Outreach Consultant with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), moderated the event, titled “A.I.M. (Advocates in Motion) for a way forward: Youth insights for strengthening the disarmament machinery”.…
UNSGM experts join Basic Training Course in South Africa
From 26 June – 7 July 2023, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) of South Africa, in cooperation with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, organized a basic training course for the United Nations Secretary-General’s Mechanism for Investigations of Alleged Use of Chemical and Biological Weapons (UNSGM) in Johannesburg, South Africa. The objective of the basic training courses for the UNSGM is to provide experts nominated by UN Member States to the UNSGM roster with a better understanding of…
Launch of the second edition of the Disarmament Toolkit online course
A diverse group of students, professors, representatives of international organizations, civil society organizations and practitioners from Asia and the Pacific joined the second edition of the Disarmament Toolkit online course from 21 to 30 June 2023. Prepared by the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD) and the India-based Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), the Prajnya Trust, the course aimed to provide general and technical information on disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation, with a view to making…
North African States discuss universalization and effective implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention in Rabat, Morocco
From 13 to 15 June, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), in partnership with the Kingdom of Morocco, held a regional workshop on the universalization and effective implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) in Northern Africa. Fifty-two participants from four North African States Parties (Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia) and one observer State not party to the Convention (Comoros), attended the workshop. Over the course of the three days, delegates discussed regional and national approaches to implementation of the BWC, shared relevant…
Twenty-one experts from across the globe gather in Trieste to learn about virus detection and biosecurity in the framework of the Biological Weapons Convention
From 14 to 16 June, the Implementation Support Unit (ISU) of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), together with the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), organised a joint capacity-building course on virus detection and biosecurity in the framework of Article X of the BWC at the ICGEB’s headquarters in Trieste, Italy. Under Article X of the BWC, the States Parties shall cooperate in contributing with other States or international organisations to further the development and application of scientific discoveries in the field of biology for prevention…
How does disarmament contribute to human rights? UNODA showcases its work at the Human Rights Fair in Vienna
On 5 and 6 June, the Austrian Ministry of European and International Affairs, in partnership with the United Nations in Vienna and other national and international organizations, hosted an Open Air Human Rights Fair in the Museums Quartier in Vienna. The aim of the event was to promote human rights and present the work of the Vienna-based international organizations to the public, to create a space for people to learn, reflect and engage, and to foster a greater understanding and awareness about human rights. UNODA shared an exhibition space with the Austrian…