JANUARY

Silencing the guns in Africa

On 25 January 2016, UNREC (ODA), UNOCHA, and the African Union convened a High Level Panel on the “Silencing the Guns in 2020”) ; a side event on the margins of the Summit of Heads of State of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The objective of the meeting was to examine the disarmament limitations, as well as the humanitarian projections and consequences of not silencing the guns in Africa.

FEBRUARY

EU Contribution to BWC

European Union makes 2.3 million Euro voluntary contribution in support of the Biological Weapons Convention. The contribution will be administered by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs over the next three years.
Under the new Decision, the European Union will support six projects related to BWC universalization and implementation.

“This year sees the tenth anniversary of EU support to the BWC during which time the EU has contributed approximately EUR 6,307,000 to BWC implementation.”

MARCH

CD High-level Segment

The Conference on Disarmament High-level Segment was held from 29 February to 2 March 2016. During that period, the conference has heard statements delivered by The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia, Netherlands, Argentina, Finland, Norway, Greece, Cuba, The Russian Federation, Colombia, Canada, Kazakhstan, The Republic of Korea, Venezuela, Italy, Spain and Japan.

MARCH

The 2015 Disarmament Yearbook (Part 1) was released on March 24th. It compiles the resolutions and decisions of the seventieth session of the General Assembly, the voting patterns in the General Assembly and the First Committee report and dates of their adoption. It also Contains a snapshot of votes by thematic cluster of resolution numbers, titles and votes in the seventieth session of the General Assembly and in the First Committee.

- A Study on The Treaty Banning the Production of Fissile Material for Nuclear Weapons or Other Nuclear Explosive Devices was published. This new Study Series (No. 35) contains a report of a Group of Governmental Experts to make recommendations on possible aspects that could contribute to (but not negotiate) a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, which held four sessions in 2014 and 2015.

23000+ people consulted

MARCH

In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the first UN General Assembly resolution , which established the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons and all weapons of mass destruction, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs sponsored the UN Poster for Peace Contest.

The aims of the contest were to raise awareness of the need for nuclear disarmament, and to inspire citizens across the globe to add their voices and use their artistic talents to promote a world free of nuclear weapons.

April

Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons

The following meetings related to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, took place from April 6th to April 16th, at the United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland :

- Meeting of the informal group of experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) .

-Meeting of the group of experts of the High Contracting Parties to Amended Protocol II .

-Meeting of experts of the High Contracting Parties to Protocol V on ERW.

Hover the mouse over countries on the map to see detailed BWC data for that country

APRIL

PREPARATORY MEETING OF BWC CONCLUDES

States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) met in Geneva, Switzerland, from 26 to 27 April 2016 for the Preparatory Committee of the Eighth Review Conference. The Preparatory Committee meeting marked the beginning of a process during which the 174 States Parties to the BWC will review the operation of the Convention. In an innovation from previous review cycles, they will resume their work from 8 to 12 August. The Review Conference itself will take place in Geneva from 7 to 25 November.

May

Côte d’Ivoire joins the CCW

On 25 May 2016, Côte d'Ivoire joined the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its Protocol I on Non-detectable Fragments, Protocol II on Mines, Booby-traps, and Other Devices, Protocol III on Incendiary Weapons and Protocol V on Explosive Remnants of War. It was welcomed as the 123rd States Party to the CCW since it has demonstrated its commitment to strengthening international humanitarian law by preventing unnecessary and indiscriminate suffering caused by conventional weapons.

MAY

The United Nations Messenger of Peace, Mr. Michael Douglas, issued a message on disarmament and development to build a world free from fear and want.

“For every 12 dollars in military spending only 1 is released for international aid”
“Development can only happen where security exists”
"A safe and secure environment is essential "

JUNE

The 6th Biennial Meeting of States

The 6th Biennial Meeting of States (BMS) to consider the implementation of the UN Programme of Action (PoA) on small arms and light weapons and the International Tracing Instrument (ITI) was held on the UN Headquarters in New York during the days of June 6th until the 10th. The meeting concluded on Friday evening with a final outcome document, after long debate and resistance from a number of states.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK HERE TO SEE THE BMS6 OUTCOME DOCUMENT.

The BMS6 was the last meeting before the 2018 3rd Review Conference

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JUNE

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (OOSA) organized the fifty-ninth session of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, which was held in Vienna International Centre. During the session UNOOSA delivered its first annual report.

