Disarmament and Peace Affairs Branch
The Disarmament and Peace Affairs Branch provides conference management to sixteen intergovernmental bodies, including, inter alia, one charter body (the Trusteeship Council - see Chapter XIII of the Charter, articles 86-91) and two of the Main Committees of the General Assembly: the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security), and the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization). It is also charged with the provision of similar support to four of the ECOSOC subsidiary bodies: the Commission on Population and Development, the Statistical Commission, the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. In addition, the Branch has under its purview the Special Committee of 24 on the question of decolonization and the Ad Hoc Committee of the General Assembly for the Announcement of Voluntary Contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Within the field of international peace and security, the Branch ensures support for the following:
- Peacebuilding Commission, which is a subsidiary body of both the General Assembly and the Security Council;
- Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations;
- Disarmament Commission;
- Ad Hoc Committee on the Indian Ocean.
The last three bodies listed are subsidiary bodies of the Assembly. The Branch also supports the deliberations of various open-ended working groups established by the Assembly and provides management for the meetings held in the context of the 2001 Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, as well as Preparatory Committee for the
United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty.
Last Update: 23 May 2011 / Henry BREED