International Day of Disarmament and Non-proliferation

  General Assembly and ECOSOC joint meeting on "Small arms and light weapons control for preventing violence and advancing sustainable development". This joint meeting of the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, in cooperation with the Office for Disarmament Affairs, aims to raise awareness of the importance of addressing small arms and light weapons in a holistic manner. It seeks to provide a platform for coordinated action, fostering collaboration across all relevant stakeholders to strengthen SALW control and its integration into broader UN frameworks. Related Documents:  PGA Letter & Background Note Watch Small arms and light weapons control for preventing violence and advancing sustainable development - Joint meeting of the UNGA and ECOSOC - General Assembly, 79th session!

The third Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons will be held at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 3 to 7 March 2025 Adopted in 2017 and having entered into force in 2020, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons includes a comprehensive set of prohibitions on participating in any nuclear weapon activities, as well as positive obligations related, inter alia, to victim and affected communities. The third Meeting of States will bring together States Parties and observers, including governments, international organizations and civil society. Related Documents: TPNW 3MSP . Watch the (10th plenary meeting) Third Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons!

The third Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons will be held at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 3 to 7 March 2025 Adopted in 2017 and having entered into force in 2020, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons includes a comprehensive set of prohibitions on participating in any nuclear weapon activities, as well as positive obligations related, inter alia, to victim and affected communities. The third Meeting of States will bring together States Parties and observers, including governments, international organizations and civil society. Related Documents: TPNW 3MSP . Watch the (9th plenary meeting) Third Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons!

Agenda Item 5: (Continued) Further consider and formulate, by consensus, a set of elements of an instrument, without prejudging its nature, and other possible measures to address emerging technologies in the area of lethal autonomous weapon systems, taking into account the example of existing Protocols within the Convention, proposals presented by High Contracting Parties and other options related to the normative and operational framework on emerging technologies in the area of lethal autonomous weapon systems, building upon the recommendations and conclusions of the Group, and bringing in expertise on legal, military, and technological aspects Agenda Item 6: Other matters Agenda Item 7: Adoption of the report Agenda Item 8: Closing of the meeting Watch the 10th Meeting - 1st Session Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems 2025!

Agenda Item 5: (Continued) Further consider and formulate, by consensus, a set of elements of an instrument, without prejudging its nature, and other possible measures to address emerging technologies in the area of lethal autonomous weapon systems, taking into account the example of existing Protocols within the Convention, proposals presented by High Contracting Parties and other options related to the normative and operational framework on emerging technologies in the area of lethal autonomous weapon systems, building upon the recommendations and conclusions of the Group, and bringing in expertise on legal, military, and technological aspects. Related Documents  Learn More Watch the 9th Meeting - 1st Session Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems 2025!

Brokers can play an important role in facilitating or acting as intermediaries in the legitimate conventional arms trade . The phenomenon of individuals and companies facilitating and arranging arms deals between states and between states and arms producers – for example, bringing sellers and buyers together – is not new. However, since the 1990s, and particularly in conflicts in Angola and West Africa, high-profile cases and popular culture have raised greater awareness of arms brokering . This applies in particular to the way in which some unscrupulous brokers are actively engaged in the diversion and illicit trade inconventional arms , including small arms and light weapons (SALW) , and ammunition to or between unauthorized (end-) users – including criminals, pirates, non-state armed groups (NSAGs) and groups listed as terrorist groups  and their procurement networks. The fact that such entities were not explicitly controlled or regulated by modern transfer control systems...

 When states and their armed forces run international military assistance programmes to train and equip security forces in other states (e.g., Iraq and Afghanistan), this often involves large-scale procurement efforts. Brokers have played proactive roles in these efforts. For example, CAR investigators identified largequantities of SALW produced largely in East European states and supplied between 2014 and 2017 under US Government contracts to security forces in Iraq – or to NSAGs operating in Syria – by brokers based, registered and domiciled in the United States. Subsequently, large quantities of these SALW were divertedto the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant(“Da’esh”) operating in Iraq and Syria . In Afghanistan, a similar dynamic was documented by CAR. In 2019, for example, CAR investigators documented a Hungarian-manufactured 7.62 × 39-mm AMD-65 assault rifle seized during counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban in Herat Province. The Government of Hungary ...

 As shown in the research consortium’s Diversion Analysis Framework (DAF), diversion can occur at any stage of the armstransfer chain and could be facilitated by unscrupulous brokers colluding with corruptofficials or by otherwise exploiting institutional weaknesses or failures. Brokers can therefore have a sense of impunity and can facilitate diversion in situations where the state in which they operate has grey areas or loopholes in its national legal framework. Through their market knowledge and network of contacts, brokers could exploit gaps and inconsistencies in national regulations. Unscrupulous arms brokers may employ a number of deceptive tactics and methods to divert arms, ammunition and related material, including in support of efforts to circumvent international sanction regimes and facilitate arms diversion to sanctioned governments, entities and individuals.  The most notable brokering activities that may lead to diversion include:  Use of front and she...

  Article 10 on brokering is among the least detailed provisions of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) . Except for the two suggested measures in the article’s second sentence, it provides little guidance for practical implementation. This section cross-references Article 10 with other applicable and relevant articles of the Treaty for a more comprehensive understanding and in support of its implementation (in Subsection 3.1). Importantly, it also examines how states parties are implementing Article 10 of the ATT .

  The above visualization sums up the global weapons trade during the Obama era, minus data from 2016. It was created by data scientist Hai Nguyen Mau , and each relationship plots the value of the weapons trade between two countries based on data from SIPRI . It’s important to note that while this data includes major weaponry transfers such as tanks, jets, missiles, and ships, it excludes guns and ammunition or military aid. Lastly, the thickness of each line represents the total value of each trade relationship, while the proximity of two linked countries shows how close each relationship is. (i.e. if a country only imports from Russia, they will be much closer to Russia than the U.S.) A Longtail Distribution The global weapons trade is dominated by a few major exporters, such as United States, EU, and Russia: Together, the United States, European Union, and Russia combine for over 80% of weapons exports, while the rest of the world fills out the “longtail” of the exporter distri...