Following on from the 80th anniversary not only of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki but also of the founding of the United Nations, it offers a reminder that collective action can and should continue to make a major, positive difference, just as it has for the past eight decades.

It also lays out UNIDIR’s priorities for 2026 and invites partners to work with us to address security challenges both emerging and longstanding, open up vital spaces for dialogue, shape innovative policy solutions – and work towards a more secure world for all.

The post UNIDIR Roundup and Outlook 2026 first appeared on UNIDIR.

By collaborating with an increasingly diverse network of partners around the world, we have sharpened our focus on frontier technologies, pushed the boundaries of knowledge through major conferences on key issues, put capacity-building at the core of what we do, and innovated for impact through new additions to our suite of digital confidence-building tools.

UNIDIR will continue to tackle critical issues, generate innovative solutions and foster dialogue despite division in 2025, a year that will see both the launch of our next five-year strategy and celebration of our 45^th anniversary.

With the eyes of the world once again on weapons, we have both an opportunity and an obligation to remind the international community of what disarmament and arms control can do.

The post UNIDIR Roundup and Outlook 2025 first appeared on UNIDIR.

The recently adopted Pact for the Future reflects an urgent commitment to enhancing international cooperation in this domain. In particular, Action 22 of the Pact calls for more coordinated global efforts to secure our oceans through stronger maritime governance, environmental stewardship and measures to prevent the escalation of conflicts at sea. With increasing threats from climate change, geopolitical tensions and technological developments, acting swiftly and decisively is necessary to prevent further destabilization of our maritime environments. 

Within this context, UNIDIR’s report marks the first comprehensive exploration of contemporary maritime security and provides an essential baseline for understanding these diverse and complex challenges, setting the context for future in-depth studies.  

The post Securing the Seas: A Comprehensive Assessment of Global Maritime Security first appeared on UNIDIR.

It also looks ahead to 2024 and invites partners to work with us in addressing the key challenges, creating spaces for inclusive dialogue, developing new solutions – and building a more secure world for all.

The post UNIDIR Roundup and Outlook 2024 first appeared on UNIDIR.

To address this issue, the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), with the support of France and Germany, organized a high-level retreat in Montreux, Switzerland, on 22–23 June 2023 to discuss ideas to revitalize the work of the CD and its relationship with the wider disarmament machinery. Seventy-nine participants from 60 States (including 51 CD Member States and 9 States that have applied for Observer status to the CD) participated in the retreat in their personal capacity.

This report provides a factual summary of the discussion in Montreux.

Citation: Fanny Sebban, James Revill, Johanna Kleffmann, Renata H. Dalaqua and Vivienne Zhang (2023) “Revitalizing the Conference on Disarmament: Workshop Report”, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2023, https://doi.org/10.37559/WMD/23/CD-Retreat.

The post Revitalizing the Conference on Disarmament: Workshop Report first appeared on UNIDIR.

• Disarmament, economic growth, and inequalities;
• Disarmament for sustainable cities;
• Innovative disarmament efforts in light of the 21st century’s environmental challenges;
• Gender mainstreaming for sustainable disarmament and development.

The number of submissions received and the diversity of participants sharing their perspectives and insights speak to the success of this year’s Global Youth Disarmament Essay competition, with 121 essays from participants of 38 different nationalities. This publication presents the top five essays, as selected by a panel of international experts and UNIDIR staff. It showcases the next generation’s views on disarmament, security, and development at the local, national, regional, and global levels.

Citation: Various authors (2022) “Disarmament, Security and Development Nexus: Compendium of UNIDIR Annual Youth Disarmament Essay Competition’s Best Essays”, UNIDIR, Geneva, Switzerland.

The post Disarmament, Security and Development Nexus: Compendium of UNIDIR Annual Youth Disarmament Essay Competition’s Best Essays first appeared on UNIDIR.

Teaser: Presentation

The post Director Statement to the United Nations General Assembly First Committee, 2011 first appeared on UNIDIR.

The post Breaking the Ice in the Conference on Disarmament: A Wrap-up first appeared on UNIDIR.

The post New Types and Systems of WMD: Consideration by the CD first appeared on UNIDIR.

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The post Civil Society and the Conference on Disarmament first appeared on UNIDIR.

