From June 2018 to December 2019, the European Union and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs held a series of regional workshops and expert meetings to promote participation in the high-level fissile material cut off treaty (FMCT) expert preparatory group consultative process by States in Africa, in Asia and the Pacific and in Latin America and the Caribbean. This Occasional Paper offers a review of the project’s outcome, as well as perspectives shared by participants in its workshops and expert meetings. For additional context, a brief introduction to the purpose and history of the proposed treaty is also provided.
This paper examines the evolving role of consensus in multilateral disarmament negotiations from the tenth special session of the General Assembly (1978) to the present day. It aims to support Member States in considering how to balance progress on disarmament with the legitimacy associated with consensus-based outcomes. Rather than offering a legal definition or interpretation of consensus, the authors reflect upon historical examples of its practical application, particularly in the areas of nuclear disarmament and conventional arms.
The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) stands as a landmark achievement in the history of disarmament. For half a century, it has embodied the international community’s collective determination to ensure that advances in life sciences are never turned to destructive uses. As we commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of its entry into force in 2025, the Convention continues to serve as both a moral compass and a legal foundation for global efforts to prevent the development, production, and use of biological weapons.
The objective of this handbook is to compile basic knowledge and means for artificial intelligence (AI) practitioners to understand, evaluate and mitigate, in the research and innovation process, the risks of the diversion and misuse of civilian AI technology by irresponsible actors. The handbook shows why and how decisions around the development and diffusion of research and innovation can impact risks of misuse, and in turn generate risks or even opportunities for international peace and security.
