This country insight presents the main findings of the WAM baseline assessment conducted in October 2024 by the Government of the Republic of The Gambia, through the NatCom SALW, in cooperation with UNIDIR and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The publication draws from the comprehensive baseline assessment report shared by UNIDIR in cooperation with ECOWAS to the Government of The Gambia. It includes information on existing institutional and operational capacities, policies and procedures, as well as challenges faced by national authorities at strategic and operational levels, and options for further strengthening the national framework governing through-life management of weapons and ammunition in The Gambia.

UNIDIR encourages States, regional and sub-regional organisations, and relevant international partners to consult this WAM country insight, as well as its country insight series and annual updates. These resources can serve as a basis for strengthening WAM policies and practices at different levels and for planning, implementing and evaluating future projects related to WAM and areas in The Gambia, as well as other African States respectively.

Citation: Theò Bajon and Hardy Giezendanner. “Weapons and Ammunition Management Country Insight: Republic of The Gambia”, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2026, https://doi.org/10.37559/CAAP/26/WAM/04.

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Neurotechnologies, while still emerging, are advancing rapidly and gaining prominence. These technologies have a clear dual-use nature: in addition to civilian applications, military research laboratories are actively exploring ways to enhance soldiers’ cognitive, sensory and physical capabilities, including through direct brain-machine interfaces with uncrewed systems. The potential military use of neurotechnologies raises significant security concerns and could affect the conduct of warfare, presenting complex disarmament, ethical and legal challenges.

The Innovations Dialogue 2025, building on existing international efforts, sought to provide a neutral space to address this topic through the lens of arms control, disarmament and international security. It did so by examining the current state of neurotechnologies, considering associated risks and opportunities for international peace and security, and exploring pathways towards responsible governance.

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By examining official documents, analyzing relevant laws and regulations, and investigating the structure of government agencies, this paper sheds light on the Republic of Korea’s potential to conduct international cyber operations and the principles likely to govern their deployment.

Citation: So Jeong Kim, International Cyber Operations: Doctrines and Capabilities of the Republic of Korea (Geneva: UNIDIR, 2026).

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Drawing on data from 13 RECSA Member States, the study establishes 2005 and 2025 baselines across 16 thematic areas. The review finds clear progress in the implementation of the Nairobi Protocol. Member States have reinforced national legislation and established transfer control systems, while improving stockpile management, weapons marking and record-keeping. Controls over civilian possession and commercial actors have also expanded, alongside growing institutional and enforcement capacity. Yet implementation remains uneven, with persistent weaknesses in legislation, cross-border cooperation, civilian licensing, border control, tracing, record-keeping, and the collection and destruction of illicit and surplus SALW.

The report recommends that RECSA Member States undertake a review of the Nairobi Protocol to strengthen existing provisions, align it with global and African frameworks, and address new and emerging threats. By identifying effective practices and common challenges, this scorecard provides an analytical foundation for amending the Nairobi Protocol, revising its Best Practice Guidelines and developing a five-year action plan, which will in turn equip States with updated guidance for effective SALW control.

Citation: Ruben Nicolin, Lillian Wamuyu, Benjamin Agage and Paul Holtom. The Nairobi Protocol on Small Arms and Light Weapons at 20: A Regional Implementation Scorecard. Geneva, Nairobi: UNIDIR, RECSA, 2026. https://doi.org/10.37559/CAAP/26/ASC/03.

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After a decade of reporting under the ATT, how much transparency exists regarding transfers of SALW? What has changed in practice? This policy brief examines reporting trends for the period 2015–2024 and assesses what the available data reveal about how ATT States Parties implement the Treaty’s obligations.

It highlights both the progress and the worrying trends in State reporting on international transfers of SALW and explores how additional national reporting practices, such as information on brokering authorisations and licence denials, could further strengthen understanding of the global authorised SALW trade. The analysis aims to provide food for thought ahead of the March 2026 meetings of the ATT Working Group on Transparency and Reporting.

Citation: Lara Maria Guedes Gonçalves Costa and Paul Holtom. Arms Trade Treaty Reporting on Small Arms Transfers: What Have We Learned? Geneva: UNIDIR, 2026

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Citation: Sean Molloy, ”Reframing Child Participation in Today’s Conflict-Affected Contexts”, MEAC Research into Action, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2026, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/26/02.  

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Through a series of dynamic, multi-stakeholder panel discussions, the event examined the ripple effects such incidents can have across borders and sectors, highlighting the growing interdependence of digital ecosystems.

This report also offers clear, action-oriented guidance for relevant stakeholders seeking to enhance resilience, cooperation, and preparedness.

