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Training Course for UNSCR 1540 Points of Contact in Latin America and the Caribbean Held in Panama City, Panama
From 15 to 17 December 2025, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, together with the Government of Panama and the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004), convened a ‘Training Course for UNSCR 1540 Points of Contact (PoCs) in Latin America and the Caribbean in Panama City, Panama. This event marked the first comprehensive 1540 PoC training for Latin America and the Caribbean since 2016, following a regional course in Chile that year, as well as the dedicated training for CARICOM States in 2019. The 2025 course brought together…
China and Malaysia co-hosted the Second Regional Workshop on Implementing the Biological Weapons Convention and Promoting Biosafety and Biosecurity in Southeast Asia
The Governments of the People’s Republic of China and of Malaysia co-hosted the “Second Regional Workshop on Implementing the Biological Weapons Convention and Promoting Biosafety and Biosecurity in Southeast Asia” from 18 to 20 November 2025 in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. The workshop was supported by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) through the Implementation Support Unit (ISU) of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) and the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD). Furthermore…
African States Explore Incentives, Challenges and Solutions to Advancing Strategic Trade Management of Dual-Use Items to Prevent WMD Proliferation
From 2 to 4 December 2025, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), in partnership with the Republic of South Africa, the European Union Partner-to-Partner Export Control Programme for Dual-Use Goods (EU P2P), and the German Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA), convened a Regional Workshop on Strategic Trade Management of Dual-Use Items at the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation in Pretoria. The workshop marked a significant step toward strengthening regional capacities to develop and sustain effective systems…
UNODA Vienna Marks 25 Years of Women, Peace and Security
2025 marks a year of important anniversaries in the global effort to achieve gender equality. The UNODA Vienna Office celebrated the 25th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325 and the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda with an inspiring photo exhibition titled “Women, Peace and Security at 25: From Global Commitment to Lasting Change.” The exhibition took place at the Vienna International Centre from 3 to 7 November 2025. Organized in collaboration with Vienna-based partners - CTBTO, UNODC, UNIDO, UNOOSA - and the OPCW, the event highlighted how women continue to shape…
Young Women Active in Biosecurity Participate in Fellowship Programme
The Young Women for Biosecurity Fellows take part in the in-person segment of the programme in Geneva, Switzerland. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the entry-into-force of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). To commemrorate the milestone, the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs’ (UNODA) Geneva Branch launched a special edition of the Youth for Biosecurity Initative to engage a group of ten young women scientists from the Global South on topics related to the BWC. The programme included online webinars and an immersive in-person study visit in December 2025. It was made…
Briefing by the Chair of the CCW GGE on LAWS on the margins of the First Committee
On 23 October, the Kingdom of the Netherlands held a side-event on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly First Committee to present the ongoing work undertaken by the Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (GGE LAWS) within the framework of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW). During this side-event, the Chair of the GGE LAWS, Ambassador Robert in den Bosch of the Kingdom of the Netherlands briefed participants on the Group’s efforts to address the growing international concerns around the ethical, legal and humanitarian…
Panel Discussion Highlights How Resolution 1540 Builds Knowledge and Capacity
In a dynamic effort to strengthen global security through education and collaboration, experts and officials gathered in Vienna to spotlight the transformative role of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540. On 28 November, the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP), the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), and the Permanent Mission of Türkiye to the United Nations in Vienna co-organized a panel discussion to explore the educational and capacity-building impact of resolution 1540. In his opening remarks, Ambassador Levent Eler, Permanent…
From Erlangen to Munich: Advancing Academia’s Engagement on Export Controls
Every great journey begins with a single step. When the Erlangen Initiative was launched in 2023 to foster collaboration between academia and regulators in implementing United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540, that first step was taken. Today, the dialogue has advanced to Munich, marking a significant step forward in deepening this engagement. On 26–27 November 2025, the German Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control, in partnership with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, organized the 3rd Erlangen Global Conference in Munich, Germany. The…
Regional Workshop on the Biological Weapons Convention in the Caribbean
From 25 to 26 November 2025, in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) Implementation Support Unit (ISU) organized a regional workshop on strengthening the implementation of the BWC. The workshop was organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs and the Ministry of Health of Trinidad and Tobago and was made possible with the financial support from the European Union. Photo credit: European Union Delegation to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago The workshop…
UNSGM experts join training course on sampling and transport of toxic and infectious substances
From 17-21 November 2025, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), in cooperation with the German Federal Foreign Office, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)’s National Microbiology Laboratory, organized a training course on sampling and transport of toxic and infectious substances for the United Nations Secretary-General’s Mechanism for Investigations of Alleged Use of Chemical and Biological Weapons (UNSGM) in Berlin, Germany. A group of 15 qualified experts nominated by Member States to the UNSGM roster from 14 countries…