What threats do weapons pose?


Disarmament is at the Heart of the United Nations objectives.


Weapons of mass destruction, in particular nuclear weapons, continue to be of primary concern, due to the existential threat they pose to humanity. The accumulation and illicit trafficking in conventional weapons jeopardize international peace and security and sustainable development, while the use of explosive weapons in populated areas endangers civilian lives and infrastructure. New and emerging weapon technologies, such as lethal autonomous weapons, further risk imperiling global security


 The United Nations General Assembly met for the first time in 1946, in Central Hall on Parliament Square in London. The image depicts UK Prime Minister Clement Attlee, addressing the opening session. Established in 1945 under the Charter of the United Nations, the General Assembly occupies a central position as the chief deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United Nations. Its very first resolution established a commission of the United Nations Security Council to ensure (1) the ‘control of atomic energy to ensure its use only for peaceful purposes,’ and (2) ‘the elimination from national armaments of atomic weapons and all other major weapons adaptable to mass destruction.’ As such, disarmament is at the heart of the United Nations.





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