Citation: UNIDIR Security and Technology Programme, 2025 Cyber Stability Conference, Crisis Averted: Cyber Resilience in Action (Geneva: UNIDIR, 2026).

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Organized into three interrelated sections, the report explores:

• Evolving cyberthreats: From attacks on critical infrastructure and supply chains to the rise of ransomware, disinformation and cybercrime, this section analyses how the growing scale and complexity of cyberattacks pose systemic risks to national, regional and global stability. It explains how these threats operate and includes case-based illustrations of their real-world impacts on peace and security.
• Cyberthreat actors: Examining the increasingly blurred lines between State and non-State actors in cyberspace. This section explores the motivations and tactics of various actors, including States, cybercriminals, hacktivists and private entities, and highlights how overlapping behaviours may complicate response.
• Emerging technologies: Focusing on artificial intelligence and quantum computing, this section outlines how technological advancements are reshaping offensive and defensive cyber operations. The report considers how these technologies offer new opportunities for cybersecurity while also creating new vulnerabilities and strategic risks for the international community.

Throughout, the report provides explanatory textboxes designed to help diplomats and policymakers better understand how cyberattacks work at a technical level, as well as case studies that concretely demonstrate the international security impacts of malicious cyber activity. By demystifying complex technical concepts and contemporary trends, the report hopes to support national and international deliberations to strengthen resilience, reduce risks and advance an open, secure, stable, accessible and peaceful cyberspace for all.

Citation: UNIDIR Security and Technology Programme, Securing Cyberspace for Peace: Insights into Cyberthreats and International Security in 2025 (Geneva: UNIDIR, 2026).

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Against this background, UNIDIR, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa organized in 2023 a regional seminar on preventing violent extremism (PVE) and weapons and ammunition management (WAM) in West Africa. The seminar called for adopting an integrated approach to both issues and recommended a study to support this paradigm shift.

This empirical study examines an integrated approach to address the illicit supply of weapons and the root causes of violence by analyzing intersections between PVE and WAM across policy frameworks, institutions and operational practices. It identifies existing good examples of integrating PVE and WAM and explores promising, context-specific opportunities in the region. The study derives practical steps to support States, regional and continental organizations, UN entities and other stakeholders in operationalizing such an integrated approach in West Africa and beyond.

Citation: United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa, and Peace and Human Rights Division of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, “Integrating the Prevention of Violent Extremism and Illicit Weapons Proliferation in West Africa: A Way Forward”, Geneva, 2026, https://doi.org/10.37559/CAAP/26/PACAV/02 

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This report summarizes key discussions and takeaways from the conference’s sessions.

The post Outer Space Security Conference 2025 Report first appeared on UNIDIR.

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.

The results highlight both areas where participants’ priorities align with the support they receive and persistent gaps that may undermine the overall effectiveness of reincorporation efforts. They also show that participants continue to face significant obstacles—including economic hardship and insecurity—that affect their transition to civilian life and, in some cases, may increase the risk of returning to illicit activities, thereby jeopardizing peacebuilding efforts. The report offers concrete recommendations to strengthen support within the reincorporation process and to inform future disarmament, demobilization and reintegration-style initiatives, as well as broader peacebuilding strategies in Colombia and beyond.

Citation: Angela Olaya, Kyle Johnson, Sofia Rivas, Jente Althuis, Moritz Hoene, Siobhan O’Neil, “Headway and Hurdles: The Reincorporation Progress and Challenges Faced by FARC-EP Ex-combatants”, Findings Report 49, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2026, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/26/01

El informe analiza las experiencias, los avances y los principales desafíos que enfrentan los exintegrantes de las FARC-EP en su proceso de reincorporación. Los hallazgos se basan en 319 encuestas realizadas entre julio y octubre de 2025 a participantes activos en cuatro ubicaciones: dos Espacios Territoriales de Capacitación y Reincorporación —Tierra Grata (departamento del Cesar) y Mariana Páez (departamento del Meta)— así como las ciudades de Bogotá y Medellín.

Los hallazgos identifican tanto áreas en las que las prioridades de las y los participantes se alinean con el apoyo recibido como brechas persistentes que podrían socavar la eficacia general del proceso de reincorporación. También evidencian que las y los participantes continúan enfrentando desafíos importantes —como dificultades económicas e inseguridad— que afectan su tránsito a la vida civil y que, en algunos casos, pueden aumentar el riesgo de regresar a actividades ilícitas. El informe presenta recomendaciones concretas para fortalecer el acompañamiento ofrecido dentro del proceso de reincorporación, para orientar futuras iniciativas de desarme, desmovilización y reintegración, así como estrategias más amplias de construcción de paz en Colombia y más allá.

