International Day of Disarmament and Non-proliferation

Group of Governmental Experts on Emerging Technologiesin the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons System. Geneva, 2-6 March 2026 - Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injuriousor to Have Indiscriminate Effects Watch the 10th Meeting - 1st Session Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems 2026! Meetings & Events

Group of Governmental Experts on Emerging Technologies in the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons System Geneva, 2-6 March 2026 - Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects, Watch the 9h Meeting - 1st Session Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems 2026 Meetings & Events

                        Our dream of peace is in peril. The threat of nuclear weapons use is the highest in decades. Global tensions are pushing military spending to stratospheric levels. Small arms and light weapons are proliferating. And emerging technologies are making conflicts even deadlier. We must lower the temperature. On this International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness, I urge leaders to step back from the brink. Stop rattling the nuclear saber. Halt the arms races. It’s time to invest in the architecture of peace, not the tools of war. That means living up to disarmament obligations. Rebuilding trust. And strengthening the systems and tools that prevent the proliferation, testing and use of deadly weapons. Together, we can prevent catastrophes and ensure a safe and peaceful world for all. António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General.

Multilateral disarmament negotiations under United Nations auspices have traditionally sought consensual outcomes, regardless of the specific formal decision-making rules governing particular bodies. The preference for consensus is rooted in the legitimacy it is perceived to confer in matters of security — the fundamental concern of States. Because disarmament is directly linked to international security and, by extension, national security, many States have considered consensual decisionmaking essential to producing outcomes that are both credible and implementable. Reflecting this approach, consensus decision-making was seen as essential to negotiations and deliberations in two of the three main disarmament bodies recognized in 1978 by the General Assembly at its first special session devoted to disarmament. The outcome document affirmed the central role of consensus — particularly in the realm of nuclear disarmament negotiations — and the priority States attached to it. The United ...

Consensus is generally understood as a decision-making procedure characterized by the absence of objection. In multilateral disarmament negotiations , however, “consensus” carries a particular nuance that distinguishes it from “unanimity”. In practical terms, consensus is reached when no State formally objects to a decision, including by requesting a vote. Importantly, “joining consensus” does not necessarily mean that a State agrees with every element of the text or outcome. It is entirely possible — and often the case — that a State joins consensus to adopt the text while maintaining specific reservations or substantive concerns. In this context, “ explanations of vote ” are an important tool for making consensus work in practice, allowing States to place reservations on the record without rejecting the outcome as a whole (see box 4). Explanations of vote may also be used to clarify why a State voted against a decision or chose to abstain. In some instances, States explicitly note ...

   Group of Governmental Experts on Emerging Technologiesin the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons SystemGeneva, 2-6 March 2026 - Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on theUse of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injuriousor to Have Indiscriminate Effects. Watch the 8th Meeting - 1st Session Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems 2026! Meetings & Events

Consensus decision-making is a well established practice in nuclear disarmament negotiations , the General Assembly having enshrined its centrality in the final document of the first special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament. Consensus has long been viewed as essential to producing effective and implementable agreements in the nuclear field, given the unique responsibility of nuclear-weapon States to disarm . At the same time, profound and persistent divergences of views — especially the entrenched division between nuclear “haves” and “have-nots ” — create unique obstacles to consensus, notably on matters directly related to the elimination of nuclear weapons and the Middle East . These challenges are perhaps most visible in the long-standing paralysis in the Conference on Disarmament, which has not carried out substantive negotiations for more than 25 years. Although some substantive discussions have taken place in subsidiary bodies and thematic meetings conven...

  The norm of consensus decision-making in  multilateral disarmament is well established, even though the rules for applying consensus have varied and evolved across forums, processes and types of decisions.  In practice, consensus is often treated as the default approach even where rules provide for voting. Consensus-based outcomes are therefore likely to remain a defining feature of multilateral disarmament negotiations, insofar as they are widely viewed as conferring legitimacy and universality. Despite innovations in how consensus has been interpreted and applied across disarmament and arms control processes , the principle can be expected to endure. The prevailing view that international security questions require consensus is likely to persist, given that such matters strike at the core of State security. At the same time, the tendency to treat consensus as de facto veto power has encouraged the pursuit of creative and adaptable alternatives rather than a strict, u...

