Our extrabudgetary work at a glance link

Engaging with youth

• Founded and trained a network of 100 young leaders from 37 countries to advocate for nuclear disarmament, culminating in their historic visit to Hiroshima and Nagasaki where they engaged with atomic bomb survivors and developed the "DeclarACTION" - a concrete framework for advancing disarmament initiatives in their communities through 2030.

Promoting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

• Supported States across Latin America and the Caribbean as they collaboratively develop and implement transformative small-arms-control roadmaps, safeguarding lives and unlocking sustainable development by strengthening civilian protection and redirecting vital resources toward community well-being.

Supporting education

• Enhanced the Disarmament Education Dashboard, UNODA's flagship online learning platform, with new interactive features and expert-led courses that equipped 25,000+ global users with specialized knowledge on nuclear policy, humanitarian disarmament, and emerging technologies critical for advancing international peace and security.

Advancing gender perspectives in disarmament

• Led targeted training across Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia and the Pacific to integrate gender perspectives into regional small arms control, emphasizing evidence-based policymaking and alignment with women, peace and security priorities.
• Strengthened global ammunition security by training women technical experts from 14 countries in comprehensive stockpile management while expanding the Women Managing Ammunition Network (WoMA-Network) to promote gender equality in the field.

Investing in the next generation of nuclear disarmament leadership link

In August 2022, during the tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the Prime Minister of Japan announced the establishment of a $10 million fund to support UN disarmament, non-proliferation education and youth outreach. His announcement paved the way for the Youth Leader Fund for a World Without Nuclear Weapons, an initiative to empower young leaders from diverse sectors to advocate for nuclear disarmament. The first phase of the programme opened in May 2023, attracting applicants from nuclear-weapon and non-nuclear-weapon States. The next application round will open in 2025. The initiative will run through 2030, coinciding with key milestones, including the eighty-fifth anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Activities:

• The first cohort of 100 young individuals completed an online training programme between December 2023 and April 2024, comprising substantive self-paced training, live webinars with experts, and interactive skill-development sessions.
• Fifty participants from 37 States joined an in-person study visit to Japan in August 2024, supported by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research.
• Participants visited Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Tokyo, engaging with local communities, government officials and hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors).
• In Japan, participants organized a youth-led international conference and adopted the “DeclarACTION“, a commitment to working towards a nuclear-weapon-free world.

Achievements:

• The DeclarACTION, formalized by participants, includes commitments to youth engagement in disarmament efforts. The DeclarACTION is accompanied by Action Points comprised of specific activities the participants plan on organizing in their respective communities.
• The initiative has generated a new network of young change makers from across all regions and subregions, equipping them with enhanced leadership and advocacy skills for nuclear disarmament and enabling them to apply their knowledge regionally and globally.
• Outreach for the Youth Leader Fund programme has significantly increased the social media following and engagement of UNODA, especially on Instagram. It has also attracted new users to UNODA’s global e-learning platform.

Enhancing investigative capacities link

While the international community sets norms against chemical and biological weapons with two treaties, only the Chemical Weapons Convention has an implementing body – the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The Biological Weapons Convention lacks such an institution. The UN Secretary-General’s Mechanism for Investigation of Alleged Use of Chemical and Biological Weapons (UNSGM) remains the only international instrument for investigating allegations of biological weapons use. As its custodian, UNODA has continued to lead partners in strengthening operational readiness to conduct such investigations.

In late 2023 and early 2024, UNODA organized the following events with the support of Canada, Germany, France, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, the United States and the European Union to enhance the capacity and skills of experts nominated to the UNSGM roster:

• UNODA held two basic training courses: the first in Johannesburg in June and July 2023, with support from South Africa and in coordination with the country’s National Institute for Infectious Diseases, and the second in Paris and Fontevraud-l’Abbaye, France, in September 2023, in coordination with the Directorate General for International Relations and Strategy of the French Ministry of Armed Forces. The two-week courses covered topics such as biosafety and biosecurity, sampling and analysis, field epidemiology, interviewing, and report writing. Both courses ended with field exercises.
• The first UNSGM skills training course on “Sampling and transport of infectious substances”, held in September 2023, was jointly organized by the Robert Koch Institute of Germany and the Public Health Agency of Canada in cooperation with UNODA. Participants learned two essential skills for a UNSGM mission: sampling and transporting infectious materials in line with International Air Transportation Association requirements.
• In November 2023 and May 2024, UNODA worked with the UN Department of Safety and Security to organize two courses on “Safe and Secure Approaches in Field Environments (SSAFE)” in Cha’am, Thailand. Organizers tailored the standard SSAFE course taken by UN personnel to reflect the unique UNSGM mission requirements.
• A training course on “Investigative Interview Skills” took place in Geneva in February 2024, organized in cooperation with the Institute for International Criminal Investigations and the United States Department of State. The programme incorporated theoretical lessons and role-play exercises in which participants practised their interview skills for use during investigations.
• At a March 2024 workshop organized with the Verification, Research, Training and Information Centre, experts discussed plans to conduct predeployment orientations within the framework of the UNSGM. Expert consultants from the UNSGM roster, UN Internal Task Force representatives on the UNSGM roster and other specialists developed preliminary guidelines during the workshop, including necessary resources and support.
• UNODA collaborated with Portugal to organize the “Decontamination Skills” training course in Lisbon in May 2024. The course enhanced experts’ understanding of decontamination practices in the context of a UNSGM investigation, including through theoretical lessons and hands-on activities.

Responding to biological threats link

Voluntary contributions from States and regional organizations are critical to implementing the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) fully and effectively. Without a dedicated international organization mandated to assist countries in implementing the Convention, UNODA, through the Convention’s Implementation Support Unit, relies on voluntary support to address requests from States parties for tailored assistance.