Citation: Angela Olaya, Kyle Johnson, Sofia Rivas, Jente Althuis, Moritz Hoene, Siobhan O’Neil, “Avances y Desafíos en la Reincorporación de Exintegrantes de las FARC-EP”, Findings Report 49, UNIDIR, Ginebra, 2026, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/26/01

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Facilitated by UNIDIR, the consultations sought to build on the 2024 REAIM Regional Consultations and the 2023 and 2024 Summits, in addition to capturing evolution in national views and policies on responsible AI in the military domain, regional priorities and multi-stakeholder engagement over the year.

This report seeks to capture the main takeaways from the five regional consultations, summarizing participants’ views and a selection of UNIDIR’s observations. Specifically, these observations are centred around a number of common threads that ran through all of the regional consultations (even though minor adjustments were made for each regional event to factor in its respective local context and realities):

• National policies and practices
• Looking back (post-REAIM 2023 and 2024 reflections)
• Looking ahead (reflections for the 2026 REAIM Summit)

In addition, this report provides a comprehensive overview of some of the takeaways from the discussions held with the multi-stakeholder community. One key objective of the consultations, in acknowledgment of the importance of multi-stakeholder engagement, is to take stock of the views of regional representatives from industry, civil society, academia and research institutes, as well as regional and international organizations.

This report also looks into the operationalization of responsible AI principles across the life cycle of AI-enabled military capabilities through the lenses of assurances, incident response, crisis management and risk reduction.

The report then lays out States’ reflections on the REAIM journey three years on from the inaugural summit. It concludes by identifying substantive areas of priority that States wish to see further pursued, both within REAIM and beyond, before presenting a series of concrete recommendations for the road ahead.

Citation: Yasmin Afina, The Global Prism of Military AI Governance: Reflections from the 2025 Regional Consultations on Responsible AI in the Military Domain (Geneva: UNIDIR, 2026).

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This report analyses key trends in the use of UASs by NSAGs in Myanmar, with a particular focus on post-coup developments. It aims to provide researchers, policymakers and practitioners with an overview of how these systems have been adopted and employed by various groups across the country, and of their implications for evolving conflict dynamics. It examines the types of NSAGs deploying UASs, the geographical distribution of incidents, as well as the primary targets and impacts of their operations. The report also explores trends in the craft-production, modification and weaponization of these systems, identifying the key factors enabling the rapid adoption and diffusion of UAS capabilities among NSAGs, including the widespread availability of commercial components, access to open-source knowledge, decentralized knowledge-sharing networks and improvised production practices.

By examining the Myanmar case, the report provides insights into the expanding role of uncrewed systems in contemporary armed conflicts. It highlights the challenges that the growing development and use of these systems may pose for existing arms control frameworks, as well as for international security and stability more broadly.

Citation: Joshua Angelo Estrada Bata and Bárbara Morais Figueiredo, “The use of uncrewed aerial systems by non-State armed groups: Exploring trends in Myanmar”. Geneva: UNIDIR, 2026. https://doi.org/10.37559/CAAP/26/ERC/01

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Drawing on desk research and interviews with national CSIRTs and international and regional networks, the brief analyses how domestic institutional arrangements shape CSIRTs’ capacity to engage in effective information exchange and collaboration at the bilateral, regional and global levels.

The brief identifies key challenges and highlights good practices to enhance information exchange and coordination, as well as offering practical recommendations to support States in strengthening national CSIRTs and advancing responsible State behaviour in cyberspace.

Citation: Samuele Dominioni and Helena Hinkel, Strengthening National CSIRT Cooperation: From Domestic Setups to International Networks (Geneva: UNIDIR, 2026)

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The report assesses how former associates of Boko Haram and former affiliates of community security actors like the CJTF and Yan Gora are doing economically compared to their non- affiliated peers, to inform reintegration support in the region. The findings are based on three-part survey conducted in the North East of Nigeria between 2021-2023 and highlight the reintegration journeys of individuals who left Boko Haram prior to the “mass exits” following the death of leader Abubakar Shekau in May 2021. A comparative section incorporates more recent data from a panel survey conducted in 2024-2025, showing how earlier findings remain relevant for those who exited during or after the mass exits.

Citation: Jente Althuis, Kato Van Broeckhoven, Francesca Batault, Mohammed Bukar and Fatima Yetcha Ajimi Badu, “Rebuilding Lives: Understanding Economic Well-being After Exiting an Armed Group in the North East of Nigeria,” Findings Report 48, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2025, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/25/12. 

