UNODA Spotlight (2015)

23 December 2015

Hibakusha meets United Nations tour guides and interns

21 December 2015

2015 Meeting of States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention concludes in Geneva

7 December 2015

Acting High Representative Opening Remarks 14th RoK-UN Joint Conference: “The Unfinished Business of Building a More Secure World” 7 Dec 2015, Seoul

7 December 2015

Secretary-General’s video message to 14th Republic of Korea-United Nations Joint Conference on Disarmament and Non-proliferation Issues

7 December 2015

Workshop on Building Capacity in SALW Control in the Philipines through the United Nations Programme of Action

4 December 2015

Twentieth Session of the Conference of the States Parties of the Chemical Weapons Convention Concludes

4 December 2015

Fourteenth United Nations-Republic of Korea Joint Conference on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Issues to Be Held in Seoul, 7-8 December

3 December 2015

Tuvalu becomes the 73rd State Party to the Arms Trade Treaty – the first Pacific Island Country and the 3rd Asia-Pacific State to become a State Party

2 December 2015

SG Letter to Security Council with 26th report on Syrian chemical weapons programme and latest OPCW Fact Finding Mission Reports

1 December 2015

Text of Secretary-General’s video message to the Twentieth Conference of States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention

1 December 2015

United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and Pacific hosts Capacity-Building Workshop on Small Arms Control in Manila

1 December 2015

Secretary-General welcomes 50th anniversary of Resolution 2028 establishing principles for a Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

1 December 2015

Fourth Annual Industry Conference on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004) in Germany, 19 to 20 November

1 December 2015

Secretary-General’s letter announcing that the Joint UN-OPCW Investigative Mechanism (Syria chemical weapons) will begin full operations on 13 November

6 November 2015

OPCW Director-General circulates Syria Fact Finding Mission Reports to Chemical Weapons Convention States Parties

6 November 2015

Educating Teachers about Nuclear Disarmament at the United Nations

4 November 2015

First Committee side event: End-use/r controls workshop by UNIDIR

3 November 2015

UN First Committee Side Event on Cybersecurity and the Way Forward

2 November 2015

Secretary-General’s message to the 61st Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs – Nagasaki’s Voice: Remember your Humanity

2 November 2015

First Committee side-event on UNIDIR’s development of the International Small Arms and Ammunition Guidance Platform (ISAP)

29 October 2015

Discussing Drones at UN Headquarters – First Committee side event

29 October 2015

UNLIREC Provides Assistance on Firearms Forensic Ballistics to Belize

22 October 2015

UN Office for Disarmament Affairs issues annual report on “Programmes Financed from Voluntary Contributions 2014-2015”

20 October 2015

First Committee Side Event on Generation of Change: Encouraging Youth Action for Nuclear Abolition organised by Soka Gakkai International and Japan

20 October 2015

What are the substantive areas that UNODA works on everyday. Currently available in English, French and German

15 October 2015

First Committee Side Event on Cyber and Autonomous Weapons organised by UNIDIR

12 October 2015

Building Networks to Empower Women on Peace and Disarmament Issues – UNODA Vienna

12 October 2015

At the UN office in Vienna, Women Scholarship for Peace (WSP) Meets Women in Nuclear (WiN)

12 October 2015

Just published: “Study on Armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles”

12 October 2015

United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs Fellowship Programme to Enhance Young Diplomats’ Expertise Begins Final Segment at New York Headquarters

12 October 2015

Togo submits its instrument of ratification for the Arms Trade Treaty – read more

8 October 2015

The 2014 Disarmament Yearbook just released. Available for download as a PDF file. Hard copies can be ordered from the UN Bookstore

8 October 2015

Acting High Representative’s opening statement to the General Debate of the 70th session of the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly

2 October 2015

Mauritius becomes 98th State Party after ratification of the Convention on Cluster Munitions

1 October 2015

Opening of the Exhibit to mark the Second International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons

