First Committee of the General Assembly

The First Committee, one of the six Main Committees of the General Assembly, is allocated all items on the Assembly’s agenda which deal with disarmament and international security issues.

• Working documents are issued under the series symbol A/C.1/[session]/-.

• Verbatim records of meetings are issued under the series symbol A/C.1/[session]/PV.[meeting number].

• The First Committee submits a separate report to the plenary on every agenda item allocated to it (63rd session list of symbols).

• Press releases for the First Committee, issued under the series symbol GA/DIS/-, are accessible through the search option on the UN Press Releases and Meetings Coverage website.

Special Sessions of the General Assembly

The General Assembly has held three special sessions on the question of disarmament; a fourth has been called for by multiple General Assembly resolutions, recently in General Assembly resolution 62/29 of 5 December 2007.

• The first special session on disarmament (i.e., the tenth special session of the General Assembly) took place in New York from 23 May to 30 June 1978. General Assembly resolution S-10/2 of 30 June 1978 was adopted as its final document and includes a Declaration, a Programme of Action and a section on international disarmament machinery.

• The second special session on disarmament (i.e., the twelfth special session of the General Assembly) took place in New York from 7 June to 10 July 1982. General Assembly decision S-12/24 of 10 July 1982 adopted A/S-12/32 as the session's concluding document.

• The third special session on disarmament (i.e., the fifteenth special session of the General Assembly) took place in New York from 31 May to 26 June 1988. General Assembly decision S-15/24 of 25 June 1988 took note of A/S-15/50 as the session's concluding document.

An Open-Ended Working Group has been established to consider the objectives and agenda for a fourth special session on disarmament. It reports to the General Assembly (list of symbols).

Conference on Disarmament

The Conference on Disarmament was established by General Assembly resolution S-10/2 of 30 June 1978 (i.e., the final document of the first special session on disarmament) as the sole multilateral disarmament negotiating forum. The Conference was initiated as the Committee on Disarmament but renamed pursuant to General Assembly resolution 37/99K of 13 December 1982. The Conference meets in Geneva.

• Working documents are issued under the series symbol CD/-.

• Verbatim records of meetings are issued under the series symbol CD/PV.[meeting number].

• The Conference reports to the General Assembly (list of symbols).

• The reports are issued as Supplement 27 to the Official Records of the General Assembly, with the symbol pattern A/[session]/27.

• Press releases for the Conference on Disarmament, issued under the series symbol DCF/-, are accessible through the search option on the UN Press Releases and Meetings Coverage website.

Disarmament Commission

The Disarmament Commission was established by General Assembly resolution S-10/2 of 30 June 1978 (i.e., the final document of the first special session on disarmament) as a successor to the Commission originally established by resolution 502 (VI) of 11 January 1952. The Commission is a deliberative body composed of all Member States that considers and makes recommendations in the field of disarmament. It generally focuses on two agenda items at each session and meets annually in New York for three weeks.

• Working documents are issued under the series symbol A/CN.10/-.

• Verbatim records of meetings are issued under the series symbol A/CN.10/PV.[meeting number].

• The Commission reports annually to the General Assembly (list of symbols).

• The reports are issued as Supplement 42 to the Official Records of the General Assembly, with the symbol pattern A/[session]/42.

• Press releases for the Disarmament Commission, issued under the series symbol DC/-, are accessible through the search option on the UN Press Releases and Meetings Coverage website.

Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters

The Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters was established by General Assembly resolution S-10/2 of 30 June 1978 (i.e., the final document of the first special session on disarmament), and received its current mandate pursuant to General Assembly decision 54/418 of 1 December 1999. The Advisory Board serves as the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), and advises the Secretary-General on arms limitation, disarmament, and the implementation of the UN Disarmament Information Programme. The Advisory Board holds two sessions a year, alternating between New York and Geneva.

• The Secretary-General reports on the Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters to the General Assembly (list of symbols).

United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)

UNIDIR was established in 1980, and its Statute was approved by General Assembly resolution 39/148H of 17 December 1984. It is an autonomous institution within the framework of the United Nations that conducts independent research on disarmament and security. The Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters functions as UNIDIR's Board of Trustees and approves its work programme. UNIDIR is based in Geneva.

• The Director reports annually on the activities of the Institute (list of symbols).

• A list of UNIDIR books and reports is available on the UNIDIR website.

1540 Committee

The 1540 Committee was established by Security Council resolution 1540 (2004) of 28 April 2004 in order to promote the resolution’s implementation. The resolution calls on States to refrain from supporting non-state actors attempting to acquire, transport or use nuclear, chemical and biological weapons; and it requires States to adopt laws to this effect. The Committee’s mandate was extended until 25 April 2011 by Security Council resolution 1810 (2008) of 25 April 2008.

• Working documents of the Committee are issued under the series symbol S/AC.44/-.

• The Committee reports on its work to the Security Council as required (list of symbols).

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