In response to such requests from States parties, in late 2023 and early 2024, with financial support from the European Union, UNODA organized the following:

• Five national capacity-building activities in Bolivia, Cambodia and Mongolia to advise officials on addressing legislative issues, strengthening national implementation, promoting confidence-building measures and establishing national inventories of dangerous pathogens
• Five regional training courses for BWC national contact points, held in the Dominican Republic, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Switzerland and Thailand (151 national contact points and delegates from 106 States parties and one State not yet party to the BWC participated in the training courses, contributing to enhancing the Convention’s implementation at the national level)
• An e-learning course for national contact points on implementing the BWC
• Preparations for a study by the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) on voluntary transparency initiatives conducted by States parties since 2011 in the context of the BWC
• A regional workshop, held in Brisbane, Australia, in January 2024, on achieving the universalization of the BWC in the Pacific (this workshop was instrumental in the accessions of Micronesia and Tuvalu to the Convention the following summer)
• The launch of the Youth for Biosecurity Fellowship, a three-month capacity-building programme for 20 young scientists from the Global South (activities included online learning sessions, a collaborative research project and a one-week visit to Geneva in August 2023 to attend the Working Group on the Strengthening of the Convention).

In Africa, with financial support from Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States under the framework of the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction, as well as the European Union, UNODA organized national workshops in Benin, Burundi, Ethiopia, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Libya, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Togo and Zambia. The Office also organized two subregional capacity-building workshops for Western Africa and Southern Africa in Togo and Botswana, respectively. These activities enhanced the capacity and awareness of African States parties regarding confidence-building measures, national implementation and the development of BWC-implementing legislation. The same donors also supported UNODA universalization efforts, specifically by financing a visit by Chadian parliamentarians to the 2023 BWC Meeting of States Parties and a universalization visit to Chad in February 2024.

Extrabudgetary support from donor countries also made the several activities possible:

• Kazakhstan funded activities to strengthen national and regional capacities to implement the BWC in Central Asia.
• Norway sponsored a five-day course on science diplomacy, biosecurity and virus detection in the framework of article X of the Convention in Trieste, Italy, in March 2024. UNODA organized the course with the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology.
• The United Kingdom financed the enhancement of the BWC system of confidence-building measures, including through developing a new electronic reporting platform and organizing a national workshop in Timor-Leste, as well as two subregional workshops in Nepal and Thailand (co-funded by the European Union). Furthermore, the United Kingdom provided additional funding to strengthen national and regional capacities to implement the BWC in Central Asia.
• Canada, France, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Spain and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union, provided voluntary contributions to the BWC Sponsorship Programme to support the participation of representatives from developing countries in the 2023 sessions of the Working Group on the strengthening of the Convention and the 2023 Meeting of States Parties.

These efforts by UNODA, States parties and other partners underscored a shared commitment to advancing the Convention while guarding against the proliferation and use of biological weapons.

Taking action on Security Council resolution 1540 (2004) link

Voluntary funds were instrumental in global efforts to prevent non-State actors from acquiring weapons of mass destruction or their delivery systems in 2023 and 2024. Through resolution 1540 (2004), the UN Security Council requires all Member States to implement measures preventing the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and their means of delivery to non-State actors, while maintaining appropriate domestic controls over related materials to combat their illicit trafficking.

The UN Trust Fund for Global and Regional Disarmament Activities, supported by France, Germany, Japan, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Korea, Spain and the United States, as well as the European Union, supported this work. Activities that UNODA organized in this area included the following:

• Supporting States in developing national action plans and legislation while also encouraging preparation and updates of their national reports on the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004)
• Organizing regional and subregional workshops, seminars and training sessions to raise awareness, exchange effective practices and strengthen cooperation among States on matters related to the resolution
• Coordinating the delivery of technical assistance to States upon request through the Committee established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1540 (2004) (1540 Committee), its Group of Experts and other relevant international and regional organizations
• Supporting the work of the 1540 Committee and its Group of Experts in their country visits, reviewing national reports and conducting outreach activities.

Through their support of these initiatives, voluntary financial contributors play a crucial role in preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by non-state actors and strengthening international peace and security.

Bolstering regional disarmament efforts link

Supporting the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction

In 2023 and 2024, UNODA continued to support the participating States of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction in implementing the outcomes of the previous sessions, as well as preparing for the fifth session in 2024. It supported the Conference and its intersessional working committee with financial support from the UN Peace and Development Trust Fund.

• In October and November 2023, UNODA supported the incoming President of the fourth session of the Conference in convening two rounds of informal consultations to undertake procedural and substantive preparations ahead of the session. These consultations helped ensure that agreement was reached on both organizational and some substantive issues and that the annual Conference session could work more effectively to focus on substantive deliberation and the drafting of its report.
• From 30 April to 2 May 2024, the working committee convened to continue discussions regarding peaceful uses and technical cooperation, as mandated by the report of the fourth session. The meetings also included several panel discussions with invited experts.
• On 4 and 5 June 2024, UNODA and Qatar’s National Committee for the Prohibition of Weapons co-organized the first regional meeting, entitled “Perspectives on the Middle East NWMD [nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction]-free zone Conference”. Representatives from 20 Conference member States – more than half at the ambassadorial level – attended the meeting. The meeting provided a valuable forum for participating States to engage in an open and candid dialogue and exchange views on the work of the Conference in an informal setting. The regional setting also helped raise the profile of the Conference in the region, promoted ownership and provided an opportunity to engage with youth representatives and academia.
• From 1 to 3 July, the working committee convened once more to take up the second topic mandated by the fourth session, namely nuclear verification, in its first two days. The meeting also benefited from briefings by experts. On the third day, the participating States began discussing an index of a list of topics intended to offer an informal road map for substantive discussions at upcoming sessions of the Conference.
• The outcomes and summaries of the meetings were annexed to the final report of the fourth session of the Conference, held in November 2024.

These activities demonstrated the commitment and cooperation of UNODA and the participating States in advancing the goals of the Conference and creating a conducive environment for establishing a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. The UN Peace and Development Trust Fund’s financial support meaningfully contributed to the progress of the Conference and its working committee, which would otherwise not have been possible.

Promoting the implementation of global disarmament and non-proliferation instruments

The UN Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD) partnered with the UNODA Conventional Arms Branch to coordinate the participation of Asia-Pacific Member States in the fourth Review Conference of the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons. Activities included two virtual coordination meetings for national points of contact (October 2023 and April 2024) and a regional preparatory session in Kathmandu (January 2024). The Kathmandu meeting brought together 85 participants from 23 regional countries to prepare for the Review Conference and identify regional priorities and challenges in implementing the Programme of Action. The initiative was part of a European Union-funded global project with additional support from Australia.