UNOOSA is an essential partner to achieve global efforts to improve prosperity and provide better lives for everyone, and has undertaken numerous activities across a broad range of mandates. They include:

• Guidance for small satellite developers and operators provided in partnership with International Telecommunications Union (ITU)

• The tenth anniversary of the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems.

• An analysis on how space-based technologies can be used to support decision-making in agriculture and food security.

JULY

The advisory board

The Advisory Board holds two sessions a year, alternating between New York and Geneva, on July of this year the 66th session was held in New York, the following issues were discussed:
• The challenges facing the NPT and its review process with a particular focus on the Middle East: lessons learned from non-UN and regional processes
• The relationship between sustainable development, security and arms control
• The emerging nexus between chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats (CBRN), cyber security and terrorism

JULY

The first Women Higher Education for Peace Vienna Forum opened at the Vienna International Centre on July 5th.

The two-day event, which was organized by the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) at Vienna, brought together more than 500 participants from all over the globe, including professionals working in disarmament, non-proliferation and development within various international organizations, the private sector and the NGO community.

The aim of the event was to support the participation of women in peace-related decision-making processes.

Words of the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs

“Disarmament is not only good for women: women are good for disarmament.
The adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals has highlighted the reinforcing nature of durable peace and gender equality. Gender-sensitive disarmament is more inclusive and, therefore, more effective.”

JULY

Special Session of the GA Devoted to Disarmament

The Open-ended Working Group on the Fourth Special Session of the General Assembly Devoted to Disarmament took place on July 11-July 15, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Among the objectives proposed by the Chair of the Working Group, were the following:
1. Reaffirm the collective commitment of Member States to working towards achieving the disarmament goals and priorities.
2. Provide for a comprehensive consideration and review of all issues in the field of disarmament and international security.
3. Consider and assess the implementation of the programme of action adopted at the first special session devoted to disarmament

AUGUST

Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons

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SEPTEMBER

IAEA: General Conference, 60th session

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SEPTEMBER

GENERAL DEBATE OF THE 71st SESSION

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OCTOBER

Disarmament and International Security

First Committee

Hover the mouse over countries on the map to see detailed CTBT data for that country

OCTOBER

CTBTO: Working Group A, 48th session

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NOVEMBER

The Vienna Roundtable

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NOVEMBER

15th Meeting of the States Parties

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DECEMBER

Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons

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DISARMAMENT 2016

The need for a culture of peace and for significant arms reduction worldwide has never been greater. More than 300,000 child soldiers are currently exploited in situations of armed conflict and six million children have been severely injured or permanently disabled, according to UNICEF

Office for Disarmament Affairs

JANUARY - UNLIREC and Jamaica teamed up with FBI to combat proliferation explosives.
FEBRUARY
- Workshop on Building National Capacity in Small Arms and Light Weapons Control in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.
MARCH
- UNLIREC assisted Uruguay in implementation of Arms Trade Treaty.
- UNLIREC held a training course on country-specific ballistic priorities in Jamaica.
- UNLIREC carried out international seminar and finalized first phase of its private security assistance project.
- UNLIREC provided technical assistance on standard operating procedures for Forensic Ballistics in the Bahamas and St Kitts and Nevis.
APRIL
- UNLIREC hosted international expert meeting to develop and promote proficiency testing among forensic ballistics professionals.
- Southeast Asia Workshop on Building Capacity for the Implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty in Bangkok, Thailand.
- UNLIREC provided firearms evidence management assistance to Dominican Republic and promotes the contribution of women in the prevention and reduction of armed violence.

MAY
- UNLIREC provided technical assistance on double-casting and standard operating procedures for Forensic Ballistics in Belize.
- UNLIREC inaugurated its Arms Trade Treaty Implementation Course (ATT-IC) in Panama.
- UNLIREC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica inaugurated the roundtable on the process towards creating a national control authority for ATT implementation.

JUNE
- UNLIREC in collaboration with the government of Trinidad and Tobago, carried out a three-day training course on forensic ballistic.
JULY
- UNLIREC contributed to human security discourse in Trujillo (Peru)
- UNLIREC supported Government of Peru in destruction of close to 10,000 firearms.
- UN supported second destruction event in northern Peru
- UNLIREC and IMO collaborated with Jamaica in bolstering its maritime security.
AUGUST
- UNLIREC carried out forensic ballistics collaborative competency testing exercise in Jamaica.
- UNODA – OSCE Project on Facilitating Regional Implementation of UNSCR 1540 (2004): Peer-Review Meeting.

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Global norms for disarmament are vital to the sustainable development, quality of life, and ultimately the survival of this planet

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