Research Guides: Conference Primer: Disarmament: 2023

Conference on Disarmament

Conference on Disarmament 2023 Overview
- Part III of the 2023 Session - 31 July - 15 September
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- Part II of the 2023 Session - 15 May - 30 June
- Part I of the 2023 Session - 23 January 31 March
- High Level Segment: 27 February - 3 March
Documents 2023
Statements by High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu
All statements, current and past years
Conference on Disarmament - Official website
Listen Live | Live Meeting stream at The United Nations Office Geneva | UN GENEVA
1st Part High-level segment (27 February - 3 March)

Convention on Cluster Munitions

Eleventh Meeting of States Parties (11MSP) 11 - 14 September 2023, Geneva
Programme of work, links to speeches and documents
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Presided by the Iraq, the Eleventh Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions is the second formal meeting of the Convention after the adoption of the Lausanne Action Plan, a five-year (2021-2026) roadmap for States Parties to progress towards the full universalization and implementation of the Convention.
Convention on Cluster Munitions Main Website
More on the Convention on Cluster Munitions – UNODA

United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)

Outer Space Security Conference 2023 (13-14 September) - Hybrid Event
UNIDIR’s Outer Space Security Conference is an annual flagship event that provides a unique forum for the diplomatic community — as well as experts from military, industry and academic backgrounds — to jointly consider challenges and solutions related to security in outer space.
Building the Bridge: Launch Event for the Arms-Related Risk Analysis Toolkit
UNIDIR - 5 May 2022

Open-Ended Working Group on Reducing Space Threats

Fourth session of the OEWG on Space Threats | 28 August - 1 September 2023, Geneva
Open-ended working group on reducing space threats through norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours
Documents
Statements
Registration

Arms Trade Treaty

Arms Trade Treaty - Ninth Conference of States Patarties (CSP9) | 21-25 August 2023, CICG, Geneva
Promoting responsibility in international transfers of conventional arms
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The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is an international treaty that regulates the international trade in conventional arms and seeks to prevent and eradicate illicit trade and diversion of conventional arms by establishing international standards governing arms transfers.
The Treaty came into force on 24 December 2014. At this stage the Treaty has a total of 112 States Parties and 29 States that have signed but not yet ratified the Treaty.
CSP9 Documents
Arms Trade Treaty: 2nd Working Group and Preparatory Meeting, 9-12 May 2023
Palais des Nations (Tempus), Geneva
1st Working Group and Preparatory Meeting, 14-17 February 2023
Palais des Nations, Geneva.
UN Web TV recordings of February 2023 meetings
The Arms Trade Treaty - Homepage
Promoting responsibility in international transfers of conventional arms
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The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is an international treaty that regulates the international trade in conventional arms and seeks to prevent and eradicate illicit trade and diversion of conventional arms by establishing international standards governing arms transfers.
The Treaty came into force on 24 December 2014. At this stage the Treaty has a total of 112 States Parties and 29 States that have signed but not yet ratified the Treaty.

Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)

Watch the Live Launch of the BWC National Implementation Measures Database
15 August 2023: UNIDIR and VERTIC launched the new BWC National Implementation Measures Database.
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The database is designed to strengthen the implementation of the BWC and enable States and Stakeholders to have a better understanding of different approaches to national implementation from around the world.
Working Group on the strengthening of the Convention - Second session (2023) | 7 - 18 August 2023, Geneva
Documents links and video message available on this page.
- 7 to 9 August 2023: international cooperation and assistance
- 10 August 2023: international cooperation and assistance mechanism
- 11, 14 to 15 August 2023: scientific and technological developments
- 16 August 2023: science and technology review mechanism
- 17 to 18 August 2023: national implementation
Ninth Review Conference
28 November to 16 December 2022
Final documents of the IXth Review Conference
Conference Primers Pro - BWC 9th Review Conference
Ninth Review Conference | Documents
Ninth Review Conference | Statements

From the UN Library&Archives, Geneva

Guide to Implementing the Biological Weapons Convention
Available in the six official languages.
The Guide to Implementing the Biological Weapons Convention has been developed by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), with the support of the European Union and Norway and the contributions of a wide range of BWC experts, to assist States Parties in their efforts to implement the Convention at the national level.
Biological Weapons Convention Formal Consultative Meeting (Guide)
Guide edited by the UN Library

