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Enhancing Legislation and Control Measures to Prevent the Proliferation of Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Weapons and Related Materials in Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar has long been engaged in the global disarmament and non-proliferation agenda with respect to conventional weapons and weapons of mass destruction. The country has undertaken deliberate efforts to translate its international commitments into legal, institutional and operational measures at the national level. Madagascar is also among a handful of African States to adopt a voluntary national implementation action plan on United Nations Security Council resolution 1540 (2004). Its first action plan for the phase 2019-2023 was further reviewed and renewed for…
Regional Industry Outreach Conference for Central Asia and Neighbouring States
The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany supported the Government of Kazakhstan’s delivery of the ‘UNSCR 1540(2004) Regional Industry Outreach Conference for Central Asia and Neighbouring States (Wiesbaden Process)’ from 31 July to 1 August 2024 in Astana. United Nations Security resolution 1540(2004) calls on States to “develop appropriate ways to work with and inform industry […]”, while UNSCR 2325(2016), a follow-up to resolution 1540(2004), explicitly acknowledges “the positive role …
Three-day workshop on the proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) within the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) region
Officials at the opening ceremony of UEMOA & UNREC Meeting on SALW From July 23 to 25, a conference was held in Lomé, Togo, to address the proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) within the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) region, which includes Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo. The three-day workshop was organized by the UEMOA Commission and the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC). Participants included representatives from all National Commissions of UEMOA…
UNSGM experts join basic training course in South Africa
From 15 to 26 July 2024, 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 basic training course for the UNSGM was aimed at providing experts nominated by UN Member States to the UNSGM roster with a better…
National workshop on the Biological Weapons Convention and its Confidence Building Measures in El Salvador
From 24 to 25 July 2024, in San Salvador, El Salvador, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) organized a national workshop on the implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) and the preparation of Confidence Building Measures (CBM) reports. The workshop was organized in close cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador and its Permanent Mission in Geneva and carried out with the financial support of the European Union. The workshop was attended by more than 35 national participants from several national entities. Opening…
Workshop on Promoting National Awareness of UNSCR 1540(2004)
From 11-12 July 2024, the Government of the Republic of Indonesia, with the support of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs and funding from the European Union, conducted its first-ever ‘Workshop on Promoting National Awareness of UNSCR 1540 (2004)’ in the country. More than 50 participants were in attendance, including national authorities from 12 relevant ministries, six international and regional organizations, and three neighbouring States, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia and the Philippines. The primary aim of the two-day workshop was to raise awareness …
States convened at the United Nations in New York for the Fourth Conference to Review the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons and made strides towards gender-responsive small arms control
From 18 to 28 June 2024, States convened at the United Nations in New York for the Fourth Conference to Review the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in all its Aspects and its International Tracing Instrument. These are the universal frameworks dedicated to countering threats of the illicit manufacture, transfer and circulation of these weapons. The Review Conference, which takes place every six years, provides a critical opportunity for States to renew their commitments and develop an action plan for the following six…
From Diplomacy to Disarmament: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome & Growing Through UNODA's Youth Leader Fund Programme
By Elisa Shafiqah binti Shahrilnizam (Malaysia), participant of the Youth Leader Fund for a World without Nuclear Weapons (YLF) “The world is over-armed and peace is under-funded.” I remember coming across this quote by the former UN Secretary -General Ban Ki Moon when I first discovered my passion for promoting and maintaining peace. Let me share how, through YLF, I found my voice to do so. As a participant in the Youth Leader Fund programme, I embarked on a journey that was both daunting and enlightening. Initially, I struggled with feelings of imposter syndrome,…
Weaving a Future of Peace: How the YLF Programme Empowered My Community Initiative
By Nduku Louis Tebi (Cameroon), participant of the Youth Leader Fund for a World without Nuclear Weapons (YLF) My name is Nduku Louis Tebi and I am the founder of Xhuma Africa, a youth-led organization in Cameroon dedicated to empowering young people to become agents of peace and environmental stewards. The growing threat of nuclear weapons has always troubled me, and the opportunity to participate in the Youth Leader Fund programme for a World Without Nuclear Weapons was a crucial step towards preparing me to make a difference in my community. The YLF program…
Training Course for UNSCR 1540 Points of contact in the Asia-Pacific Region
From 25-28 June 2024, the Government of China and the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) hosted a ‘Training Course for UNSCR 1540 Points of Contact (PoC) in the Asia-Pacific Region’ in Beijing, China. The training course was supported by the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs and co-funded by the Government of China and the European Union. The PoC training course was the fourth of its kind in the region, with the first training taking place in Qingdao, China, in 2015: in Xi’An, China, in 2017; and in Xiamen, China, in 2019.…