Disarmament

Lomé is set to host a pivotal gathering of West and Central African countries to review progress made and to set priorities for tackling illicit small arms and light weapons. The Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Fourth Review Conference on the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (UN PoA) and its International Tracing Instrument is set to take place from 29 February to 1 March.

In October 2023, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs called on young people between the ages of 18 and 24 from across the globe to apply for an innovative learning programme aimed at empowering them to work for disarmament in their communities.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness, observed on 5 March:

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva today:

Kathmandu is set to host a pivotal gathering of Asia-Pacific countries to tackle the spectre of illicit small arms. The Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Fourth Review Conference on the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (UN PoA) and its International Tracing Instrument is set to take place from 23 to 25 January.

Consultations on Syria’s chemical programme have taken place between the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the Government of Syria, but Damascus’ further cooperation is needed to resolve outstanding issues as gaps and discrepancies persist, the Security Council heard today.

Following the fifth launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, on 18 December, Security Council members today called for de-escalation, political dialogue and diplomatic solutions for the Korean Peninsula, and a restoration of unity among the 15-nation Council.

The international community must exhaust “all available diplomatic avenues” to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran’s nuclear programme, the United Nations’ top political and peacebuilding official told the Security Council today, even as participants to that Plan disagreed on how to achieve this.

Today, the selected 100 young participants of the Youth Leader Fund for a World without Nuclear Weapons convened for the first time.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres: