The Disarmament and International Security Committee, or First Committee, is holding its 81st session from 5 October to 3 November 2026.
The United Nations General Assembly First Committee addresses issues related to disarmament, global challenges and threats to peace that affect the international community, working to find solutions to challenges in the international security regime.
It reviews matters of disarmament and international security under the UN Charter or other relevant UN bodies, the general principles of cooperation in maintaining global peace, as well as principles of disarmament and the regulation of armaments. The First Committee also promotes cooperative arrangements and measures to strengthen stability through lower levels of armaments.
During this year’s First Committee session, UNIDIR will convene a dynamic series of discussions addressing today’s most pressing international security challenges. These events will place AI at the centre of discussions, exploring its security implications, non-proliferation, and the development both of national strategies and of a Framework for Responsible Industry Behaviour for AI in the Military Domain. They will also present UNIDIR’s Centre of Excellence on AI, Peace and Security and examine youth perspectives on the nuclear-AI nexus.
Further discussions will cover science and technology developments across the disarmament spectrum, space security, and information integrity in conventional arms control. The programme will also introduce UNIDIR’s updated AI Portal, a security lexicon for AI, and an online global compendium of effective national measures for countering improvised explosive devices.
More information on UNIDIR’s 2026 side events is coming soon.