1 October 2015

Somalia becomes 97th State Party after ratification of the Convention on Cluster Munitions

30 September 2015

Secretary-General’s remarks to the General Assembly on the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons

29 September 2015

Secretary-General’s remarks to the Ninth Conference on Facilitating Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty

25 September 2015

Commemoration ceremony and events at the UN in Geneva mark the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons

24 September 2015

Elimination of Nuclear Weapons Only ‘Absolute Guarantee’ against Their Use, Says Secretary-General in Message for International Day for their total abolition

21 September 2015

Angola accedes to the Chemical Weapons Convention bringing its membership up to 192 States parties

18 September 2015

Commemoration of International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons to be held at UNHQ on 30 September 2015

17 September 2015

Colombia becomes 96th State Party after ratification of the Convention on Cluster Munitions

15 September 2015

Secretary-General appoints Ms. Virginia Gamba as Head of Joint Chemical Weapons Investigative Mechanism

14 September 2015

Text of Secretary-General’s video message to the 59th Regular Session of the IAEA General Conference

11 September 2015

Secretary-General welcomes authorisation by Security Council to establish the OPCW–UN Joint Investigative Mechanism

11 September 2015

Secretary-General’s remarks to the General Assembly to observe the International Day Against Nuclear Tests

4 September 2015

UNLIREC Assists Trinidad and Tobago with the strengthening of maritime and port security

31 August 2015

SG Letter to UN Security Council on progress in the elimination of the Syrian chemical weapons programme

27 August 2015

Statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2235 (2015)

26 August 2015

Secretary-General’s message to the Twenty-Fifth UN Conference on Disarmament Issues

26 August 2015

Acting High Representative Kim’s remarks to First Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty in Cancún, Mexico

24 August 2015

Secretary-General’s message to the First Conference of State Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty

24 August 2015

2015 United Nations Programme of Fellowships on Disarmament begins today at the United Nations Office at Geneva

21 August 2015

Group of Governmental Experts Report on Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security

20 August 2015

UN Conference on Disarmament Issues, to be held in Hiroshima 26-28 August, highlights Working towards nuclear-weapon-free world

19 August 2015

Reports of the Secretary-General (on disarmament issues) to the 70th Session of the General Assembly are available on the UNODA website

17 August 2015

In Message for International Day against Nuclear Tests, Secretary-General calls on all remaining States to sign, ratify CTBT

12 August 2015

Messenger of Peace Michael Douglas: “Only when people live out of harm’s way, can they unfold their full potential”

10 August 2015

Secretary-General’s message to Peace Memorial Ceremony in Nagasaki (delivered by Acting High Representative Kim)

7 August 2015

“Action for Disarmament: 10 Things You Can Do!” is now available in Japanese

6 August 2015

Acting High Representative’s remarks at the Handover Ceremony for the Japanese Translation of “Action for Disarmament: 10 Things You Can Do!”

6 August 2015

Acting High Representative’s statement to the World Conference against A and H bombs Hiroshima Day Commemorative Rally

6 August 2015

Secretary-General’s message to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony

5 August 2015

Secretary-General’s message to meeting of Nihon Hidankyo (Japan Confederation of A-and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations)

5 August 2015

Secretary-General’s message to 2015 International Children’s Peace Forum

30 July 2015

New film by an atomic bomb survivor “What happened that day?” available at the disarmament education website

27 July 2015

Slovakia becomes 93rd State Party to Convention on Cluster Munitions

20 July 2015

Acting High Representative Kim’s remarks at Seminar in Beijing: 70 Years of the UN: Missions, Responsibility and Future

See also interview on CCTV (China)

20 July 2015

Statement by the Secretary-General on the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015) on Iran’s nuclear programme

19 July 2015

Last Call for UNSCAR Proposals – deadline Friday, 24 July 2015

14 July 2015

Statement by the Secretary-General on agreement between the P5+1 and the Islamic Republic of Iran

