Peace and Security through

DISARMAMENT

United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002

 Charter of the United
Nations
We the Peoples of the United Nations
… United for a Better World

Article 11
The General Assembly may consider the general principles of
cooperation in the maintenance of international peace and
security, including the principles governing disarmament and the
regulation of armaments…

Article 26
In order to promote the establishment and maintenance of
international peace and security with the least diversion for
armaments of the world's human and economic resources, the
Security Council shall be responsible for formulating … plans to
be submitted to the Members of the United Nations for the
establishment of a system for the regulation of armaments.

United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002

 Charter of the United
Nations
We the Peoples of the United Nations
… United for a Better World

Article 51
Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right
of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack
occurs against a Member of the United Nations, until the
Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain
international peace and security. Measures taken by
Members in the exercise of this right of self-defence shall be
immediately reported to the Security Council and shall not in
any way affect the authority and responsibility of the
Security Council under the present Charter to take at any
time such action as it deems necessary in order to maintain
or restore international peace and security.

United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002

10th SPECIAL SESSION DEVOTED TO
DISARMAMENT -1978
The General Assembly. 

Alarmed by the threat to the very survival of mankind posed by

the existence of nuclear weapons and the continuing arms
race, and recalling the devastation inflicted by all wars,

Convinced that disarmament and arms limitation, particularly

in the nuclear field, are essential for the prevention of the
danger of nuclear war and the strengthening of international
peace and security ……..,

Having resolved to lay the foundations of an international

disarmament strategy which aims at general and complete
disarmament under effective international control.

United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002

 FACTS:
• World military expenditure peaked at $1.3 trillion in 1987. After
a period of decline, it slowly rising today and now stands at
more than $ 839 billion, accounting for 2.6% of world GDP and
corresponding to an average of $137 per capita.

• Industrialized countries account for about 80 per cent of global

military expenditures. The United States accounts for almost
half of the world’s total arms production; France and UK for 10
percent each and Germany, Russia and Japan – for roughly 4
per cent each.

• In 1945, only one nation possessed a nuclear bomb. Today,

there are five recognized nuclear-weapon States in terms of
the Treaty for the Non-Proliferation of nuclear weapons, and
three nuclear-weapon capable States.

• More than 30,000 nuclear warheads are still present in the

world, many on high alert, ready to be launched on warning.

United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002

 MORE FACTS:
• Today, 80 per cent of the world’s spending on armaments is
on conventional weapons and weapons systems.

• The annual global trade in conventional arms is estimated to

be around $30 billion. Nearly 70 per cent of this expenditure
was incurred by importing countries from the developing
world.

• One-third of the nations of the earth are affected by mines and

unexploded ordinance (UXO). The countries most affected are
those least able to reverse the devastating impact of mines.

• About 550 million small arms are in circulation world-wide.

United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002

 DISARMAMENT ISSUES

•Weapons of Mass Destruction

•Conventional Weapons

•Outer Space

•Disarmament and Development

•Regional Disarmament

•Emerging Issues

United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002

Conventional
Weapons
Nuclear Weapons

Outer Space
Chemical Weapons

Disarmament
and
Development
Biological Weapons

Regional
Disarmament

WMD Terrorism
Emerging
Issues United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002
 NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Bilateral agreements:
•The 1972 SALT I Agreement

•The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM Treaty)

•The 1979 SALT II Treaty

•The 1987 Intermediate‑and Shorter - Range Nuclear

Forces Treaty (INF Treaty)

•The 1991 Strategic Arms Limitation and Reduction Treaty

(START I)

United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002

 NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Bilateral agreements:
•The 1992 Lisbon Protocol to START I

•The 1993 Strategic Arms Limitation and Reduction Treaty

II
(START II)
•2000-with the ratification of START II by the Russian
Federation, the US Senate needs to approve a 1997
protocol to the Treaty in order for the Treaty to enter into
force. This will then open the way for formal START III
negotiations to begin.

•2002 Treaty on Strategic Offensive Reductions

•Unilateral reductions

United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002

 NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Multilateral agreements
•The 1963 Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the
Atmosphere, in Outer Space and under Water (Partial Test-Ban
Treaty)

•The 1968 Treaty on the Non -Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

(NPT)
- Nuclear Safeguards of the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA)
- The 1997 Model Additional Protocol

•The 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT)

-The Preparatory Commission for the CTBT Organization
(CTBTO PrepCom, based in Vienna)

•Future agreements:
- Fissile Material Treaty

United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002

KEEPING THE WORLD - AND OUTER SPACE
-FREE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS

United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002

CHEMICAL WEAPONS
Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)
- Entered into force 1997

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical

Weapons (OPCW), The Hague, Netherlands

BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS
Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)
- Entered into force 1975.

Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of

Asphyxiating, Poisonous or Other Gases, and of
Bacteriological Methods of Warfare (Geneva Protocol)
- Signed at Geneva on 17 June 1925. Prohibits the
use of biological or chemical weapons in war.

