2022 Disarmament Orientation Course: Table of Weapons and Technologies → UNIDIR

The order followed by this table corresponds to that of modules 2, 4, 5 and 6 of the 2021 Orientation Course and is not intended to be exhaustive of all weapons and technologies.

This table should be read in conjunction with the separate Reading List. Acronyms used in this table are listed at the end.

Module 2: Weapons of Mass Destruction

Weapon or potential weaponization

Existing or potential treaty regime(s)

Administering body & other relevant forums & agencies

Main Meetings of States Parties (MSPs), and Reviews

Treaty reference sites

& other key references

Nuclear

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), 1968

The NPT has no formal secretariat. It relies on ODA, New York for support

Reviewed 5-yearly in New York. Meets in Vienna, Geneva and New York in each of the 3 years prior to the Review Conference. The NPT Review Conference in 2020 was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is tentatively rescheduled for August 2021.

http://disarmament.un.org/treaties/t/npt

Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT), 1963

http://disarmament.un.org/treaties/t/test_ban

Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), 1996 (not in force)

CTBTO, Vienna (monitors nuclear tests)

http://disarmament.un.org/treaties/t/ctbt

Module 4: Conventional Weapons

Weapon or potential weaponization	Existing or potential treaty regime(s)	Administering body …	Main MSPs and Reviews	Treaty reference sites & other key references
Inhumane Weapons (other than WMD)	Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), 1980	CCW ISU, Geneva	Annual conferences	https://www.un.org/disarmament/the-convention-on-certain-conventional-weapons/ See also:https://www.icrc.org/en/document/1980-convention-certain-conventional-weapons
Protocols on Non-detectable Fragments (P I), Mines, Booby-traps etc (AP II), Incendiary (P III) Blinding Lasers (P IV), Explosive Remnants of War (P V)	CCW Protocols I to V (1980, 1995, 1996 and 2003) including Amended Protocol II (APII) (1996)	CCW ISU, Geneva	Annual conferences for AP II & P V only	https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-2-b&chapter=26&clang=_en https://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-2-a&chapter=26 https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-2-d&chapter=26&clang=_en
Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)	See CCW AP II	See also dedicated General Assembly process		https://www.un.org/disarmament/convarms/ieds/
Explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA) (includes IEDs)	Mode of addressing the EWIPA issue, e.g. via a Political Declaration, is under discussion	Discussions in CCW and General Assembly	N/A	https://www.un.org/disarmament/convarms/explosive-weapons/
Anti-personnel landmines	Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, 1997	ISU, Geneva	5-yearly Review Conferences; annual MSPs	https://www.apminebanconvention.org/overview-and-convention-text/
Cluster munitions	Cluster Munitions Convention (CCM), 2008	ISU, Geneva	5-yearly Review Conferences; annual MSPs	https://www.clusterconvention.org/the-convention/convention-text/
An aspect affecting all weapons issues and armed conflict in general = International Humanitarian Law (IHL)	Geneva Conventions 1949 & Additional Protocols I & II, 1977	ICRC, Geneva	4-yearly Review	https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/vwTreaties1949.xsp
*Arms Trade*
Small arms to battle tanks, combat aircraft and warships	Arms Trade Treaty (ATT)	Secretariat, Geneva	Conferences of the States Parties meet as required	https://thearmstradetreaty.org/ See also: https://www.un.org/disarmament/convarms/arms-trade-treaty-2/
	UN Register of Conventional Arms			https://www.un.org/disarmament/convarms/register/
Small arms and light weapons	Programme of Action on small arms & light weapons (PoA), 2001	ODA, New York	Biennial reviews & 5-yearly Review Conferences	https://www.un.org/disarmament/convarms/salw/programme-of-action/
	International Tracing Instrument (ITI)	ODA, New York	Biennial reviews & 5-yearly Review Conferences	https://unoda-web.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/ITI_English.pdf
Firearms, their parts, components and ammunition	Firearms Protocol, 2005	UNODC, Vienna	Biennial Conferences of States Parties	https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XVIII-12-c&chapter=18&clang=_en See also: http://www.poa-iss.org/BPD/Upload/UNODC%20Legislative%20guide%20for%20Firearms%20Protocol.pdf
Ammunition	Accumulation of conventional ammunition stockpiles in surplus	ODA, New York	GGE 2020	https://undocs.org/GGE/PACAS/2020/5

Module 5: Space and Missiles

Weapon or potential weaponization

Existing or potential treaty regime(s)

Administering body …

Main MSPs and Reviews

Treaty reference sites & other key references

Space weapons and Earth-based weapons capable of targeting space assets

Outer Space Treaty (OST), 1967

(forbids placement of WMD in outer space)

Office for Outer Space Affairs, Vienna

COPUOS meets annually

https://treaties.un.org/Pages/showDetails.aspx?objid=0800000280128cbd

and https://www.unoosa.org/

Missile-related goods and technologies

Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), 1987

No Secretariat. France is the ‘Point of Contact’.

Members meet annually

https://mtcr.info/guidelines-for-sensitive-missile-relevant-transfers/

Annex: https://mtcr.info/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/MTCR-TEM-Technical_Annex_2019-10-11-1.pdf

Module 6: ICT, Cyber and LAWS

This module deals not with traditional weapons as such but with developments in the field of information and telecommunications (ICT) in the context of international security, including the potential for military and other uses of artificial intelligence (AI), and cyber technology for malicious purposes.

https://www.un.org/disarmament/ict-security/

and https://unidir.org/publication/2020-cyber-stability-conference-future-dialogue

AI artificial intelligence

AP Amended Protocol

ATT Arms Trade Treaty

BWC Biological (and Toxins) Weapons Convention (also BTWC)

CCM Cluster Munitions Convention

CCW Convention on Conventional Weapons

CWC Convention on Chemical Weapons

CD Conference on Disarmament

COPUOS Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space

CTBT Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

CTBTO Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation

GGE Group of Government Experts

IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency

ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross

ICT Information and communications technologies

IEDs improvised explosive devices

IHL International Humanitarian Law

ISU Implementation Support Unit (i.e., secretariat)

ITI International Tracing Instrument

LAWS Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems

ML MACHINE LEARNING

MSPs Meetings of States Parties

MTCR Missile Technology Control Regime

NPT Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

NWFZs (regional) nuclear-weapon-free zones

ODA United Nations Office for Disarmament

OEWG Open-ended Working Group

OOSA Office for Outer Space Affairs

OPCW Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

OST Outer Space Treaty

PoA Programme of Action on small arms and light weapons

PTBT Partial Test Ban Treaty

TPNW Treaty Prohibiting Nuclear Weapons

UAVs Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones)

UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

UNOG United Nations Office Geneva

VCDNP Vienna Centre for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation

WMD weapons of mass destruction