On 20 July 2016, UNRCPD contributed to a seminar organized under an international youth education project entitled “Applying Lessons from Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapons Free Zone to Establishing a Northeast Asian Nuclear Weapons Free Zone,” held in Bali, Indonesia, from 19 to 22 July 2016. The Director of UNRCPD, Mr. Yuriy Kryvonos, delivered an extensive presentation on the activities of the UN Office of Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) in the field of arms control confidence-building, disarmament and non-proliferation, as well as peace and disarmament education. Students from universities of Japan and Indonesia were presented the history of efforts undertaken by the UN to maintain peace and security in the world since its creation up to present time. They were also familiarized with the mandates provided by the UN Charter and special sessions of the First Committee that resulted in forming the UN disarmament machinery, including the UNODA. A special attention during the presentation was paid to issues related to establishing NWFZs in the region of Asia and the Pacific. The project is generously funded under the Davis Projects for Peace, Davis UWC Scholars Program of Middlebury College.
BEIJING, July 2016 – The High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Mr. Kim Won-soo, took part in the International Workshop on Cyber Security, where he gave opening remarks on 11 July and participated in an interview on issues pertaining to cyber security with China Central Television (CCTV), on July 14 2016.
On 30 June 2016, in Bangkok, Thailand, Mr. Yuriy Kryvonos, the Interim Director of UNRCPD, had a meeting with Ambassador Sumith Nakandala, the Secretary General of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), a regional organization comprising seven Member States in South Asia and Southeast Asia covered by UNRCPD’s mandate. Opportunities for cooperation between BIMSTEC and UNRCPD were discussed, including counter terrorism and the promotion of implementation of the United Nations Security Council resolution 1540 (2004), small arms control, peace and disarmament education, and the Sustainable Development Goals (regarding reducing illicit arms flows). Concrete steps of cooperation in the future were also considered during the meeting.
The High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Mr. Kim Won-soo, gave remarks at the awards ceremony for the UNSCR 1540 International Student Essay Competition. Read the remarks here
The UNODA has published a “Study on a Treaty Banning the Production of Fissile Material for Nuclear Weapons or Other Nuclear Explosive Devices.” Read the full publication here.
Statement Secretary-General's message to the Conference on Disarmament [delivered by Kim Won-soo, Acting High Representative for Disarmament Affairs] Geneva, Switzerland, 26 January 2016 I am pleased to send my greetings to all those taking part in the Conference on Disarmament as it begins its 2016 session.
Ms. Shorna-Kay Richards is the Deputy Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the United Nations in New York. She is a career diplomat and has been a member of the Jamaica Foreign Service since September 1994. Read more and Listen here.
Statement by Mr Mogens Lykketoft, President of the 70th session of the General Assembly at Informal Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the first meeting of the General Assembly. Read more here.
The General Assembly today, closely following the recommendation of its First Committee (Disarmament and International Security), where delegates increased their participation in debates by 40 per cent from last year, adopted 57 draft resolutions and decisions
Watch the Secretary-General's video message to 14th Republic of Korea-United Nations Joint Conference on Disarmament and Non-proliferation Issues here.
Read the Opening Remarks at the 14th Republic of Korea-United Nations Joint Conference by Acting High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Mr KIM Won-soo here.
The fourteenth United Nations–Republic of Korea Joint Conference on Disarmament and Non‑Proliferation Issues will take place in Seoul, Republic of Korea, from 7 to 8 December. Read more here.
The Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention will hold its Twentieth Session (CSP-20) from Monday, 30 November to Friday, 4 December 2015 at the World Forum Convention Center (WFCC) at Churchillplein 10, The Hague, the Netherlands
The Government of the Philippines and the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific, with the financial support of the Government of Germany, are jointly organizing a workshop on capacity-building for the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects
The Secretary-General welcomes the fiftieth anniversary of General Assembly Resolution 2028, the historic resolution that established the five principles for a Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in 1965. Read statement here.
Secretary-General's message to the 61st Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs - Nagasaki's Voice: Remember your Humanity, delivered by Mr. Kim Won-soo, Under Secretary-General and Acting High Representative for Disarmament Affairs. Read statement here.
With the aim of increasing awareness of the need for nuclear disarmament, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs is sponsoring a global United Nations “Poster for Peace” contest, inviting citizens all over the world to join in and use their artistic talents to help promote a world free of nuclear weapons.
