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The Handbook builds on good practices and innovative approaches developed in the field, while taking into consideration the most recent international arms regulation standards. It responds to the greater need for arms control activities in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programmes, including weapons and ammunition management at the community level as part of community violence reduction projects. The material presented here equips DDR practitioners with practical resources to design effective weapons and ammunition management operations that can be implemented across the peace …

The potential role of the dark web in facilitating trade in firearms, ammunition and explosives has gained increased public attention following recent terrorist attacks and other criminal activities worldwide. In fact, the hidden and obscured parts of the web are used by criminals and others to access a worldwide market where it’s possible to procure or sell a wide range of weapons and associated products through encrypted marketplaces and vendor shops. Following the outcomes of the Third United Nations Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, which acknowledged the importance of considering new challenges and opportunities arising from new forms of illicit trafficking, this Occasional Paper summarises the main findings and implications of the first empirical study investigating the scale and scope of arms trafficking on the dark web. The …

This edition of the Occasional Paper celebrates the fifteenth anniversary of the United Nations Study on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Education, which was presented to the United Nations General Assembly in 2002 (A/57/124). It contains contributions by experts from around the world which showcase fresh perspectives, new ideas and innovations in disarmament and non-proliferation education. …

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms, the Office for Disarmament Affairs is publishing this special edition of the Disarmament Study Series. This volume contains a newly written overview of the Register for reference by Governments and the interested public, original material to guide national points of contact in preparing and submitting reports for the Register, and the report of the 2016 Group of Governmental Experts on the continuing operation of the …

This publication considers lethal autonomous weapon systems, approaching the issue from five different perspectives. It has been published ahead of the first meeting of the Group of Governmental Experts of the High Contracting Parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons mandated to examine issues related to emerging technologies in the area of lethal autonomous weapon systems in the context of the objectives and purposes of the Convention. …

This report illustrates how the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs has been able to achieve concrete results through partnerships with its donors, and how essential such support is in attaining important disarmament goals. …

Conceived as a comprehensive introduction to a field central to the work of the United Nations, Disarmament: A Basic Guide aims to provide a useful overview of the nuanced challenges of building a more peaceful world in the twenty-first century. It was written with the general reader in mind and it strives to be accessible without downplaying the complexity of the issues it explores. This fourth edition includes updated figures, tables and treaty statuses; new analysis of the key developments since 2012; discussion of two recently agreed legal instruments, the Arms Trade Treaty and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons; and a new chapter on emerging threats from cyber-weaponry, unmanned combat aerial vehicles and lethal autonomous weapons …

Summarizes developments and trends in 2016 on key issues of multilateral consideration at the international and regional levels. Reviews the activity of the General Assembly, the Conference on Disarmament and the Disarmament Commission. Contains a timeline that highlights events in multilateral disarmament in 2016. Has a foreword written by the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs. …

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is the first legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination. For those nations that are party to it, the treaty prohibits the development, testing, production, stockpiling, stationing, transfer, use and threat of use of nuclear weapons, as well as assistance and encouragement to the prohibited activities. This brochure describes the procedures that States must follow in order to sign, ratify, accept, approve or accede to this …

The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) effectively prohibits the development, production, acquisition, transfer, stockpiling and use of biological and toxin weapons. It was the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning an entire category of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). …