In December 2023, UNRCPD co-hosted the twenty-second Republic of Korea-United Nations Joint Conference on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Issues in Geneva, focusing on “Governance of Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain”. Voluntary contributions from the Republic of Korea made the event possible.

In April 2024, UNRCPD partnered with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Resident Coordinator’s Office in Papua New Guinea to conduct a national workshop on coordination mechanisms and a comprehensive strategy to control illicit small arms and light weapons. The workshop provided the starting point for a national action plan initiative led by Papua New Guinea with technical and procedural support from UNRCPD. The Saving Lives Entity (SALIENT) fund and the European Union supported the effort.

UNRCPD and the Prajnya Trust jointly conducted the third iteration of the Disarmament Toolkit, an online training course on the essentials of disarmament, in June 2024. The course drew 628 participants from 80 countries and covered the core UNODA mandates: disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control. Additionally, the course emphasized gender inclusivity and explored regional dynamics and innovations. The Rissho Kosei-kai foundation supported the initiative.

Military confidence-building measures

In early 2024, UNODA and the secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) co-organized a hybrid workshop in Washington, D.C., on promoting military confidence-building measures in the OAS region, with financial support from the Republic of Korea. On 31 January and 1 February, more than 160 participants – including senior civilian and military officials from every OAS member State and several permanent observer States – deepened their understanding of military confidence building and its importance in preventing conflict and strengthening international and regional peace and security. They also exchanged views on further developing and strengthening the implementation of military confidence-building measures in the Americas and globally, including experiences in overcoming common challenges.

Strengthening conventional weapons control and prevention of violent extremism

In December 2023, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) collaborated with Switzerland and UNIDIR to convene a regional seminar on preventing violent extremism and managing conventional weapons in West Africa. In Lomé, over 60 participants from Governments, regional organizations, UN entities and civil society examined ways of preventing violent extremism through holistic conventional weapons management. Their discussion yielded fresh recommendations for strengthening multi-stakeholder dialogue, institutional cooperation and contributions by women and youth towards enhancing prevention-focused approaches to conventional weapons management.

That same month, UNREC held a regional workshop on weapons and ammunition management and cross-border control in the Lake Chad Basin. Funded by France and Italy, the event brought together Multinational Joint Task Force member States – Benin, Cameroon, Chad, the Niger and Nigeria – alongside UN offices and key non-governmental partners to advance the alignment of weapons management practices with international standards for combating illicit small arms trafficking.

Promoting safe and secure through-life conventional ammunition management link

Safe and secure management of ammunition through UN SaferGuard

The UN SaferGuard programme, managed by UNODA, helps States manage their ammunition more safely and securely, based on the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG). From mid-2023 to mid-2024, financial support from Germany, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates enabled the following Programme activities:

• UNODA provided substantive assistance to States in developing the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management before the General Assembly adopted it in December 2023.
• In November 2023, the Regional Arms Control Verification and Implementation Assistance Centre-Centre for Security Cooperation collaborated with UNODA and the Ammunition Management Advisory Team to hold a regional seminar entitled “Developments in conventional ammunition management: What is new in policy and practice?”. Experts from international, regional and non-governmental organizations in South-East Europe reflected on the new Global Framework, discussing specific measures, practical examples and good practices for achieving the Framework’s 15 objectives.
• In May 2024, the UN Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) collaborated with other UNODA colleagues to convene a two-day informal regional meeting in Lima to discuss the Global Framework. Latin American and Caribbean States, alongside counterparts from regional and non-governmental organizations and UN entities, discussed region-specific challenges and opportunities in translating the Global Framework’s political commitments into concrete action. UNLIREC also launched a new background paper on applying the Framework in the region.

• In support of the Women Managing Ammunition Network (WoMA-Network), UNODA collaborated with the Austrian Federal Ministry of Defense, the Ammunition Management Advisory Team, the Golden West Humanitarian Foundation and the Small Arms Survey to launch the UN SaferGuard Training for Women Ammunition Technical Experts. Separate editions of the two-week training course took place in Austria in October 2023 and July 2024, enabling 26 women technical experts to expand their understanding of the IATG while strengthening their knowledge of ammunition stockpile management and related gender issues. The training also helped raise awareness about the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management and the UN SaferGuard programme, as well as tools and resources available for supporting IATG implementation.
• The UN Specialized Training Materials on Weapons and Ammunition Management in Peace Operations were launched in mid-2024, completing a successful collaboration between UNODA and the UN Mine Action Service, in close cooperation with the Ammunition Management Advisory Team and the Department of Peace Operations’ Integrated Training Service and the Office of Military Affairs. The package, guided by the IATG and the Modular Small-arms-control Implementation Compendium (MOSAIC), aims to enhance the capacities of troop- and police-contributing countries in the safe and secure management of deployed weapons, weapons-related equipment and ammunition. It focuses on supporting troop- and police-contributing countries in implementing the Weapons and Ammunition Management Policy and the UN Manual on Ammunition Management.
• The Technical Review Board and the Strategic Coordination Group of UN SaferGuard held their annual meeting in Geneva in December 2023. Participants discussed projects under the SaferGuard programme and existing tools to support IATG applications. Members reflected on gaps and recommendations for further developing and applying the IATG, including the next steps in undertaking technical updates ahead of version 4’s scheduled release in 2026. The participants also discussed how adopting the Global Framework could affect efforts to strengthen and expand the SaferGuard programme, and they considered various capacities, resources and planned initiatives to better implement the IATG.

Weapons and ammunition management activities at the regional level

• With funding from the United States, UNLIREC helped authorities in Barbados, Jamaica and Saint Kitts and Nevis build their capacity to destroy weapons and ammunition. As part of this initiative, UNLIREC provided Jamaica with an ammunition-burning tank.
• In December 2023, officials in Haiti received United States-funded training in physical security and stockpile management from 6 to 8 December 2023, followed by a three-day technical assessment of National Police armouries from 12 to 14 December. Through German funding, Haiti received legal assistance to update its firearms legislation, including a virtual workshop in December 2023 to align the draft law with international instruments. The Ministry of Justice received the final draft law in early 2024 with a recommendation for adoption as a political decree. Additionally, UNLIREC conducted a German-funded workshop in Haiti on tracing and serial number restoration in October 2023.