Chemical Weapons

Chemical Weapons Confention | Fifth Review Conference | 15-19 May 2023, The Hague
Fifth Review Conference
OPCW-RC-5 Webcast

UN, NGOs and Media reporting on

Dans un contexte de concurrence géopolitique, M. Guterres appelle à éliminer les armes nucléaires et à bannir des livres d’histoire ces engins de destruction
En raison de la méfiance et de la concurrence géopolitiques, le risque nucléaire est aujourd’hui à un niveau digne de la guerre froide. Parallèlement, les progrès obtenus de haute lutte, au terme de nombreuses décennies, dans la prévention de l’utilisation, de la dissémination et des essais d’armes nucléaires sont en train d’être réduits à néant.
Communiqué de presse, Secrétaire Général, 13 septembre 2023
UN appeals for nuclear test ban amid ‘alarming rise in global mistrust’
The United Nations on Tuesday called for more global action to end nuclear testing, warning against the danger of “collective suicide”.
UN News, 29 August 2023
Defence, airplane companies and think tanks cash in amid nuclear weapons splurge, watchdog warns
All nine nuclear-armed countries continued to spend massively on weapons of mass destruction last year, as they pursue plans to modernize and beef up their existing nuclear arsenals – and major car and plane manufacturers are among those benefiting from the nuclear spending spree.
Geneva Solutions News, 13 June 2023
NATO official calls for transparency over nuclear weapons
A senior NATO official on Friday urged Beijing to be more open about its accelerating nuclear weapons build-up, saying that as a global power, China had a responsibility to improve transparency.
Reuters News, 2 June 2023
The Hiroshima G7 Summit and Nuclear Disarmament
Essential talks were held, but more is now needed.
Twenty-one years ago, at the Kananaskis G-8 Summit in Canada in 2002, the world’s leaders agreed to form the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction.
The Diplomat News, 25 May 2023
G7 nations, ‘central to climate action’ says Guterres, calling for global reset
The world is counting on the G7 bloc of industrialized democracies to demonstrate global leadership and solidarity, said the UN chief on Sunday, speaking to journalists in Hiroshima, Japan, which he described as a “global symbol of the tragic consequences when nations fail to work together”, and abandon multilateralism.
UN News, 21 May 2023
At a G7 summit high on ambition, nuclear disarmament takes a backseat to Zelensky's diplomatic appeals
An ‘unscheduled’ visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky certainly raised the stakes for the summit at a critical time in the war.
The Conversation News, 21 May 2023
G7 Hiroshima Leaders’ Communiqué
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We, the Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7), met in Hiroshima for our annual Summit on May 19-21, 2023, more united than ever in our determination to meet the global challenges of this moment and set the course for a better future. Our work is rooted in respect for the Charter of the United Nations (UN) and international partnership.
The White House News, 20 May 2023
At Hiroshima G7, bomb survivors grapple with a disarmament dream deferred
As leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations gather in the Japanese city this week for a summit, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida wants a pledge on nuclear disarmament.
Swissinfo News, 17 May 2023
Avoiding catastrophe: we must act now to ensure nuclear weapons are never again used
Joint statement from the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljaric, and the President of the Japanese Red Cross Society, Atsushi Seike, ahead of the G7 summit in Hiroshima 19-21 May 2023
Guterres: Eliminate ‘weapons of terror’ to avert future chemical warfare
The world must make every effort to eliminate chemical weapons, the UN chief said on Monday, raising grave concerns about their continued use. UN News, 15 May 2023
Top UN official urgently calls for de-escalating nuclear tensions over Belarus
Urgent efforts must be made to de-escalate the situation following Russia’s announcement last weekend that it plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, the UN disarmament chief warned the Security Council on Friday.
UN News, 31 March 2023
Ukraine: End war so children can ‘regain their childhoods’
The head of the UN atomic energy agency on Monday met with Ukraine’s President to discuss safety issues at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, as UN Goodwill Ambassador Orlando Bloom concluded a visit to the country, calling for an end to the war so children can “regain their childhoods”.
UN News, 27 March 2023
Russian nuclear arms in Belarus a ‘dangerous escalation’, says Geneva NGO group
Russia’s plans to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus are an “extremely dangerous escalation”, says the Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).
Article also available in Russian.
Swissinfo, 26 March 2023

