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Building the global norm against biological weapons: the 1925 Geneva Protocol and the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention
From 24 to 28 February 2025, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) Geneva Branch and the Implementation Support Unit (ISU) of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) hosted a commemorative exhibition at the Palais des Nations. Marking the centenary of the 1925 Geneva Protocol and the fiftieth anniversary of the entry into force of the BWC, the exhibition highlighted the efforts of multiple stakeholders to build the global norm against the use of biological weapons and emphasized the continued relevance of these two milestone agreements in maintaining global…
Sustaining the fight against the illicit proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons in The Gambia
A delegation of the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) travelled to Banjul from 27 to 31 January. The main objective of their Mission was threefold: i) assess the institutional capacities of the recently established National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW); ii) support for the development of a national action plan on SALW; and iii) foster stronger collaboration among national stakeholders and with the United Nations Country Team. The mission took place in the context of the implementation of the EU funded project, entitled “United…
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…
Sustaining Peace: UNREC’s Mission to Strengthen Arms Control in Burundi
The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) conducted a mission from 9 to 13 December in partnership with Burundi’s National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW). The mission aimed to address arms marking, control challenges, the development of a national action plan on SALW as well as to foster stronger collaborations among key stakeholders. Opening ceremony of the workshop on the development of the National Action plan to fight the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) A central focus of the mission was to…
The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs hosted an event on the regulation of Incendiary Weapons
On 13 November, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) hosted a hybrid side event during the 2024 Annual Meeting of the High Contracting Parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) in Geneva. The event focused on a recent UNODA publication titled “The Regulation of Incendiary Weapons under International Humanitarian Law,”made possible through the financial support of the European Union as part of its project in support of the universalization, implementation and strengthening of the CCW. Co-moderated by Ms. Mariam Bilikhodze, Consultant at…
Side event shines a light on the benefits of voluntary information sharing on new weapons, means and methods of warfare
Building on an event earlier in the year that explored the importance of legal reviews of new weapons, means and methods of warfare, on 17 October the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) hosted speakers from the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) to shine a light on the role that voluntary exchanges of information could play in legal reviews. Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative forDisarmament Affairs addresses the side…
UNODA Vienna Office celebrated Disarmament Week with a photo exhibition – Have a look!
Disarmament Week seeks to promote awareness and better understanding of disarmament issues and their cross-cutting importance. To celebrate this week, the Vienna Office of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) organised an interactive exhibition from 24 to 30 October. The exhibition was housed in the Rotunda of the Vienna International Centre which is home to various international organisations relevant to UNODA’s work, such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), the United Nations Office on…