United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002

 WMD TERRORISM
• The threat is real and global: small nuclear device
or radiological materials, chemical or bioterrorism.
• Objective: To ensure that terrorists do not acquire
and use Weapons of Mass Destruction: National
defense and counter- terrorism; prevention through
disarmament.
• Prevention: Strengthened international
disarmament agreements and implementing
agencies: NPT and IAEA, physical protection of
nuclear material, tracking of illicit material traffic,
vigorous chemical weapons inspection regime by
OPCW; and monitoring of compliance and
verification of the BWC.
United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002
 Weapons of
Mass
Destruction
Small Arms & Light Weapons

Outer Space

Anti-personnel Landmines
Disarmament &
Development

Regional Major Conventional Weapons

Disarmament

Emerging
Issues United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002
SMALL ARMS &
LIGHT WEAPONS
In terms of the carnage they cause,
small arms, indeed could well be
described as “weapons of mass
destruction”.
Secretary-General’s Millennium Report, 2000

•United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small

Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects.

•Coordinating Action on Small Arms (CASA)

•Practical Disarmament Measures - Trust Fund for the

Consolidation of Peace through Practical Disarmament
Measures

United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002

ANTI-PERSONNEL LANDMINES
Amended Protocol II to the Convention on
Certain Conventional Weapons
- entered into force in 1998

Mine-Ban Convention
- entered into force in 1999

United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002

TRANSPARENCY MEASURES
FOR CONVENTIONAL ARMS

United Nations Register of Conventional Arms

- established in 1992

United Nations system for the standardized

reporting of military expenditures
- introduced in 1980

United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002

MULTILATERAL DISARMAMENT
Conventional Arms

Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons

(CCW)
- entered into force in 1980

Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe

(CFE Treaty)
- entered into force in 1990

United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002

 Weapons of
Mass Multilateral treaties:
Destruction

•1967 Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities

Conventional
Weapons
of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer
Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial
Bodies (Outer Space Treaty)
Disarmament & •1963 Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in
Development
the
Atmosphere, in Outer Space and under Water
(Partial Test - Ban Treaty)
Regional
Disarmament •1979 Agreement Governing the Activities of
States
on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies
Emerging
Issues United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002
Weapons of
Mass
Destruction •The International Conference on the
Relationship between Disarmament
Conventional
Weapons
and Development, convened in 1987

- The Programme of Action

Outer Space

•High-level Steering Group on

Disarmament and Development
Regional
Disarmament set up in May 1999

Emerging
Issues United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002
 Weapons of
Mass
Destruction
•Regional agreements in the areas
of nuclear and conventional
Conventional
Weapons disarmament and non-proliferation

•United Nations regional centres

Outer Space
for peace and disarmament

Disarmament &
•Cooperation with regional
Development inter-governmental organizations

Emerging
Issues United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002
 Weapons of
Mass
Destruction
•Missile proliferation and missile
Conventional defences
Weapons

•Information security
Outer Space

Disarmament &
•Revolution in military affairs
Development

Regional
Disarmament United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002
DISARMAMENT MACHINERY
General Assembly
(deliberative) Security Council
Special sessions on disarmament:
1978, 1982 and 1988
Conference on
Disarmament
First Disarmament
(negotiating forum)
Committee Commission
Non-UN bodies:
Department for Disarmament Affairs
(DDA) OPCW
(The Hague)
UN Institute for Disarmament
Research (UNIDIR) Preparatory Commission for
CTBTO (Vienna)
S-G’s Advisory Board on
Disarmament Matters IAEA (Vienna)

United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002

 Department for Disarmament Affairs
(DDA)

Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs

Director and Deputy to USG

CD Secretariat and
Weapons of Mass
Conference Support
Destruction Branch
Branch (Geneva)

Monitoring, Database
Conventional Arms
and Information
Branch
Branch

Centres for:
Regional Disarmament Asia, Africa, and
Branch Latin America &
Caribbean

United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002

DISARMAMENT INFORMATION
AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES
•United Nations Disarmament Information
Programme (Voluntary Trust Fund)

•United Nations Disarmament Fellowship Programme

•Disarmament Week - 24 October

•Messenger of Peace (US actor and producer Michael

Douglas)

•Liaison with civil society, NGOs and academic institutions

•Cooperation with DPI

United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002

 DISARMAMENT INFORMATION
RESOURCES
•DDA Internet website ([Link])

•DDA Publications:
-United Nations Disarmament Yearbook
-Quarterly DDA Update
-Occasional papers

-Publications of the Regional Centres (e.g. Bulletin Africain pour la Paix)

•DDA Library

•DDA Audio-visual materials (documentary on small arms; PowerPoint

presentation)

•Tour-guide exhibit at Headquarters

•Briefing for visiting groups (call 212 963 4440)

•UNIDIR publications and activities

United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002

 CONTACT INFORMATION:

Mailing address:

Department for Disarmament Affairs

United Nations
NYC, NY 10017
USA

Telephone: 1 212 963 2874; 7714; 8199

Fax: 1 212 963 1121
Internet: [Link]
Email : ddaweb@[Link]

United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2002