Record civilian cluster munitions victims as experts urge global ban
There has been a dramatic increase in the number of civilians killed by cluster munitions, according to new data released on Tuesday by the UN-partnered Cluster Munition Monitor (CMC) civil society group.
UN News, 5 September 2023
Weapon transfers, including banned cluster munitions, spike in Ukraine
Arms and ammunition transfers to Ukraine have increased rapidly in recent months, alongside concerning reports of deliveries of banned cluster munitions, the UN’s top disarmament official told the Security Council on Thursday.
UN News, 17 August 2023
What are cluster bombs and why is US sending them to Ukraine?
Cluster bombs are banned by more than 100 countries - so the move will likely draw intense criticism.
BBC, 7 July 2023
South Sudan: ICRC welcomes ratification of Convention on Cluster Munitions
The institution also stands ready to provide further technical support in translating the convention into national jurisprudence."This is a significant step toward ensuring that vulnerable people are protected from the harmful effects of these deadly weapons.
ICRC News, 25 May 2023

The challenge of regulating lethal autonomous weapons
With emerging technologies and latest developments in AI, regulating lethal autonomous weapons systems is becoming crucial.
@MelanieRegimbal, Chief of @ODA_Geneva, discusses how States and the UN can respond to this challenge.
UN news (audio), 8 June 2023
AI weapons: Russia’s war in Ukraine shows why the world must enact a ban
Conflict pressures are pushing the world closer to autonomous weapons that can kill without human control. Researchers and the international community must join forces to prohibit them.
Nature, 23 February 2023

Central African States strategize in Douala, Cameroon, to support the universalization and effective implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention – UNODA
From 24 to 26 May, the United Nations Disarmament Office (UNODA) partnered with the Government of Cameroon to organize a regional workshop on the universalization and effective implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) in Central Africa.
UNODA News, 13 June 2023

Mine Action Week: ‘Peace brings no assurance of safety’
Global efforts are key to saving lives from the ‘terrifying legacy’ of unexploded ordnance, as it wreaks daily havoc in war-torn and post-conflict communities alike, UN officials said, as Mine Action Week kicked off on Monday.
UN News, 3 April 2023

