7 December 2016, 15:00-18:00
FMCT Workshop III
UNIDIR, together with the Government of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC), and in partnership with UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), conducted a series of consultative seminars entitled, “National Baseline Assessment on Weapon and Ammunition Management”, from 2-5 August 2016 at MONUSCO in Kinshasa, DRC. This series of seminars was organized as part of UNIDIR’s project "International Small Arms and Ammunition Guidance Platform (ISAP Phase II)".
Link to video broadcasted by MONUSCO.
Fissile Material (Cut-off) Treaty: Definitions, Verification, and Scope
This paper aims to present a summary of the issues related to definitions, verification and scope taking into account the most recent discussions that have taken place in the expert community. The first section considers various approaches to defining the term fissile material for FM(C)T purposes. The second section examines how different approaches to definitions would affect the treaty verification activities; both downstream verification as well as verification measures that would have to be implemented at production facilities. The final section presents an overview of the measures that would be required to extend the scope of the treaty to pre-existing stocks and to ensure irreversible elimination of excess military material.
Report of the International Security Cyber Issues Workshop Series
UNIDIR and the Center for Strategic and International Studies organized three expert workshops to open and broaden the discussion of international norms for responsible State behaviour in cyberspace and to identify new ideas to support further progress by the international community. The first focused on identification of new norms, the second on the application of international law, and the third on ways to manage the spread of malicious cyber tools. The intent was to build on past progress and to expand the space for international agreement on measures to increase stability and security in cyberspace.
Space Security 2016—Conference Report
Following the 2015 joint session of the UN General Assembly’s First and Fourth Committees on possible challenges to space security and sustainability, during which states discussed various options for preserving space for peaceful uses and preventing an arms race, and the consensus adoption of the First Committee resolution on Transparency and Confidence-building Measures in Outer Space, UNIDIR’s 2016 Outer Space Conference focused on the current status of issues and processes critical to maintaining space as a peaceful domain.
Weapons of Mass Destruction
Emerging Security Threats
Conventional Weapons
Disarmament Machinery
Security and Society
The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research is a voluntarily funded autonomous institute within the United Nations. An impartial actor, the Institute generates ideas and promotes action on disarmament and security. Based in Geneva, UNIDIR is centrally positioned to assist the international community in developing the practical, innovative thinking needed to find solutions to the challenges of today and tomorrow.
UNIDIR brings together states, international organizations, civil society, the private sector and academia so that we may work together—internationally, regionally and locally—to build and implement creative solutions that will benefit all states and peoples.
The Institute’s driving Vision is that of a world in which human security is ensured, where peace prevails over conflict, weapons of mass destruction are eliminated, conventional arms proliferation is avoided, and reduced military spending accompanies global development and prosperity as envisioned in Article 26 of the United Nations Charter. UNIDIR thus seeks to serve as an agent of progressive change towards those goals.
The Mission of the Institute is to assist the international community in finding and implementing solutions to disarmament and security challenges. Through its research and educational efforts, UNIDIR seeks to forward arms control and disarmament, contribute to conflict prevention and promote the development of a peaceful and prosperous world. UNIDIR strives to anticipate new security challenges and threats and to elaborate possible methods to address them before they become critical. Finally, UNIDIR serves as a bridge—among United Nations disarmament, security and development organizations and between the United Nations system and the broader security community—to create the necessary synergies to address and mitigate the effects of insecurity at the international, regional and local levels.
