The General Assembly has held three Special Sessions devoted to Disarmament (SSOD). There was SSOD-I in 1978, SSOD-II in 1982 and SSOD-III in 1988 (see links below). Only SSOD-I succeeded in producing a final document (A/S-10/4).

Since 1995, the General Assembly has been calling for a fourth session on disarmament. It then established a Working Group in 2003 to discuss the agenda and the possibility of establishing a preparatory committee for a fourth special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament (SSOD-IV).

By resolution 61/60, in 2007 the General Assembly established another Open-Ended Working Group on SSOD-IV to consider the objectives and agenda, including the possible establishment of the preparatory committee, for an SSOD-IV.

The Open-Ended Working Group met from 25 to 29 June 2007, from 30 July to 3 August 2007 and from 27 to 31 August 2007 under the Chairmanship of Ambassador Alfredo Labbé of Chile.

Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 65/66, another OEWG to consider the objectives and agenda, including the possible establishment of a preparatory committee, for an SSOD-IV convened for three substantive sessions between 2016 and 2017. Under the leadership of Fernando Luque of Ecuador, the OEWG was able to agree by consensus recommendations on objectives and an agenda for an SSOD-IV for transmittal to the General Assembly. The issue of the establishment of a preparatory committee was referred back to the Assembly for further discussions.

In Action 26(a) of the 2024 Pact for the Future, Member States agreed to “Revitalize the role of the United Nations in the field of disarmament, including by recommending that the General Assembly pursue work that could support preparation of a fourth special session devoted to disarmament (SSOD-IV)”.

First Special Session of the General Assembly devoted to Disarmament

Second Special Session of the General Assembly devoted to Disarmament

Third Special Session of the General Assembly devoted to Disarmament

Open-Ended Working Group on SSOD-IV (2003)

Open-Ended Working Group on SSOD-IV (2007)

Open-Ended Working Group on SSOD-IV (2016)

General Assembly draft decision A/62/L.49 was adopted as resolution 62/29 on 11 September 2008.

General Assembly draft decision A/C.1/63/L.22 was adopted without a vote as decision A/63/519 on 2 December 2008.

Find documentation from current and past sessions on the UNODA Meetings Place website.

SSOD-IV in the Disarmament Yearbook>>>