Conference on Disarmament Concludes High-Level Segment
Hears From Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Türkiye, Kenya, South Africa on behalf of the Group of 21 and Algeria The Conference on Disarmament this afternoon concluded its high-level segment, hearing statements by dignitaries from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Türkiye, Kenya, South Africa on behalf of the Group of 21 and Algeria.
UN Geneva News, 2 March 2023
Conference on Disarmament Continues High-Level Segment
Hears From the Russian Federation, Pakistan, Mexico, Poland, Egypt, India, Nigeria, Ukraine, Colombia and Spain The Conference on Disarmament this morning continued its high-level segment, hearing statements by dignitaries from the Russian Federation, Pakistan, Mexico, Poland, Egypt, India, Nigeria, Ukraine, Colombia and Spain.
UN Geneva News, 2 March 2023
Conference on Disarmament Continues High-Level Segment
Hears From Brazil, New Zealand, Bulgaria, Tunisia and Cuba Speaking were Paulino Franco de Carvalho Neto, Ambassador Secretary for Multilateral Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil; Nanaia Mahuta, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control of New Zealand; Nikolay Milkov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria; Nabil Ammar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad; and Bruno Eduardo Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba.
UN Geneva News, 1 March 2023
Conference on Disarmament Continues High-Level Segment
The Conference on Disarmament this afternoon continued its high-level segment, hearing statements by dignitaries from Zimbabwe, Australia, Romania, the Slovak Republic and Venezuela.
UN Geneva News, 28 February 2023
Conference on Disarmament Continues High-Level Segment
Hears From Belarus, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Italy, Syrian Arab Republic, Iran, Japan, the European Union, South Africa, and Senegal The Conference on Disarmament this morning continued its high-level segment, hearing statements by dignitaries from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Italy, Syrian Arab Republic, Iran, Japan, the European Union, South Africa, and Senegal.
UN Geneva News, 28 February 2023
Conference on Disarmament Continues High-Level Segment
The Conference on Disarmament this afternoon continued its high-level segment, hearing statements by dignitaries from Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Malaysia, Ecuador and Argentina.
UN Geneva News, 27 February 2023
Conference on Disarmament Opens High-Level Segment
The Conference on Disarmament this morning opened its high-level segment, hearing statements by the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs and dignitaries from Ethiopia, Ireland, France, Peru, Sweden, United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Iraq and Indonesia.
UN Geneva News, 27 February 2023
Russia in firing line at top UN rights, disarmament meets
Russia faced strong criticism over its action in Ukraine on Monday as the top UN rights body and a global disarmament forum met, amid warnings that rights worldwide were backsliding.
Article includes videos.
France 24, 27 February 2023
Tatiana Valovaya: the Conference on Disarmament Needs to be Modernised to Correspond to the Rapidly Evolving Strategic Security Environment
Tatiana Valovoya, Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament and Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, today told the Conference that while the historical significance of the Conference was recognised, it also needed to be modernised to correspond to the rapidly evolving strategic security environment.
26 January 2023
Conference on Disarmament Holds First Plenary of its 2023 Session
The Conference on Disarmament today held the first plenary of its 2023 session, hearing addresses by the President of the Conference and a number of States. The Conference also adopted its agenda for the 2023 session.
24 January 2023
Conference on Disarmament to Hold First Public Plenary of its 2023 Session on Tuesday, 24 January
The Conference on Disarmament, the world's single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum, will hold the first public plenary of its 2023 session on Tuesday, 24 January. The 2023 session of the Conference on Disarmament will be divided up into three successive parts, from 23 January to 31 March, from 15 May to 30 June, and from 31 July to 15 September. The first plenary meeting will start at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 24 January in room XIX. Public meetings can be followed in-person or through listen-live.unog.ch.
UN Geneva News, 20 January 2023
Conference on Disarmament Concludes 2022 Session
The Conference on Disarmament, the world's single multilateral forum for disarmament negotiations, today concluded its 2022 session after adopting an annual report to the General Assembly.
UN Geneva News, 16 September 2022

Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APLC)

Intersessional Meetings (19-21 June 2023), WMO, Geneva
The 2023 Intersessional Meetings are to take place from 19 to 21 June 2023 at the headquarters of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in Geneva with participation of hundreds of delegates representing States and international and non-governmental organisations which work towards a world free of anti-personnel mines.
APLC Newsroom
More about The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction
The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (also known as Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, Ottawa Convention, or Mine Ban Treaty) is the cornerstone of the international effort to end the suffering and casualties caused by anti-personnel mines.

Mineaction

26th International Meeting of Mine Action National Directors and United Nations Advisers | E-Mine - 22-23 June 2023, WMO, Geneva
The 26th International Meeting of Mine Action National Directors and United Nations Advisers (NDM-UN26), co-hosted and co-organized by the United Nations Inter-Agency Coordination Group on Mine Action (IACG-MA) and the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), will take place on 22 and 23 June 2023 in Geneva with the generous support of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
About the UN Inter-agency Coordinations Group on Mine Action (IACG-MA)
Twelve United Nations Departments and Offices of the Secretariat, specialized agencies, funds and programmes play a role in mine action programs in 30 countries and three territories. A policy developed jointly by these institutions (Mine Action and Effective Coordination: the United Nations Inter-Agency Policy) guides the division of labor within the United Nations.
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Much of the actual work, such as demining and mine-risk education, is carried out by nongovernmental organizations. But commercial contractors and, in some situations, militaries, also provide humanitarian mine-action services. In addition, a variety of intergovernmental, international and regional organizations, as well as international financial institutions, also support mine action by funding operations or providing services to individuals and communities affected by landmines and explosive remnants of war.