The post Fissile Material Negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament first appeared on UNIDIR.

The post Nuclear Disarmament in the Conference on Disarmament first appeared on UNIDIR.

Scientific and technological capabilities, together with the needs of society, have changed much over the last 36 years. The BTWC regime has responded to these changes by promoting wider stakeholder involvement and exchange, promoting education and encouraging innovation in the BTWC intersessional process. As the international community prepares for the Seventh BTWC Review Conference later this year, we have invited many of these stakeholders, including representatives from states parties, the convention’s Implementation Support Unit, scientists, biological associations and the private sector, to reflect on passed and current activities and to voice their views of what could—or should—be done to further strengthen the regime.

Citation: Kerstin Vignard (ed.) (2011). “Disarmament Forum: Beyond the BTWC RevCon”, UNIDIR, Geneva.

Disponible aussi en français.

Content

• Editor’s note, Kerstin Vignard
• Why the 2011 BTWC RevCon might not be business as usual – Piers Millett
• Bringing science to security: soft implementation of the BTWC – Kavita M. Berger and Neil Davison
• Biosafety professionals as stakeholders in the BTWC – Gary Burns, Karen Byers, Teck Mean Chua, Heather Sheeley and Brad Goble
• Verification for the BTWC: if not the protocol, then what? – Richard Lennane
• The 2007–2010 intersessional process and the future of the BTWC – Masood Khan, Georgi Avramchev, Marius Grinius and Pedro Oyarce
• UNIDIR focus

The post Disarmament Forum: Beyond the BTWC RevCon first appeared on UNIDIR.

The post The Conference on Disarmament: Breaking the Ice first appeared on UNIDIR.

The post Addressing Civilian Harm from Explosive Weapons Use in Populated Areas: Activities Underway first appeared on UNIDIR.

Citation: Yury Yudin (2010). “Multilateralization of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Helping to Fulfil the NPT Grand Bargain”, UNIDIR, Geneva.

The post Multilateralization of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Helping to Fulfil the NPT Grand Bargain first appeared on UNIDIR.

The nuclear abolition movement has been patient and persistent. Some might say that the movement has been too patient and has weakened since the end of the Cold War. Current political conditions have provided an opportunity to reinvigorate the movement. But where is the mass movement? In the unprecedented networked era in which we live, why does the movement seem to be so dispersed and fragmented? A wealth of organizations and campaigns—new and old—seem to be competing for audience, for financial resources, for visibility. Or is this just a symptom of campaigns in the era of social media? Should we stop looking for demonstrations in the streets and rather turn our attention to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube?

This issue of Disarmament Forum considers the question of civil society and nuclear abolition. How can the objective of nuclear disarmament and abolition once again captivate and motivate the public as it did during and even immediately following the Cold War? Are there lessons that could be drawn from more recent (and more successful) civil society movements in other areas of disarmament? What are the steps to building civil society partnership into the nuclear disarmament dialogue? How can we ensure a “seat at the table” for civil society on nuclear issues, as has been achieved recently with landmines and cluster munitions—where civil society was a valued partner in the process, not marginalized to the role of cheerleader outside the negotiating chamber? The expert contributions to this issue address these questions and more in a manner that is both thought-provoking and forward-looking. 

Citation: Kerstin Vignard (ed.) (2010). “Disarmament Forum: Civil Society and Nuclear Disarmament”, UNIDIR, Geneva.

Disponible aussi en français.

Content

• Editor’s note, Kerstin Vignard
• Where is the nuclear abolition movement today? Lawrence S. Wittner
• Generations of change: persuading post-Cold War kids that disarmament matters, Nina Eisenhardt and Tim Wright
• From aspiration to success: shaping civil society action to change nuclear weapons policy, Alyn Ware
• Now we can: civil society and governments moving toward a ban on nuclear weapons, Dimity Hawkins
• Nuclear disarmament, civil society and democracy, Andrew Lichterman
• Close encounter with nuclear deterrence, Robert Green
• UNIDIR focus

The post Disarmament Forum: Civil Society and Nuclear Disarmament first appeared on UNIDIR.

The post Disarmament Machinery: A Fresh Approach first appeared on UNIDIR.