A second edition of the interactive “ballot-box” installation will take place at Schwedenplatz, in the afternoon, bringing the conversation beyond the United Nations and into the public square. Open to all, the exhibit invites participants to cast their ballots on where global spending priorities should lie.   Interactive Exhibit on Military Expenditure  – Schwedenplatz, Vienna Thursday, 5 March – Afternoon In-person attendance at Schwedenplatz

  The Occasional Papers series was developed to give wider dissemination of input from expert panels and seminars, sponsored by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA). In this Occasional Paper, Adedeji Ebo ( Director and Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs ) and Katherine Prizeman (Political Affairs Officer in UNODA's Science, Technology and International Security Unit ) explore the role that consensus has played in specific, recent disarmament discussions and offer some recommendations on the way forward. Launch of UNODA Occasional Paper No. 47 – Revisiting Consensus in Multilateral Disarmament Discussions: Trends, Challenges and the Way Forward. On Thursday, from 5 March to 3PM EST. In-Person attendance in the First Floor Reading Room of the Dag Hammarskjöld Library * Registration to participate! Read Occasional Paper No. 47  here .

This virtual briefing will discuss the United Nations Secretary-General’s report on military expenditure,  “The Security We Need: Rebalancing Military Spending for a Sustainable and Peaceful Future.”  Participants will hear key findings from the report and learn from regional experts about what they mean for peace, security, and sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific. This briefing is the  first session of UNRCPD’s 2026 regional briefing series  and is open to a general audience, including academia, think tanks, civil society and youth, and interested members of the public. Implications of the Secretary-General’s Report on Military Expenditure for Asia and the Pacific. Thursday, 5 March – 10:15am UTC +5:45 (Nepal Time) – Virtual Event Register to participate!

  Interactive Exhibit on Military Expenditure. Monday, March 2nd, 2026, Starting at 1:30PM CET. In-person attendance in the Rotunda of the UN Vienna International Centre* From  2 to 6 March , the Rotunda of the Vienna International Centre (VIC) will host an interactive “ballot-box” installation inviting visitors to cast their vote on global spending priorities . With global military expenditures having reached a record of $2.7 trillion in 2024, this installation creates a space to reflect on how resources are allocated — and how they could be redirected toward sectors such as education, health and climate action. The installation will open on 2 March at 1:30 PM CET with welcoming remarks by the Permanent Representative of Kyrgyzstan, the Chief of the UNODA Vienna Office and Olamide Samuels (ONN), followed by a performance by the UN Choir and a reception.

Group of Governmental Experts on Emerging Technologiesin the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons SystemGeneva, 2-6 March 2026 - Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on theUse of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injuriousor to Have Indiscriminate Effects. Related Sites and Documents:  More Information . Watch the 7th Meeting - 1st Session Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems 2026!! Meetings & Events

 Group of Governmental Experts on Emerging Technologies in the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons System Geneva, 2-6 March 2026 - Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on theUse of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects. Related Sites and Documents:  More Information . Watch the 6th Meeting - 1st Session Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems 2026! Meetings & Events

Group of Governmental Experts on Emerging Technologies in the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons System Geneva, 2-6 March 2026 - Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on theUse of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects. Related Sites and Documents:  More Information . Watch the 5th Meeting - 1st Session Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems 2026! Meetings & Events

Ambassador Do Hung Viet (Viet Nam), President- designate for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) will hold in-person informal consultations with all States Parties. Watch the (Informal Consultations) 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons! Meetings & Events

Group of Governmental Experts on Emerging Technologies in the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons SystemGeneva, 2-6 March 2026 - Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on theUse of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injuriousor to Have Indiscriminate Effects. Related Sites and Documents:  More Information . Watch the 4th Meeting - 1st Session Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems 2026! Meetings & Events

The United Nations General Assembly has held three Special Sessions on Disarmament (SSOD), which fundamentally shaped the disarmament architecture and the subsequent discussions within it. Despite repeated calls since 1995, including recently in the Pact for the Future , a fourth special session remains elusive. This event examines the lasting impact of these sessions and explores a critical question: can the international community overcome current divisions to convene SSOD-IV? Hybrid event   entitled '' Accessing the legacy of the Special Sessions of the General Assembly devoted to Disarmament. '' Tuesday, 3 March 2026, starting at 9am EST. In-person attendance on the 15th Floor of the Secretariat Building, Room 1520**. Register to participate! +

Group of Governmental Experts on Emerging Technologies in the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons System Geneva, 2-6 March 2026 - Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects Watch the 3rd Meeting - 1st Session Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems 2026! Meetings & Events

Group of Governmental Experts on Emerging Technologies in the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons System Geneva, 2-6 March 2026 - Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects. Watch the 2nd Meeting - 1st Session Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems 2026! 02:46:55 Meetings & Events