More on Disarmament

From the UN Library & Archives Geneva / Bibliothèque & Archives de l'ONU Genève

Civil Society and Disarmament 2022: B Flat ♭, B Sharp ♯, Be Inspired – Voices of Youth
Launched in 2019, the #Youth4Disarmament (Y4D) initiative of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) seeks to engage, educate and empower young people to facilitate their meaningful contribution to disarmament efforts.
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The “Spotlight Stories” section of the Y4D community website (https://www.youth4disarmament.org/youth_spotlight) offers a space for young people to share – in their own voices and from their own perspectives – why the work of disarmament is critical to building peace and how they are helping push the field forward. This compilation of stories reveals the hope for a better future shared by members of the largest generation in history, and it shows some of the diverse ways they are finding to pursue peace through disarmament in the twenty-first century.

Bertha von Suttner, A Woman Ahead of Her Time
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Chemical Weapons
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League of Nations: Disarmament
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Science & Emerging Technology
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Other resources / Autres ressources

United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)
UN Disarmament Education
Disarmament treaties database
Disarmament-related events
Disarmament fact sheets
UNODA Occasional papers
The UNODA Occasional Papers series has been developed to give wider dissemination of input from expert panels and seminars sponsored by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA).
UNODA publications
UNODA spotlight
Disarmament Explainers
Disarmament Education Courses
United Nations Disarmament Yearbook 2021: Part I
The United Nations Disarmament Yearbook, Volume 46 (Part I): 2021 is a compilation of the resolutions and decisions of the 76th session of the General Assembly, the voting patterns in the General Assembly and the First Committee, lead sponsors, sponsors and co-sponsors, references to First Committee report and dates of adoption.
United Nations Disarmament Yearbook 2021: Part II
Summarizes developments and trends in 2021 on key issues of multilateral consideration at the internationaland regional levels. Reviews the activities of the General Assembly, the Conference on Disarmament and the Disarmament Commission. Contains a timeline that highlights events in multilateral disarmament in 2021. Has a foreword written by the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.

United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS)

25th Anniversary of the Mine Ban Treaty
21 September 1997: Adoption of the Convention
3 & 4 December 1997: Signing of the Convention begins
UN Mine Action
Established in 1997, the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) works to eliminate the threat posed by mines, explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices by coordinating United Nations mine action, leading operational responses at the country level, and in support of peace operations, as well as through the development of standards, policies and norms.
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As a specialized service of the United Nations located within the Department of Peace Operations, UNMAS operates under UN legislative mandates of both the General Assembly and the Security Council. UNMAS also responds to specific requests for support from the UN Secretary-General or designated official.

Disarmament Meetings and General Information

Search UNODA Documents Library
Portal for disarmament meetings
Securing our Common Future - A Disarmament Agenda
Disponible en ligne dans les six langues officielles des Nations Unies
Disarmament: A Basic Guide – Fourth Edition (2017)

Action on Armed Violence

Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) - Including LAWS

Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons -Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (2023) | 15-19 May 2023
The 2023 Meeting of the High Contracting to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) decided that "The Group of Governmental Experts of the High Contracting Parties related to emerging technologies in the area of lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS), for a duration of 10 days, from 6 to 10 March 2023, and from 15 to 19 May 2023" (CCW/MSP/2022/7, paragraph 37 (b)). The Meeting also adopted the relevant cost estimates for 2023 as contained in CCW/MSP/2022/5.
Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (2023) | 6 - 10 March 2023
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The 2023 Meeting of the High Contracting to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) decided that "The Group of Governmental Experts of the High Contracting Parties related to emerging technologies in the area of lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS), for a duration of 10 days, from 6 to 10 March 2023, and from 15 to 19 May 2023" (CCW/MSP/2022/7, paragraph 37 (b)). The Meeting also adopted the relevant cost estimates for 2023 as contained in CCW/MSP/2022/5.
GGE on LAWS (2023) | Documents
Resource Guide on Conventional Weapons from UN Geneva Library

Conference Primer: Disarmament: 2023

Highlights

Conference On Disarmament 2023, 3rd Part

31 July - 15 September 2023, Geneva

Mobile-friendly Information Package for Delegates

On this page

Conference on Disarmament

Convention on Cluster Munitions

United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)

Open-Ended Working Group on Reducing Space Threats

Arms Trade Treaty

Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)

Chemical Weapons

UN, NGOs and Media reporting on

Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APLC)

Mineaction

More on Disarmament

United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS)

Disarmament Meetings and General Information

Action on Armed Violence

Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) - Including LAWS

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