Facilitating effective weapons and ammunition management in a DDR context link

Initiated in 2016, this collaborative UNODA-Department of Peace Operations project provides expert guidance, resources and specialized assistance to support disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) practitioners in developing and implementing tailored weapons and ammunition management activities connected to DDR processes, following international best practices and standards. Financial support from Germany and Switzerland made this work possible.

The effort included the following activities in 2023 and 2024:

• Supporting a mission to evaluate progress in implementing the arms embargo on Somalia against benchmark indicators, in line with Security Council resolution 2662 (2022). In addition to enhancing arms control efforts in DDR settings, the project contributed towards strengthened coordination and information-sharing among UN entities, a key priority in the Secretary-General’s New Agenda for Peace.
• Organizing the “Effective Weapons and Ammunition Management in a Changing Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Context” annual training at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Accra, Ghana, from 2 to 6 October 2023, in collaboration with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, the Folke Bernadotte Academy and the Ammunition Management Advisory Team. This strategic initiative equipped DDR practitioners with essential skills for effective arms control through hands-on disarmament exercises and expert-led sessions. The programme also contributed towards building a community of practice, advancing global collaboration and integrating weapons and ammunition management into DDR strategies.
• Deploying expert support at Cameroon’s request to develop a dedicated Manual of Procedures on DDR, which was validated at a November 2023 workshop in Yaoundé with the participation of the lead author, Cameroon’s National DDR Commission and national counterparts. The initiative also produced a practical weapons and ammunition management primer identifying key areas for improvement. Both tools were designed to align Cameroon’s DDR practices with international standards.
• Finalizing a study on “Weapons and Ammunition Dynamics in a Changing DDR Context” in December 2023. Intended as guidance for Somalia’s future weapons and ammunition management policies and strategies, the study draws from in-person interviews conducted with UN representatives, national authorities and civil society stakeholders to provide practical, context-specific recommendations for developing and implementing transitional weapons and ammunition management initiatives within community violence reduction processes. Going further, the effort highlighted how challenges faced by the defector rehabilitation programme are impacting weapons and ammunition management initiatives in the country.
• Broadening global access to key resources for DDR and weapons and ammunition management by translating and publishing the Integrated DDR Standards (IDDRS) modules on disarmament (4.10) and transitional weapons and ammunition management (4.11) into Arabic, French and Spanish, as well as producing an Arabic version of the MOSAIC module on small arms and light weapons in DDR contexts (2.30).
• Partnering with the Regional Centre on Small Arms to strengthen weapons management across the region through two strategic round-table sessions, convened in December 2023 and May 2024. The meetings brought together national authorities, regional organizations and international partners to tackle shared challenges and align their efforts to strengthen weapons and ammunition management practices throughout the region. Member States explored challenges, shared insights and aligned their positions in priority areas to effectively integrate weapons and ammunition management into DDR processes. The collaborative effort advanced the development of a comprehensive regional road map – set for validation in late 2024 or early 2025 – that promises to harmonize regional weapons and ammunition management in DDR.

Supporting good small-arms control practice for safer societies link

Small-arms control plays a fundamental role in advancing sustainable development by mitigating armed violence, supporting civilian protection, promoting peace and security and redirecting resources towards development initiatives. In 2023 and 2024, extrabudgetary funding continued to provide crucial support for UNODA efforts to combat illegal trafficking of small arms, light weapons and their ammunition.

With funding from Germany, UNODA continued its collaboration with the African Union and the Regional Centre on Small Arms to support Governments in reducing illegal gun ownership and stemming illicit flows of small arms and light weapons. This work was conducted through the Africa Amnesty Month project, a key component of the African Union’s “Silencing the Guns” initiative. Building on the success of the 2023 Amnesty Month, which was commemorated by a two-day event in Maputo, the project focuses on combating illicit small arms and light weapons through public awareness campaigns and organized voluntary surrender events. In 2024, the Central African Republic, Djibouti and Rwanda received a total allocation of $1,110,000 for these activities:

• Executing broad public outreach campaigns to educate communities about the hazards associated with illegal firearms possession and unauthorized trafficking in small arms and light weapons.
• Strengthening institutional capacities in weapons inventory management and community-based policing.
• Facilitating the collection of voluntarily surrendered firearms from civilians conducting public ceremonies.

Meanwhile, extrabudgetary contributors enabled the following activities of UNLIREC:

• Canada supported convening the third Annual Meeting of States of the National Action Plan to carry out the Roadmap for Implementing the Caribbean Priority Actions on the Illicit Proliferation of Firearms and Ammunition across the Caribbean in a Sustainable Manner by 2030 (Caribbean Firearms Roadmap), which concluded with a high-level joint statement; and national capacity-building activities on combating trafficking in arms and ammunition, interdicting small arms and ammunition at airports and borders, strengthening forensic ballistic intelligence, managing armoury inventories and operationalizing gender commitments.
• The United States supported the development of Roadmap national action plans in Barbados and Dominica, as well as activities to reduce diversion risks in the Caribbean by enhancing national stockpile and armoury management, strengthening firearms tracing through consistent marking and serial number recovery processes, and destroying obsolete and surplus firearms and ammunition from government-owned arsenals.
• Germany supported data collection, reporting and enhanced monitoring and evaluation for the Roadmap, delivery of tailored courses across Latin America and the Caribbean to inform national stakeholders about tools for combating illicit firearms trafficking and fabrication, and an event showcasing the impact of subregional road maps and initiatives in implementing the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons and its International Tracing Instrument.
• The UN Trust Facility Supporting Cooperation on Arms Regulation (UNSCAR) funded a dedicated Spanish-language training programme on armed violence prevention for young leaders in Latin America.

The European Union underwrote numerous efforts to promote more effective and inclusive policy development for the Programme of Action and to enhance gender-responsive arms control in its national and regional implementation. It supported these activities, among others:

• Organizing four expert round-table discussions to develop action-oriented recommendations on international cooperation, the implications of new technologies, integrating small arms and light weapons control into sustainable development, and target-setting under the Programme of Action.

• Convening five regional preparatory meetings across Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America to gather insights and feedback ahead of the fourth Review Conference of the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons.
• Delivering sponsorships that enabled 11 States affected by illicit small arms and light weapons proliferation to attend the Review Conference, which took place over two weeks in New York in June 2024.
• Facilitating the coordinated participation of civil society at the Review Conference through the International Action Network on Small Arms.