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The workshop focused on promoting equality and innovation in international cooperation and capacity building in the nuclear field. It featured expert presentations and open discussions covering a range of approaches to training and technical cooperation.

Citation: UNIDIR and VCDNP, “Promoting equality and innovation in the nuclear field: Workshop report”, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2025.

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This toolkit offers practical explanations of how the WPS and arms control/disarmament policy and programming fields are mutually reinforcing, to help demystify these fields and facilitate their integration. It includes dozens of examples and ideas to integrate arms control and disarmament measures into WPS NAPs. Although the examples and suggestions are non-exhaustive, they can serve as references to inspire action on WPS projects and programmes.

Citation: Myrttinen, Henri, Anastaesia Mondesir, and Mariana Terreros Lozano. Toolkit: Addressing Weapons-Related Risks in Women, Peace, and Security National Action Plans. Geneva, Switzerland: UNIDIR, 2025.

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It analyses 197 National Action Plans on WPS, adopted by 106 States and territories between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2024. In doing so, it demonstrates the relevance of arms control and disarmament to the four pillars of the WPS Agenda: prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls and violations of their rights, the protection of women and girls and of their rights, full and meaningful participation of women in all areas of peace and security, as well as post-conflict and post-crisis relief and recovery.

Citation: Myrttinen, Henri, Anastaesia Mondesir, and Mariana Terreros Lozano. Closing Gaps: Strengthening the Women, Peace and Security Agenda through Arms Control and Disarmament. Geneva, Switzerland: UNIDIR, 2025.

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The findings in this report are based on quantitative data collected in two rounds of a panel survey collected between January and March 2024 and January and February 2025 in three States affected by banditry violence: Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara. By questioning certain common narratives around the banditry conflict, livelihoods and tribal affiliation, this report aims to inform a more nuanced approach to the conflict and responses to violence.

Citation: Johanna Kleffmann, Moritz Hoene, Francesca Batault, Kato Van Broeckhoven, Siobhan O’Neil, Jente Althuis, Mohammed Bukar, and Fatima Yetcha Ajimi Badu, “Exposure, Not Identity? Understanding Victimization by Bandits in Nigeria’s North West”, Findings Report 47, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2025, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/25/11. 

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The insights were drawn from research conducted by UNIDIR’s Managing Exits from Armed Conflict with the Nasa Indigenous Community of Northern Cauca, Colombia, as well as on interviews with 18 experts on the topic. These research projects evidenced that despite growing evidence of the existence and prevalence of CRSV against men and boys, the issue remains under-investigated, and this group is largely overlooked in programming initiatives.

With proper contextualization, the recommendations may prove useful for international actors aiming to adopt more inclusive approaches and strengthen support for male survivors in their own settings.

Citation: Sofia Rivas, “Combating Conflict Related Sexual Violence Against Men and Boys: Challenges and Opportunities”, Fieldwork Note, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2025, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/25/10

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It explores how a data-driven approach can better enable States and their armed forces to identify risks to civilians during the planning and execution of such operations and to manage those risks more effectively. The report also considers how data can inform the review and development of policies and operational practices, as well as supporting functions such as training, doctrine, capabilities, processes and leadership structures.

Drawing on good practices and lessons learned, the report provides practical considerations to guide a meaningful and effective implementation of the Declaration, and concludes with recommendations on leveraging data to achieve its ultimate goal: strengthening the protection of civilians and reducing harm from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.

Citation: Bárbara Morais Figueiredo and Larry Lewis, “Leveraging Data to Reduce Civilian Harm during Military Operations in Populated Areas:Practical, Data-Driven Steps to Implement the Political Declaration on EWIPA” UNIDIR, Geneva, 2025.

The post Leveraging Data to Reduce Civilian Harm during Military Operations in Populated Areas: Practical, Data-Driven Steps to Implement the Political Declaration on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas first appeared on UNIDIR.

The study highlights existing barriers to farming and agricultural livelihoods, such as climate shocks and mass displacement, and their negative impact on reintegration. It also includes recommendations on how policies and programmes can better support dignified, sustainable and climate-resilient pathways for returnees.

Citation: Amos Benjamin and Francesca Batault, “Farming Amid Conflict: Agricultural Challenges and Their Impact on the Reintegration of Former Boko Haram Associates in the North East of Nigeria”, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2025.

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Citation: Kato Van Broeckhoven, Francesca Batault, Mohammed Bukar, and Fatima Yetcha Ajimi Badu, “Building Bridges: Community Acceptance of Former Boko Haram Associates in the North East of Nigeria”, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2025.

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