UNITED NATIONS STUDY ON DISARMAMENT AND NON-PROLIFERATION EDUCATION TO BE RELEASED AT HEADQUARTERS

UNITED NATIONS STUDY ON DISARMAMENT AND NON-PROLIFERATION EDUCATION

TO BE RELEASED AT HEADQUARTERS

NEW YORK, 8 October (Department of Disarmament Affairs) -- A United Nations Study on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Education, prepared by a Group of Governmental Experts appointed by the Secretary-General, will be submitted to the General Assembly’s First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) on 9 October by the Chairman of the Group, Miguel Marín Bosch, Under Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, a renowned diplomat and proponent of nuclear disarmament who has taught international studies at the university level, including courses on United Nations efforts towards disarmament for many years.

The General Assembly established the Group in 2001 pursuant to the request of the Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters, underlining the urgency to combat complacency and promote concerted international efforts at disarmament and non-proliferation, especially in the field of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems.

The Study builds upon and seeks to revitalize past efforts at disarmament education, which it considers an integral part of peace education.  It tackles new elements such as the growth in the significance of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and small arms, as well as gender perspectives on security issues.  Its main contribution is the 34 recommendations for action to be undertaken by governments, regional organizations, the United Nations and other international organizations, municipal and religious leaders.  It also seeks to establish close collaboration between the experts and civil society, including educators and academic institutions mainly at the secondary and tertiary levels of education.

The Group was composed of ten experts, representing various regions and education systems from around the world (Egypt, Hungary, India, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Senegal and Sweden).  United Nations offices and agencies involved in disarmament and non-proliferation education, such as the Department of Public Information, the Department for Disarmament Affairs, the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) and the United Nations Children Fund, worked closely with the experts.  In addition, disarmament implementation agencies were also closely engaged in the effort, such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), and the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO).  The United Nations University (UNU), and UN-associated University for Peace also participated in the Group’s work.

The Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters is a group of eminent experts in the field of international security, disarmament and arms control, appointed by

the Secretary-General in their individual capacities to advise him on topical issues in the field.

For further information, see Web site http://disarmament.un.org/education/

Or contact:  Michael Cassandra, Secretary of the Group of Experts, Department for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations, New York, New York 10017; tel:  212-963-7714; fax:  212-963-1121; email:  cassandra@un.org.

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