Financial assistance from the European Union also bolstered regional and national assistance through the UNODA regional centres for implementing the Programme of Action. That work included the following:

• Supporting the development of a Central American Roadmap to Prevent the Illicit Trafficking and Proliferation of Firearms, Ammunition and Explosives in a joint initiative of UNLIREC, OAS and the Central American Integration System. They helped establish regional priorities and concrete action points through an inter-institutional process in the participating States – Belize, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama– and supported a consultative process with civil society, donors and international partners.
• Delivering national assistance in Sri Lanka on enhancing stockpile security, a regional briefing in Nepal on national reporting under the Programme of Action, and a national workshop in Papua New Guinea tackling the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons.
• Organizing a dedicated course in Colombia in late 2023 to help integrate gender perspectives into regional small-arms control practices in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as online regional briefings and workshops to promote gender-responsive approaches within frameworks of small arms and light weapons control in Asia and the Pacific. For its part, the Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa hosted a series of webinars on mainstreaming gender into small arms and light weapons control frameworks.

SALIENT: Promoting security and sustaining development link

Launched in 2021, the Saving Lives Entity (SALIENT) is a dedicated funding facility within the UN Peacebuilding Fund for ensuring sustained financing of coordinated, development-centred, integrated small-arms control measures in most-affected countries. Jointly administered by UNODA and the UNDP, SALIENT receives financial support from Finland, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden and Switzerland.

The Governments in SALIENT’s three pilot projects, which concluded their initial phase in 2023, achieved these key outcomes:

• Cameroon trained national small-arms authorities, media representatives, gender authorities and youth leaders in areas such as controlling small arms, reducing armed violence and promoting community safety and security. Its campaign paved the way for the development of a national strategy to address gender dimensions in the country’s DDR activities.

• Jamaica, which received additional resources in 2024, conducted community outreach and developed a national protocol to prevent firearms use in schools. The country also completed a violence audit reaching out to vulnerable communities.
• South Sudan enhanced coordination among national small-arms authorities, improved its registration of police-owned and civilian small arms, obtained metal detectors and motorcycles for border police, launched women’s professional networks for police officers, administered a national survey on disarmament strategy, and conducted a public awareness campaign on the negative impacts of small arms.

In 2024, five additional nations strengthened their small-arms-control frameworks with SALIENT support:

• Ghana led three capacity-building workshops for security institutions and collaborated with UN partners to enhance its detection and prevention of illicit small-arms trafficking. UNDP and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) also helped the Government drive legal reforms to its small arms and light weapons controls.
• Honduras partnered with UNLIREC and UNDP on initiatives tackling the diversion of weapons and ammunition and integrating gender considerations into national arms control policies and programmes, with a focus on preventing armed violence, eliminating firearms from schools and strengthening stockpile management.
• Kyrgyzstan worked with UNDP to develop an automated civilian firearms-tracking tool. The Government also organized a national workshop on small arms and light weapons control in partnership with UNDP and UNRCPD.
• Panama collaborated with UNDP, UNODC and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) to conduct a virtual scoping mission in late 2023 to assess SALIENT intervention opportunities around arms-control policies and armed-violence prevention. The initiative’s first activity was to conduct a field visit to the country’s Colón region to establish gun-free schools to promote peace and sustainable development.
• Papua New Guinea, in cooperation with UNDP, UNFPA and UNRCPD, advanced several efforts to strengthen small arms and light weapons control and prevent armed violence. UNRCPD led a national workshop and technical risk assessment on stockpile management in April, while planning a nationwide small-arms survey. Concurrent participatory research examined the impact of armed violence, along with social and gender norms perpetuating harmful masculinity, on women and girls.

UNODA High Representative Izumi Nakamitsu and UNDP Under-Secretary-General Haoliang Xu hosted a high-level event on SALIENT in June 2024 on the margins of the fourth Review Conference of the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons. Key participants included the Interior Minister of Ghana, Permanent Representatives from Finland and Japan, and Costa Rica’s Permanent Representative in her capacity as the Review Conference President. The event showcased SALIENT achievements and explored opportunities for increased official development assistance-eligible funding.

Diverse SALIENT activities have advanced the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development while demonstrating multi-sectoral and coherent approaches to small-arms control and armed violence reduction.

UNSCAR: Investing in arms control with civil society link

Throughout 2023 and 2024, the UN Trust Facility Supporting Cooperation on Arms Regulation (UNSCAR) focused on delivering quick-impact, small-scale, short-term, theme-focused projects designed for utmost efficiency. Since its establishment in 2013, UNSCAR has allocated $13 million across 122 initiatives, benefiting 148 countries in all regions worldwide. The programme successfully concluded 8 projects and continued implementing 10 projects in the 2022 and 2023 cycles, respectively. For its 2024 cycle, UNSCAR assessed 60 applications received through an annual call for proposals and selected 10 for funding. In addition, one emergency response project in Chad was funded in response to an unplanned explosion of an ammunition stockpile facility. UNSCAR actively synchronized its efforts with the Arms Trade Treaty Voluntary Trust Fund to prevent funding overlap while aligning with SALIENT trust fund initiatives. Five of UNSCAR’s 16 donors – Australia, Czechia, Finland, Germany and the Slovakia – provided renewed financial support for ongoing operations. The Philippines’ transition from multi-year aid recipient to donor, through its new contribution to UNSCAR, demonstrated how successful assistance can inspire former recipient countries to give back to the programme as new donors.

