Displaying 421 - 430 of 701
Preventing the Diversion of Arms and Ammunition
On 17 October, the Control Arms Coalition together with the Permanent Missions of France and Mexico hosted a panel discussion on “Preventing the Diversion of Arms and Ammunition”. The proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons (SALW) and insufficient controls in the market pose a high threat to all of us, said Ambassador Socorro Flores Liera, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations Office at Geneva. She warned that despite the steps taken in the last 20 years, including the adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), the…
Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas
Held on 18 October, a side event of the United Nations First Committee examined the devastating effects of the use of explosive weapons (in populated areas (EWIPA) and suggested avenues to address the problem. Ambassador Thomas Hajnoczi, Head of the Disarmament Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Austria and chair of the discussion, noted that conflict is increasingly taking place in cities and densely populated areas. The chair also raised the issue of compliance with international humanitarian law (IHL), emphasizing the devastating humanitarian impact of the use of EWIPA. In…
Preventing Terrorists from Acquiring Weapons: Examining the Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2370
On 22 October, a panel discussion on Security Council resolution 2370 (2011) was held as a side event of the First Committee on Disarmament and International Security. The panel evaluated the resolution’s implementation and considered strategies to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons. It was organized by the Permanent Missions of Australia, Germany and Egypt to the United Nations in collaboration with the Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), the Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and the Institute for…
Briefing on the 2018 U.S. Nuclear Posture Review
The Permanent Mission of the United States to the United Nations held a side event briefing on the 2018 U.S. Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) on 11 October 2018. A group of panelists moderated by Ambassador Robert Wood, U.S. Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament and Special Representative for Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention Issues, presented a series of perspectives on the NPR before taking questions and comments from the audience. Mr. Gregory Weaver, Deputy Director for Strategic Plans and Policy of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, reiterated statements…
The Application of International Law in Cyberspace: State of Play
On 15 October 2018, a panel discussion entitled “The Application of International Law in Cyberspace: State of Play” took place as a First Committee side event of the General Assembly’s seventy-third session. The Permanent Missions of Austria, Estonia and Mexico co-sponsored the discussion with the Delegation of the European Union (EU) and the EU Institute for Security Studies. Ambassador Jan Kickert, Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations, opened the event by calling for questions concerning not only whether international law applies to cyberspace, but also…
The Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons on the Dark Web: A Study
The Office for Disarmament Affairs is pleased to announce the publication of its latest Occasional Paper, entitled “The Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons on the Dark Web.” The potential role of the dark web in facilitating trade in firearms, ammunition and explosives has gained increased public attention following recent terrorist attacks and other criminal activities worldwide. In fact, the hidden and obscured parts of the web are used by criminals and others to access a worldwide market where it’s possible to procure or sell a wide range of weapons and…
Consolidating and Enhancing Cooperation among Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones
A First Committee side event was held on 18 October at the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan to the United Nations. The event featured a panel discussion about consolidating and enhancing cooperation among nuclear-weapon-free zones (NWFZs). It was chaired by Yerzhan Ashikbayev, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan. Mr Ashikbayev opened the discussion by highlighting the importance of NWFZs. NWFZs are essential for creating a safe and nuclear-weapon-free world, although their potential is yet to be fully realized. The international community should strengthen NWFZs as…
Considering the Moral Dimensions of Nuclear Weapons in a Multi-Faith Dialogue to “Safeguard Future Generations”
On 16 October, a side event entitled “To Safeguard Future Generations: Multi-Faith Responses to the Threat of Nuclear Weapons” was hosted by the Permanent Mission of Austria and co-sponsored by the Permanent Missions of Nigeria, Thailand and South Africa as well as the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace and Security. The speakers—including representatives of Buddhist, Islamic, Catholic, and Evangelical faiths—all agreed that the use of nuclear weapons is morally unacceptable. “Even though the issues of nuclear weapons are hard to see compared with…
Retaining Meaningful Human Control of Weapons Systems
On 17 October, a panel discussion entitled Retaining Meaningful Human Control of Weapons Systems was held on the side of the First Committee on Disarmament and International Security. The event was a collaboration between Human Rights Watch’s Campaign to Stop Killer Robots and the Permanent Mission of Austria to the United Nations. Campaign Coordinator Mary Wareham and Ambassador Thomas Hajnoczi shared chairing duties. Ambassador Hajnoczi began by highlighting the importance of the discussion. He explained that machines with autonomy to end human life raise issues for…
The Hague Code of Conduct: Tools and challenges to address ballistic missile proliferation today
On 12 October 2018, the Permanent Mission to the United Nations of Sweden organized a side event titled, “The Hague Code of Conduct: Tools and challenges to address ballistic missile proliferation today,” which was supported by the European Union and the Foundation pour la Recherche Stratégique. The panelists were from the Swedish Office of Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, the Foundation pour la Recherche Stratégique, the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament European External Action Service, and the Center of Global Affairs at New York University. Each panelist highlighted the…