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Young Scientists from the Global South Join the Second Edition of the Youth for Biosecurity Workshop
As the world grapples with COVID-19 for a second year, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs and the Biological Weapons Convention Implementation Support Unit (ISU) are also pushing to bolster global capacities against the misuse of biological agents . Informing young scientists about their critical role in biosafety and biosecurity was the chief aim of the second Biosecurity Diplomacy Workshop for Young Scientists from the Global South, an interactive training programme launched in January by UNODA and the Biological Weapons Convention ISU.…
UNODA convenes a regional workshop on achieving universalization of the Biological Weapons Convention in Africa
The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) was the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning an entire category of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). It has reached almost universal adherence with only 14 States, mostly in Africa and the Pacific, remaining outside of the Convention. To encourage these States to join the Convention, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) convened a virtual regional workshop for African States, in cooperation with the BWC Implementation Support Unit (ISU) and the Permanent Mission of Kenya in Geneva on 4 March 2021. …
On International Women’s Day, parliamentarians and civil society take stock of progress to curb gun violence and illicit small arms trafficking
On 8 March, parliamentarians and civil society actors across Asia and the Pacific marked International Women’s Day with a workshop on the results, challenges and opportunities of a multi-year project tackling how illicit small arms and light weapons (SALW) impact people differently based on their gender. The virtual meeting followed on from a series of workshops held in Asia and the Pacific between 2018 and 2020. The virtual event on “Gun Violence and Illicit Small-Arms Trafficking from a Gender Perspective” brought together small arms and light weapons control experts to…
Students discuss how to innovate responsibly with artificial intelligence
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more sophisticated and versatile, the pioneers of this technology hold considerable power to shape its social impacts. That is why the University of Tokyo joined the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (ODA) in February to hold two days of virtual workshops on AI governance. By posing ethically complex questions on AI use to students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), among other fields, the workshop series challenged participants to examine how their future innovations could affect peace, security and…
Young people weigh what makes women crucial to disarmament
How do our ideas about gender shape the impact of weapons, both in our communities and on each of us as individuals? This question was recently put to university students in India by representatives of the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD). They were participating in a webinar on “gender and peace”, the fourth lecture in a series organized by the Prajnya Trust and Sansristi, two India-based civil society organizations. A slide presented by Ms. Ida Scarpino on armed violence as a factor that exacerbates gender…
ODA launches nuclear-weapon-free zones web-portal
In his Agenda for Disarmament, the Secretary-General called Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones “landmark instruments that represent an excellent example of the synergy between regional and global efforts towards a world free of nuclear weapons”. The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs today launched a dedicated web-portal to strengthen cooperation between nuclear-weapon-free zones (in Africa, Central Asia, Latin American and the Caribbean, Southeast Asia and the South Pacific) and Mongolia and further enable their contributions to the pursuit of a world free of…
UNODA honoured for ‘vital’ contribution to international peace
An association of legal professionals honoured the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) with an award on Wednesday for its contributions to the global development of international law and the rule of law. International Section of the New York State Bar Association honoured the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) with an award on Wednesday for its contributions to the global development of international law and the rule of law. The annual award, from the International Section of the New York State Bar Association, recognizes a major…
High Representative and ROK Deputy Foreign Minister discuss key disarmament milestones in 2021 and ways forward for empowering youth
What ways could youth be supported to make their meaningful contribution in the field of disarmament? This was one of the topics of discussion between the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu and the Deputy Foreign Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Mr. Ham Sang-wook. Connecting virtually on 13 January, they engaged in an in-depth conversation about strengthening the meaningful contribution of young people to disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation efforts, the upcoming Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-…
“They looked as if they were ghosts”: An atomic bomb survivor shares her memories
The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and its #Youth4Disarmament initiative joined the non-governmental organization Peace Boat, which is part of ICAN’s International Steering Group, in December for a discussion with Ms. Michiko Hattori, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. More than 80 people attended the online event entitled “Every Second Counts for the Survivors! – Peace Boat Hibakusha Project Online”. Its aim was to raise awareness both about the humanitarian impacts of nuclear weapons and the importance of creating a nuclear-free future…
UNREC kick-starts cooperation on gender and small arms control with the Democratic Republic of Congo
The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) kicked off its training programme on gender and small arms control in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Organized with the Commission on small arms and light weapons (CNC-ALPC), the training took place from 23rd to 25th November 2020 in Kinshasa. Its primary objective was to ensure the effective integration of a gender-responsive framework in the DRC’s National Action Plan (2018-2022) on small arms and light weapons. Over the course of three days, more than 60 representatives from…