These are some of the notable impacts confirmed from the two dozen UNSCAR-funded projects implemented in 2023 and 2024:

• Philippines: Subregional road map (implemented by Nonviolence International Southeast Asia) – Hosted by the Philippines, representatives from 11 countries in South-East and South Asia discussed and agreed on a draft subregional road map on small-arms control at the working level. (May 2023)
• Indonesia: Support for Parliamentarians in Asia (implemented by the Parliamentary Forum on Small Arms and Light Weapons) – In partnership with the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Inter-Parliamentary Assembly Secretariat, this project provided online capacity-building for women parliamentarians in the region, including training related to small-arms control, reduction of community-based armed violence and support for the Security Council’s women, peace and security agenda. (October 2023)
• Sierra Leone: Promoting women’s security in bordering areas (implemented by the Sierra Leone Action Network on Small Arms) – This initiative promoted women’s leadership while ensuring community security and resilience to small-arms-based violence. Women leaders in border communities enhanced their capacities and knowledge related to relevant national legislation, arms control and prevention of arms smuggling. The town of Gendema, the project site located on the border between Sierra Leone and Liberia, adopted the “Declaration of Gun-Free Border Community”. (December 2023)
• Somalia: Support to Somalia’s national weapons and ammunition management strategy concerning captured weapons (implemented by Conflict Armament Research) – The project trained Somali Security Forces in the identification and safe documentation of weapons and ammunition recovered from non-State and terrorist groups in Somalia (October–November 2024)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: Improvement of small arms and light weapons control and stockpiling management (implemented by the Norwegian People’s Aid) – In partnership with the UN Regional Coordinator’s Office and the UNDP country office, the project team trained local police officers, as well as marked, labelled and registered small arms in the Posavina Canton (November 2024).

UNSCAR continues to provide technical, substantive and policy guidance to its partners and recipient countries while maintaining the guiding principle of national ownership and documenting lessons learned through active monitoring.

The programme also organized two notable events in the reporting period:

• In October 2024, the non-governmental organization Action on Armed Violence presented key findings from its UNSCAR-sponsored study of the relationship between States’ participation in the Arms Trade Treaty and the negative impact of explosives on civilians in their territories.
• A high-level side event entitled “UNSCAR at 10: A Decade of International Assistance to the Programme of Action” took place at UN Headquarters in June 2024, showcasing the impact of UNSCAR projects and underscoring UNSCAR’s critical role as a sustainable and predictable funding mechanism for civil society partners working on small-arms control.

Promoting human-centred disarmament approaches link

In their Pact for the Future, adopted in 2024, States embraced a human-centred approach to disarmament that emphasizes humanitarian impacts and development needs. They renewed existing commitments while identifying opportunities to address emerging threats, such as the development of lethal autonomous weapons systems, rising biological risks stemming from natural, accidental or deliberate causes and the impact of global military spending on sustainable development.

The negotiation of the Pact followed extensive preparatory work, supported by the Netherlands and Switzerland, to develop a shared understanding of human-centred disarmament and its applications. UNODA undertook a series of consultations and high-level retreats examining critical themes: the evolving geopolitical landscape, core principles for future disarmament norms and measures, and ways to address humanitarian action, human rights and development priorities through disarmament work in and beyond key multilateral bodies. The resulting insights on human-centred disarmament helped shape the UN Secretary-General’s policy brief on a New Agenda for Peace, which informed intergovernmental deliberations on the Pact for the Future.

Following the launch of the New Agenda for Peace in July 2023, the Netherlands and Switzerland sponsored the Geneva Disarmament Conversation Series of UNODA to explore practical applications of human-centred disarmament. Running from August 2023 to June 2024, the series hosted eight innovative discussions bringing together a wide range of stakeholders, from delegates and UN agencies to think tanks and non-governmental organizations. These conversations explored human-centred disarmament and its connections in areas as diverse as AI development, biorisk management, human rights promotion, military spending impacts and environmental protection in armed conflict. The UNODA Vienna Office led a comparable discussion series with support from Austria.

By highlighting concrete examples of human-centred approaches to disarmament that States could take into consideration in their commitments, these discussions helped maintain momentum on key emerging challenges identified in the New Agenda for Peace throughout the negotiations on the Pact for the Future.

Advancing restrictions on inhumane weapons link

Extrabudgetary support remains critical for promoting the ratification and effective implementation of the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects (CCW) – a core instrument of international humanitarian law that bans or limits the use of certain weapons causing excessive or indiscriminate harm.

In late 2023 and early 2024, voluntary funds from the European Union (Council decision 2021/1694) enabled various universalization, implementation and awareness-raising activities for the CCW, as well as the development of technical publications in support of High Contracting Parties and other States.

UNODA led three regional universalization workshops: in Manila (December 2023), Lomé (February 2024) and Geneva (April 2024), with a global follow-up workshop held in September 2024. At each event, authorities from non-High Contracting Parties learned about the Convention and heard from High Contracting Parties about their experiences in joining the CCW. Turning to the topic of lethal autonomous weapons systems, a core thematic area of the Convention, participants discussed not just the ethical, legal and humanitarian implications of such systems but also potential ways to effectively regulate them.

UNODA also facilitated two multi-stakeholder discussions in late 2023: One examined recent academic and applied research on the concept of “meaningful human control”, deepening participants’ understanding of a term central to governmental expert discussions on lethal autonomous weapons systems taking place within the CCW framework. The second event explored directed energy weapons and the implications of their use under international law, including the CCW.

Additionally, voluntary contributions supported two studies, one on regulating incendiary weapons under international humanitarian law and another on the CCW’s environmental implications. UNODA is also developing a comprehensive implementation guide on the Convention and its Protocols to provide High Contracting Parties and other States with practical information on relevant legislation, policies and practices.

Addressing the use of explosive weapons in populated areas link

In a landmark achievement for human-centred disarmament, States formally recognized in 2022 that using explosive weapons in populated areas has severe humanitarian consequences and poses unacceptable risks to civilians. The resulting Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Impacts Arising from the Use of explosive weapons in populated areas relies on extrabudgetary funding to maintain its operations, as it lacks dedicated substantive or organizational support.

UNODA undertook a range of activities in late 2023 and early 2024 to support the Declaration. With financial support from Ireland, it convened a regional workshop in Lomé on strengthening the protection of civilians from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and its humanitarian consequences. The workshop brought together representatives from 15 African States – Burkina Faso, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, the Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Togo – as well as 10 civil society and international organizations to strengthen African States’ participation in Declaration activities and build normative and practical knowledge for national and regional implementation.

Contributions from Germany and Norway enabled UNODA to establish an internal workstream to universalize, operationalize and implement the Declaration by providing technical expertise and streamlining coordination among stakeholders. Activities included:

• Establishing a dedicated website hosting the Declaration’s full text, endorsement guidance, status updates, a resource portal and an activity calendar.
• Providing substantive and organizational support for the first international follow-up conference of the Declaration in Oslo (April 2024) and administering a sponsorship programme to support participation by States qualifying as Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States.

