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Latin American and Caribbean States meet ahead of the Fourth Review Conference of the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons
<!-- wp:columns --><div class="wp-block-columns"><!-- wp:column {"width":"66.66%","lock":{"move":true,"remove":true}} --><div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:66.66%"> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>The Fourth Review Conference (RevCon4) is scheduled for 17 to 28 June 2024 in New York</strong></h2> <p>From 11 to 15 and 18 to 22 March, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs and its Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and…
Sri Lankan police revitalizes stockpile management practices
One of the main sources of diversion of small arms and light weapons into illicit markets is from inadequately managed stockpiles, from which weapons are lost or stolen. Therefore, the effective management of weapons stockpiles is an essential element of the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat, and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (UN PoA) and its corresponding International Tracing Instrument. As part of a regional project in support of the PoA and ITI, funded by the European Union, the United Nations…
Southern African States fortify capacity to combat biological threats and implement Biological Weapons Convention
In a bid to strengthen regional cooperation and bolster national implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), 60 delegates from ten Southern African states and international and regional organisations convened in Gaborone, Botswana, from 12 to 14 March 2024 for a three-day workshop. The event, organised by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) in partnership with the Ministry of Defence and Security of Botswana, aimed to fortify the region’s capacity to combat biological threats and promote adherence to international disarmament norms and standards. In…
UNRCPD and UNODC join efforts to promote SDG Target 16.4 during 11th Asia-Pacific Forum for Sustainable Development
This year’s Asia-Pacific Forum for Sustainable Development, an annual, inclusive intergovernmental forum to support follow-up and review of progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focused on a specific set of Goals, including Goal 16. SDG 16 provides the framework for peace, justice for all, and strong institutions, which are fundamental for accelerating progress of other SDGs and leaving no one behind. However, the limited availability of data undermines tracking progress toward this goal. As stakeholders gathered…
Experts from developing countries gather in Trieste to learn about science diplomacy, biosecurity and virus detection in the framework of the Biological Weapons Convention
From 4 to 8 March 2024, the Implementation Support Unit (ISU) of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), together with The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), and the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), organised a joint capacity-building course on science diplomacy, biosecurity and virus detection in the framework of Article X of the BWC in Trieste, Italy. Under Article X, States Parties undertake to cooperate in contributing with other States or international organisations to…
Strengthening biosecurity in São Tomé and Príncipe: National workshop on the effective implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention and Resolution 1540 (2004)
From 4 to 6 March 2024, the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Communities of São Tomé and Príncipe gathered key national stakeholders and decision makers to raise awareness about the implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) and UN Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004). Jointly organized by UNODA’s Biological Weapons Convention Team and the 1540 Support Unit, the workshop was an important step towards fostering national ownership and renewing commitment to the BWC, Resolution 1540, and…
UNODA co-hosts with the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists a launch event for new report on “A Framework for Tomorrow’s Pathogen Research” by the Independent Task Force on Research with Pandemic Risks
On 28 February, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) hosted a launch event at the United Nations Headquarters for a new report by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists’ Independent Task Force on Research with Pandemic Risks, entitled “A Framework For Tomorrow’s Pathogen Research.” Ms Rachel Bronson (Bulletin President and CEO) opened the event, emphasizing that this new report attempts to provide guidance to policymakers at all levels to address biosafety and biosecurity needs. Mr Chris King (Chief of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Branch at…
AI educators, curriculum developers and governance representatives meet in Tallinn for a roundtable on responsible innovation and the education of future AI practitioners.
On 13 February a group of Artificial Intelligence (AI) educators, curriculum developers and governance representatives based in Estonia met for a frank and productive closed roundtable on responsible innovation and the education of future AI practitioners. Over the afternoon, participants reviewed various approaches to responsible innovation across their different programmes and institutions, and in a spirited discussion confronted whether there are structural or other problems with the way that future AI practitioners are trained. Across three rounds of moderated dialogue, those…
The next generation of AI practitioners from around the world meet in Estonia to learn about responsible innovation of AI for peace and security
On 14 and15 February a select group of young Artificial Intelligence (AI) practitioners from around the world met in Tallinn for a two-day capacity-building workshop on Responsible AI for Peace and Security, organized by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), in cooperation with the Tallinn University of Technology. The workshop—the second in a series of four—aimed to provide up-and-coming AI practitioners with the opportunity to learn how to address the risks that civilian AI research and…
Fostering Gender-Responsive Small Arms Control: Perspectives from the Asia-Pacific Region on the United Nations Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PoA) and the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT)
On 15 February, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD) in Kathmandu, in partnership with the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), organized an online regional briefing on the implementation of international commitments on gender-responsive arms control. Ahead of the Fourth Review Conference of the United Nations Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PoA) and the Tenth Conference of State Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), the online regional briefing served as a forum for sharing best…