The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement ushers in a new phase of the continent’s integration and development agenda. It seeks to create a single liberalized market of goods and services and promote industrial development through diversification and regional value chain development.
This policy brief explores the interplay between United Nations Security Council resolution 1540 (2004) and the AfCFTA Agreement. It overviews the regional trends propelling growth in trade and industry that will in turn increase the demand for advanced, and potentially dual-use technologies, materials, and equipment from a range of sectors including energy, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and extractive industries.
The policy brief highlights the importance of ensuring that the benefits to be reaped from removing barriers to trade are not overshadowed by the risk of illicit transfers of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons and related materials by and to non-State actors. It identifies opportunities to ensure that export and border control measures required by resolution 1540 contributes to setting a reliable, secure, and predictable regional trading system, and thereby serve as an enabler of trade flows and economic development.
This publication is the result of a collaboration between UNODA and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), with the financial support of the European Union and the Government of the United States.
Dear Colleagues,
We are very pleased to share the eleventh issue of the UNSGM newsletter, which covers the activities organized in support of the UNSGM for the second half of 2025. The UNSGM team at UNODA worked diligently to maintain the pace of activities in 2025. We are pleased to provide more details on these activities below, as well as an update on staffing for the UNSGM team to ensure the continued high standard of support going forward.
Dear Colleagues,
We are very pleased to share the tenth issue of the UNSGM newsletter. 2025 has proven to be another busy year for the UNSGM team. The first half of the year has already seen several training courses, a regional outreach workshop, and many other activities to strengthen the UNSGM – more details on which can be found in this issue.
This briefing paper provides an overview of the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management (GFA) and explores its relevance and implications for the Asia-Pacific region. Building upon discussions held during the Informal Regional Meeting in support of the GFA—organized by UNRCPD on 4–5 December 2024 in Kathmandu, Nepal—and based on desk research and a series of consultations, the paper identifies regional opportunities and challenges for GFA implementation. The paper begins with a brief history of the process leading to the elaboration and adoption of the GFA.