See also UN News Centre story

10 July 2015

With SC President van Bohemen, Acting High Representative Kim briefs media on Syria regarding chemical weapons

9 July 2015

Report of Open-ended Meeting of Governmental Experts on Implementation of Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons

8 July 2015

Moving toward universality, the Chemical Weapons Convention reaches 191 States parties with the accession of Myanmar to the Treaty

7 July 2015

Acting High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Kim Won-soo Statement to the Conference on Disarmament “Stalemate Cannot Continue”

6 July 2015

Secretary-General transmits to Security Council latest monthly letter from Director General of OPCW on the status of Syria’s chemical weapons programme

2 July 2015

Acting High Representative for Disarmament Affairs visits the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

30 June 2015

United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, Regional Arms Control Centre in Croatia Conclude Seminar on Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004)

17 June 2015

United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs Regional Centre for Asia and Pacific Assists with Building Capacity in Small Arms Control in Bangladesh

16 June 2015

United Nations Messenger of Peace Michael Douglas message on Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004) – See also 1540 website

15 June 2015

Media Advisory from CTBTO – World’s Largest Scientific Forum on Nuclear Explosion Detection to be held 22-26 June 2015 in Vienna

12 June 2015

OSRSG-CAAC Releases Secretary-General’s Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict

4 June 2015

UNREC organizes workshop on implementation of ATT for African Small Island Developing States

3 June 2015

Jordan and UN Office for Disarmament Affairs Host Workshop on Implementing Security Council Resolution 1540

3 June 2015

Call for Proposals is open from 2 June – 24 July 2015 – For more information, see: UN Trust Facility Supporting Cooperation on Arms Regulation (UNSCAR)

1 June 2015

Statement By Acting High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Kim Won-soo on the Launching of the 2015 Small Arms Survey Yearbook

1 June 2015

Promoting nuclear disarmament through film: UNODA’s Nuclear Disarmament Documentary Film Series

1 June 2015

Opening Remarks by Acting High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Mr. Kim Won-soo at the Second Meeting of Governmental Experts on Small Arms

1 June 2015

With EU support, UNODA Updates Biological Weapons Convention Guide to aid States Parties with agreed-to reporting requirements

1 June 2015

Mr. Kim Won-soo assumes position as Under Secretary-General and Acting High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, 1 June 2015

28 May 2015

South Africa becomes 92nd State Party to Convention on Cluster Munitions – See also UNODA webpage on cluster munitions

27 May 2015

Algeria Joins Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, becoming the 121st State Party

27 May 2015

High Representative’s Statement on Conventional Arms Transfers at the OSCE Security Co-operation Forum

26 May 2015

Consensus eludes 2015 NPT RevCon as positions harden on convening a conference on establishing Middle East WMD-Free zone

26 May 2015

Secretary-General’s Spokesperson releases statement on outcome of 2015 NPT RevCon

18 May 2015

High Representative’s commencement address at the 2015 Spring Commencement Ceremony, Middlebury Institute of International Studies

18 May 2015

Lessons learned report on the International maritime operation to facilitate the removal and transport of Syrian chemical materials

14 May 2015

Director’s remarks at an NPT side-event organized by Unfold Zero: “United Nations Initiatives for Nuclear Abolition”

14 May 2015

In UNSC session on small arms and light weapons, speakers call for national action, implementation of treaties, and strengthened international cooperation

13 May 2015

Report of the Secretary General on Small Arms and Light Weapons – UNSC debate today on human cost of illicit transfer/misuse of SALW

12 May 2015

High Representative Kane interviewed by UN Radio (in French) and by the UN News Centre (in English)

12 May 2015

Director’s remarks “Disarmament and Non-proliferation Education Case Studies and Best Practices for the Future” at NPT side event

11 May 2015

Webpage of 2015 Substantive Session of UN Disarmament Commission is now complete – Find reports, statements, etc.