Safeguarding the peace and security of cyberspace link

Developing national capacities

The UN-Singapore Cyber Fellowship, launched in 2022, held two sessions in 2024 at the ASEAN- Singapore Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence, with Singapore’s financial support. The programme ran from 22 to 27 April and from 12 to 17 August, bringing the total number of participants to 118 Fellows representing 81 Member States. Each week-long session focused on key topics, such as developing national information and communication technologies security strategies, understanding multilateral and regional cooperation, exploring international rules, norms and principles, and examining confidence-building measures and the applicability of international law. In 2024, the Fellows visited national critical infrastructure sites, universities and research institutions, concluding with an interactive exercise on crisis response and communication.

In 2024, UNODA and UNIDIR began developing a tailored e-learning course to support effective engagement in the newly launched global intergovernmental Points of Contact Directory, with funding from France. Through French financial support, UNODA also participated in several international, regional and subregional capacity-building activities, helping to strengthen partnerships and raise awareness about UN efforts.

Supporting multilateral processes

In May, the Chair of the Open-ended Working Group on security of and in the use of information and communications technologies 2021–2025 convened a global roundtable on information and communications technology capacity-building in the context of international security. Convened with financial support from France and Singapore, the Roundtable featured panels on strengthening ICT resilience and bridging capacity gaps, as well as breakout groups on developing national ICT strategies and fostering operational and technical capacities. Over 50 Member and Observer States participated in discussions, including at the ministerial level.

In successive annual progress reports, the OEWG invited Member States in a position to do so to support representatives of developing countries in attending its formal sessions. A sponsorship programme was established to support the participation of representatives of Member and Observer States at the ninth substantive session in December 2024 in New York, with the support of France and Ireland. The programme supported travel to the formal session with a schedule of capacity-building activities offered to sponsored delegates.

Education and awareness-raising

With the support of Singapore, UNODA has undertaken an update of the Cyber Diplomacy e-learning course available to the public on the Disarmament Education Dashboard. The course provides an introductory overview of the field, including modules on existing and emerging threats, rules, norms and principles, international law, confidence-building measures and capacity-building. Modules include interactive elements, quizzes and interviews with experts in the field of ICT security, representing a range of government, industry, academic and civil society backgrounds.

Promoting disarmament education and partnerships link

The UN General Assembly has long recognized disarmament education as a vital tool for promoting peace and non-violence. Today’s challenges – including rising tensions, eroding multilateral frameworks, and emerging technological threats – make it even more urgent to empower people with knowledge and skills to advance disarmament.

The UNODA hub for disarmament education

Beyond its liaison work, the Vienna Office leads UNODA disarmament education efforts through an “inform, engage, educate and empower” approach. In 2023 and 2024, the Vienna Office played a key role in implementing the first phase of the UNODA Disarmament Education Strategy, integrating disarmament into broader educational initiatives and expanding outreach to diverse audiences. The Office further strengthened its impact through Austria’s sustained funding, while diverse donor grants managed across UNODA branches have expanded education and youth empowerment programmes in different areas. Key initiatives included:

• The Disarmament Education Dashboard – the free online learning platform of UNODA – received upgrades to boost interactivity and user engagement, as well as new self-paced courses, including “New and Emerging Technologies and Nuclear Weapons”, “Humanitarian Approaches to Nuclear Disarmament”, “Youth and Disarmament”, “The Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its Protocols” and “Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)”.
  
  The Vienna Conversation Series fostered multi-stakeholder discussions on timely issues such as inclusivity, the Summit of the Future, human-centred disarmament and youth participation. Notable events included
  
  (a) “Bridging the divide: The role of networks in advancing inclusive disarmament processes” (September 2023);
  
  (b) “Non-proliferation, disarmament and global governance: The role of the Vienna community in the preparations for the Summit of the Future and beyond” (January 2024);
  
  (c) “Reducing the human cost of weapons: human-centred disarmament through a gender lens” (March 2024); and
  
  (d) “Different means for a common goal: diplomacy, youth participation, education and artistic engagement to advance disarmament and non-proliferation” (June 2024).
• Also with Austrian support, the Vienna Office expanded its local outreach through several activities in 2024:
  
  (a) Hosted an exhibition and documentary screening to mark the International Day on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness (5 March) with the local UN Information Service;
  
  (b) Participated in Austria’s Long Night of Research, a public awareness-raising initiative for science issues, to showcase emerging technologies’ role in disarmament and peace efforts; and
  
  (c) Contributed to a nationwide public transport campaign featuring a quiz and facts connecting disarmament with human rights.

Engaging, equipping and empowering youth link

Young people worldwide play a critical role in raising awareness and developing new ways to address threats from weapons of mass destruction, conventional arms and emerging technologies.

In 2024, UNODA launched the second iteration of the UN Youth Champions for Disarmament training programme, with generous financial support from Germany. The programme seeks to engage and empower young people to advance disarmament in their communities. Fifteen exceptional youth leaders were selected from diverse nationalities and disciplines based on their passion, commitment and innovative approaches to promoting disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control. The cohort brought together diverse perspectives and expertise, including a medical doctor, a health activist, a poet, artists, peacebuilders, and advocates for gender and youth rights.

Participants engaged in these activities:

• Learning about disarmament based on the Secretary-General’s New Agenda for Peace and leadership opportunities for youth in the disarmament field through specialized webinars, such as “Champions for Humanity: Youth leading the charge for disarmament“
• Developing personal projects throughout the year to connect with other young people with support and feedback from UNODA mentors and presenting their work in a regional forum webathon in the summer and a dedicated side event of the UN General Assembly First Committee
• Travelling to UN Headquarters in New York for two study visits in June and October to engage with relevant stakeholders and participate in briefings and meetings.

In 2023 and 2024, young people around the world participated in the annual #StepUp4Disarmament youth campaign by completing a distance of 8.29 km, a symbolic number that corresponds with the date of the International Day against Nuclear Tests (29 August). As part of the 2023 campaign, several high-level UN officials – most notably the President of the seventy-seventh session of the General Assembly, Csaba Kőrösi – joined representatives of Member States and civil society to participate in a symbolic walk at UN Headquarters to raise awareness about the devastating impact of nuclear testing.