11 May 2015

High Representative Kane at Security Council media stakeout on progress in eliminating Syria’s chemical weapons programme

8 May 2015

High Representative’s statement for the Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence

7 May 2015

UNODA launches newly redesigned Disarmament Education website in all six official UN languages

7 May 2015

SG’s Mechanism for Investigation of Alleged Use of Chemical, Biological or Toxin Weapons – a lessons learned exercise for the UN Mission in Syria

6 May 2015

International Small Arms Control Standards Results Report with joint foreword by High Representative Angela Kane and UNDP Head Helen Clark

4 May 2015

Secretary General’s Message to the Launch of the Global Zero Action Corps, delivered by Ms. Virginia Gamba, Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs

1 May 2015

HR Kane’s remarks at NGO side-event organized by Ban All Nukes generation: “Challenging the Status Quo: A Generation Rising for Peace, Justice, & Nuclear Abolition”

29 April 2015

Secretary-General’s message to “Mayors for Peace Assembly: Mayors have a mission to protect the lives and property of their citizens”, delivered by the High Representative

28 April 2015

Messenger of Peace Michael Douglas remarks to NPT Academic Symposium – “Nuclear Disarmament, Non-proliferation and Energy: Fresh Ideas for the Future”

28 April 2015

HR Kane’s remarks at NPT side event organized by Swedish MFA and SIPRI: “Promoting a Successful Outcome of the 2015 NPT Review Conference”

27 April 2015

High Representative Kane’s remarks at the Acceptance of a Petition for Nuclear Disarmament at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza

27 April 2015

Secretary-General’s remarks to an international conference “For a Nuclear Free, Peaceful, Just and Sustainable World” (delivered by HR Kane)

27 April 2015

Secretary-General’s message to 2015 Hiroshima-Nagasaki Appeal Assembly (delivered by UNODA Director)

27 April 2015

Statements, press releases, documentation, working papers are now available on 2015 Disarmament Commission webpage

27 April 2015

Secretary-General’s message to the Opening Plenary of the 2015 NPT Rev Con (delivered by the Deputy SG Jan Eliasson)

24 April 2015

HR Kane meets IAMPC Secretary General, receives Distinguished Fellow of International Association of Peace Messenger Cities

24 April 2015

High Representative’s statement to Third Meeting on Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones – “NWFZ: Building Blocks for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons”

23 April 2015

Secretary-General’s message to meeting of the International Network of Mayors for Peace in Belgium – “A Century of WMD: Enough!”

23 April 2015

Director’s remarks at meeting of the International Network of Mayors for Peace, Belgium – “A Century of WMD: Enough!”

22 April 2015

Declaration on the Occasion of the Centennial Commemoration of the First Large-Scale Use of Chemical Weapons at Ieper

22 April 2015

UNODA Directors remarks at the Royal Higher Institute for Defence, Brussels, Belgium – Chemical Weapons: from Ypres to Aleppo

21 April 2015

Secretary-General’s message on 100th Anniversary of First Use of Chemical Weapons (Delivered by UNODA Director, Virginia Gamba)

20 April 2015

High Representative Kane addresses Informal Meeting for the First Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty

15 April 2015

High Representative Kane speaks to Revue Défense Nationale (en français) on a range of disarmament topics

14 April 2015

Statement by the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs On the Global Day of Action on Military Spending

13 April 2015

Article in French news publication La Croix, “Portrait de Angela Kane. Championne du désarmement”

13 April 2015

Side events calendar is now available online at the 2015 NPT Review Conference website

10 April 2015

The NPT Review Conference Press Kit is now available online – click here

10 April 2015

Directors remarks to Global Security Institute seminar, hosted by the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See “Nuclear Weapons: Time for abolition”

7 April 2015

UNODA to host documentary film series on nuclear disarmament during the NPT Review Conference – RSVP

6 April 2015

High Representative Kane’s opening remarks to the United Nations Disarmament Commission

2 April 2015

Director’s video message to the 2015 Spring student-teacher conference of the Critical Issues Forum (CIF) in Hiroshima

1 April 2015

Issue 8 of the 1540 Compass with article by Ambassador Oh Joon (RoK) on activities/achievements of the 1540 Committee

1 April 2015

2013 Future Policy Award Follow-Up: Arms Control Exchange Between Argentina and Bosnia and Herzegovina

30 March 2015

Biological Weapons Convention: High Representative’s video message to 40th anniversary event

26 March 2015

Secretary-General, on 40th Anniversary of Biological Weapons Convention, Says World Must Remain Vigilant, Adapt to Scientific Advances, Terrorism Risks

26 March 2015

UNREC and UNMIL cooperate to provide technical assistance and training to Liberia on marking and registering small arms

24 March 2015

Moving toward universality, the Biological Weapons Convention reaches 173 States parties with accession of Andorra to the Treaty

23 March 2015

Austrian Media interviews High Representative Kane on the 2015 NPT Review Conference and related issues (Online version – in German)

20 March 2015

Director’s remarks at NYU/ICRC Annual Seminar “Science Cannot be Placed Above its Humanitarian Consequences”

19 March 2015

First ever Informal Civil Society Forum on the Conference on Disarmament at the Palais des Nations

18 March 2015

High Representative Kane briefs Member States on the lessons-learned exercise on the UN Mission in Syria

17 March 2015

Canada ratifies the Convention on Cluster Munitions, bringing total number of States Parties to 90

Learn more

13 March 2015

High Representative Kane delivers keynote address at NPT workshop in Annecy hosted by James Martin Center

12 March 2015

2015 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference Website launched in multiple UN official languages

6 March 2015

High Representative Kane appears on “Talk to Aljazeera” Disarming Syria

(Al-Jazeera) (Youtube)

2 March 2015

High Representative Kane’s keynote address in Doha on NATO and the Future of Disarmament

25 February 2015

New Publication – The Importance of Civil Society in United Nations and Intergovernmental Processes: Views from Four Delegates to the United Nations

19 February 2015

Director’s remarks at Mexican Senate : “The Threat posed by Weapons”

(English) (Spanish)

18 February 2015

UN Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) training to MINUSMA on combatting arms trafficking in Mali

12 February 2015

Trinidad and Tobago prepares for 1st Preparatory Meeting towards the First ATT Conference of States Parties

9 February 2015

UN Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD) promotes Peace and Disarmament Education in Nepal’s Schools

4 February 2015

Becoming newest State Party, Mauritania accedes to the Biological Weapons Convention

3 February 2015

UNODA participates at 16th Conference of the Committee on Teaching about the United Nations (CTAUN)

30 January 2015

High Representative’s address to the staff of the Preparatory Commission of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization

28 January 2015

UN Volunteer talks about working for UNODA’s Regional Centre in Africa and his role in promoting small arms and light weapons projects across Africa

28 January 2015

High Representative’s statement to the 63rd session of the Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters as delivered by Thomas Markram

26 January 2015

High Representative’s remarks at the Permanent Mission of Sweden “The Arms Trade Treaty – Implications for Countries that are not Major Producers or Exporters”

20 January 2015

Message of the Secretary-General to the opening of the 2015 session of the Conference on Disarmament

16 January 2015

High Representative talks to Japanese newspaper “Akahata” about the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons (in Japanese)

15 January 2015

Germany supports UNODA project promoting integration of women in disarmament and arms control decision making processes (in German)

(in German)

14 January 2015

The “Disarmament and Related Treaties” publication is now available as an eBook (ePub and Kindle formats)

12 January 2015

High Representative talks to “Russia Today” about the new arms race of the 21st Century

12 January 2015

High Representative talks to the Chilean newspaper “El Mercurio” about the challenges for nuclear disarmament (in Spanish)

8 January 2015

High Representative’s remarks at Conference on Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation in Santiago, Chile

6 January 2015

High Representative Kane speaks on Syria Chemical Weapons at the Security Council Media Stakeout