In 2024, to mark the fifteenth anniversary of the International Day against Nuclear Tests and taking into consideration heightened nuclear tensions from ongoing wars, the campaign expanded to become Not One Nuclear Explosion (N.O.N.E), a Kazakhstan-funded initiative placing a spotlight on youth from communities affected by past nuclear testing. Featuring a social media campaign that ran from August 29 until September 26 – the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons – N.O.N.E. drew young participants from around the world to join UN Messenger of Peace Michael Douglas and UNODA offices in actively raising awareness about the devastating humanitarian consequences of nuclear explosions.

With support from the Republic of Korea, the UNODA flagship youth outreach programme, #Youth4Disarmament, launched the Sci-fAI Futures Youth Challenge in May 2024. This creative science-fiction storytelling challenge engaged, equipped and empowered young people to explore the risks and opportunities of artificial intelligence (AI) and its implications for peace and security. People aged 13 to 29 were invited to submit written or comic-style stories set in the year 2145, imagining a fictional world where militaries have integrated AI into their operations. Participants explored how AI could influence armed conflicts, interact with other emerging technologies, and potentially be leveraged positively in the military domain.

Eight winners selected by a diverse, high-profile jury of experts embarked on a three-phase educational and outreach journey:

• During the training segment, the cohort engaged in two online upskilling workshops where they received briefings on AI and youth engagement and participated in substantive discussions. The workshops culminated in presentations to UNIDIR and UNODA AI experts, who provided critical feedback to prepare the winners for their upcoming challenges.
• The diplomatic engagement segment brought winners to the Responsible AI in the Military Domain Summit (REAIM 2024) in Seoul on 9 and 10 September 2024. At the summit, winners attended plenary and breakout sessions and took part in youth-focused programming. The activities included the Sci-fAI Futures Award Ceremony, winner story presentations and exhibitions, a round-table discussion with AI experts, and a tabletop exercise with local students, junior diplomats and military cadets. Their stories were publicly displayed throughout the venue.
• In the final outreach segment after the REAIM Summit, winners shared their stories’ key messages and youth perspectives through various channels. They briefed ODA Disarmament Fellows and Youth Champions, presented during the General Assembly First Committee and Disarmament Week, and engaged online audiences through digital platforms, including podcasts and publications.

As part of the Sci-fAI Futures initiative, two online courses were added to the UNODA Disarmament Education Dashboard, “New and Emerging Tech and Nuclear Weapons“ and “Youth and Disarmament“, equipping hundreds of enrolled participants with tools for tackling tomorrow’s peace and security challenges.

Promoting responsible innovation in artificial intelligence for peace and security link

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) present profound opportunities and risks for international peace and security. While AI can accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and enhance peacekeeping operations, civilian AI technologies can also be misused with implications for international peace and security, including for disinformation campaigns, malicious cyber activities or acts of terrorism.

With financial support from the European Union, UNODA is partnering with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) to bring together AI practitioners and other civilian AI stakeholders to tackle international peace and security risks from the misuse of civilian AI technology.

They are mobilizing the civilian AI community through three approaches:

• Raising awareness about potential security risks in AI research and innovation and promoting responsible innovation practices that can help mitigate them
• Delivering educational materials and training programmes aimed at integrating those practices into the education of future AI practitioners
• Organizing forums for dialogue and information sharing among academic experts, industry leaders and government officials to support more comprehensive approaches towards safeguarding civilian AI technologies against misuse.

The UNODA and SIPRI focus on civilian AI misuse addresses a crucial gap in current AI governance efforts, which emphasize responsibility in civilian applications on the one hand and in military use on the other. By promoting responsible innovation as an “upstream” approach to AI governance and risk mitigation, they are empowering practitioners to both minimize risks in their work and contribute meaningfully to global AI governance discussions.

The programme prepares future AI practitioners through interactive workshops at select universities worldwide. In hands-on exercises, young practitioners use risk assessment tools and scenario exercises to practice identifying and mitigating potential risks stemming from civilian AI. The project has reached over 150 stakeholders across 30 countries to date, including through seven in-person events held on five continents.

To support this training, UNODA is developing targeted educational resources such as expert blog posts, scenario-based teaching materials and technical podcasts introducing disarmament concepts to AI practitioners. That work included five publications and seven podcasts.

UNODA and SIPRI are also collaborating with industry leaders through a series of online dialogues to better understand how the private sector can help prevent irresponsible actors from acquiring and misusing civilian AI technologies. Through education, capacity-building, and multi-stakeholder engagement, UNODA and SIPRI aim to foster ethical, safe and inclusive AI development and use.

Annex link

Regular budget (RB)

For the years 2022–2023, the regular budget amounted to $27.2 million. It covers costs associated with 61 posts (in New York, Geneva, Lomé, Lima and Kathmandu), meetings of governmental experts mandated by the General Assembly and the UN Programme of Fellowships on Disarmament. The regular budget also covers staff travel, technical expertise as required, administrative support and a portion of the operational costs of the three regional centres of UNODA.

UNODA also administers regular budget resources under Special Political Missions in support of the 1540 Committee on the non-proliferation of all weapons of mass destruction. Regular budget resources for Special Political Missions for 2022–2023 were $6 million and covered costs for staffing, office space and equipment, communications, technical experts, and travel of staff, experts and members of the 1540 Committee.

Extrabudgetary resources (XB)

Voluntary contributions amounted to $10.4 million in 2022 and $23.0 million in 2023. These resources have been the principal source of funds to develop and organize capacity-building activities, which are held at the subregional or country level, and which bring together government officials, practitioners, experts and other relevant stakeholders.

Additionally, extrabudgetary funds support the promotion and universalization of standards and norms and the organization of conferences to promote international dialogue and confidence-building. The Implementation Support Units, based in Geneva, of the Biological Weapons Convention and the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons are funded solely from extrabudgetary resources.

Voluntary contributions were also provided for UNSCAR, a multi-donor flexible funding mechanism designed to finance projects supporting the implementation of the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons and other conventional arms disarmament instruments.

Voluntary contributions also support the Vienna Office of UNODA.

UNODA continues to rely on extrabudgetary resources to supplement its regular budget for the implementation of its mandates.