Updates

The Second National Workshop on the implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) was held in Kathmandu, Nepal on the 9-10 June. The workshop was part of an assistance programme for Nepal and was organised by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), through the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD) and the UNODA-Geneva Branch, and with financial support from the European Union (EU), in cooperation with the government of Nepal.

The workshop was carried out with the inter-agency Working Group in…

The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, and China Arms Control and Disarmament Association jointly organised an International Workshop on Information and Cyber Security  in Beijing, China, on 5-6 June 2014 The workshop brought together senior officials from agencies that lead their respective national coordination on cyber security issues, as well as senior representatives from the host country, various international organisations, international and national non-…

UNRCPD, together with the Government of Myanmar, hosted a capacity building workshop in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. The purpose of the workshop was to assist government agencies in Myanmar, involved in small arms and light weapons control, to effectively implement the provisions of the UN Programme of Action (UN PoA).

The workshop was attended by government officials from various security sector agencies who discussed the policy and technical issues of implementing the UN PoA. Discussions focused on analysis of firearms in Myanmar, relevant international and regional…

The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), through UNRCPD and the UNODA-Geneva Branch, organised a workshop on national implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) and the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

The workshop brought together Mongolian experts and implementing authorities with international experts on the subjects to discuss ways to reinforce national implementation based on identified best practices. They also identified key partners, conducted an initial needs and priorities…

A workshop was organised with 12 agencies of the Government of Nepal on 20-21 February 2014 to support the future implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) in the country. The workshop brought together stakeholders and implementing authorities that will be involved with the national process to ratify and implement the provisions of the BWC. This activity is part of an international assistance programme to promote universal adherence to the treaty and to enhance national capabilities to fulfill treaty obligations. It was co-organised by UNRCPD and UNODA-…

The United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Ms. Angela Kane, paid a week-long visit to UNRCPD and Nepal in early January 2014. The purpose of the journey was for High Representative to visit UNRCPD offices and hold discussions with the staff on innovative ways for UNRCPD to deal with issues of regional peace and disarmament. The visit also provided an opportunity for High Representative to meet the UN Nepal Country Team and hold consultations with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Madhav Prasad Ghimire, and with the Chair of the Council of Ministers Khil Raj…

UNRCPD together with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines organised the Second Asia Regional Meeting to Facilitate Dialogue on the Arms Trade Treaty from 26-27 November 2013 in Manila. The purpose of the Second Meeting was to provide a forum for further dialogue on the ATT and to identify together priority areas, discuss common challenges, as well as identify tools for assistance for countries in their efforts to move towards signing and ratifying the Treaty. As in the First Meeting in February, the Second Meeting was an opportunity for senior-level officials to come…

The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD), in cooperation with the Republic of Korea, has continued the Jeju Process by organising the 12th Republic of Korea-United Nations Joint Conference on Disarmament and Non-proliferation Issues, on Jeju Island (Republic of Korea), 14-15 November 2013.

On 28 October 2013, Ms. Sharon Riggle, Director of UNRCPD, presented on behalf of the Regional Centre to the First Committee to the 68th General Assembly.

Speaking as part of the Regional Disarmament and Security cluster of the 18th Meeting of the First Committee, alongside Director and Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Ms. Virginia Gamba, and the Directors of the UN Regional Centres in Lima, Peru and Lomé, Togo, Ms. Riggle reported on the activities of UNRCPD and introduced future plans and projects.

This year UNRCPD marks the 5th anniversary of its presence in the Asia-Pacific region. Since its relocation in 2008 from New York to Kathmandu, Nepal, UNRCPD has been working hard to enhance engagement with states and other stakeholders across the region. To celebrate the occasion, UNRCPD will host a reception in Kathmandu for the international community, government and civil society on 20 September. Artwork from the annual children’s drawing competition will also be on display.

With UNRCPD’s support, Nepal is implementing a new model of delivering Peace and Disarmament Education to meet post-conflict challenges. UNRCPD has created a video to illustrate the start of a journey of Peace and Disarmament education which will initially reach 300,000 Nepali schoolchildren. By addressing the roots of interpersonal violence and reducing the demand for arms, the project will help strengthen the fragile peace that the people of Nepal have worked tirelessly to achieve. International Day of Peace will be celebrated across the world on 21 September, with a special…

For the second year, UNRCPD engaged Nepali schoolchildren on the subject of peace and challenged them to reflect on what it means to them in their lives. The 2013 Children’s Art Competition, with a theme of ‘Peace for Everyone’, took place at 12 Kathmandu Valley schools this summer.

The schools invited UNRCPD into their grade 5-8 classrooms to lead thought exercises on peace and conflict. The children were then asked to think about how peace is important for them, their families and communities. The results were 900 colourful and creative expressions of their ideas through…

UNRCPD facilitated a regional meeting on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) in advance of the Final UN Conference on the ATT, held in New York City from 8-28 March 2013. The regional meeting took place in Kuala Lumpur on 26-27 February 2013 and was hosted by the Government of Malaysia.

The purpose of the two-day meeting was to create a forum for regional dialogue and to share views in advance of the upcoming negotiations. The meeting was an opportunity for senior officials involved in the negotiations to come together to exchange ideas and discuss issues of concern with their…

The 24th United Nations Conference on Disarmament Issues took place in Shizuoka City, Japan, from 30 January to 1 February 2013. This annual event was organised by UNRCPD, the regional branch of UNODA, and in co-operation with the Government of Japan and the host city of Shizuoka.

The purpose of the Conference is to provide an informal setting for frank and open discussion on critical issues related to disarmament and security. With the overarching theme of “Creating a Peaceful and Safe Future: Pressing Issues and Potential Solutions”, the Conference…

UNRCPD, together with the Government of Thailand, organised a workshop from 11 to 13 December 2012 in Bangkok on implementing the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (PoA). The focus of the three-day workshop was to assist national agencies and experts involved in small arms and light weapons to implement the provisions of the PoA at the national level. The workshop was sponsored by the Government of Germany.

Read the Summary Report from the UNRCPD Workshop…

In cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Korea, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, through its Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD), organized the 11th Republic of Korea-United Nations Joint Conference on Disarmament and Non-proliferation Issues, on Jeju Island, Republic of Korea, from 2 to 4 December 2012.

In 2012, the  theme of the Conference was “Disarmament and Arms Trade Control in Asia and Beyond −…

First introduced in 2009 on the margins of the annual UN Conference on Disarmament Issues in Japan, this successful peace and disarmament education initiative has continued annually since. The 2012 event in Saitama consisted of presentations by students from six high schools, followed by an exchange of views on their proposals, including their thoughts on the United Nations, overseen by a panel of representatives from the MoFA Japan, UNODA, Saitama City Board of Education and UNRCPD. The event serves as an excellent example of promoting peace and disarmament education while also…

“Children and Peace” was the theme of the 2012 Art Competition for young people, took place from 15 July to 31 August 2012, in Kathmandu, Nepal, organized by the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD).

The main objective of this art competition was to promote peace and disarmament education for schoolchildren, increase awareness and better understanding of peace and disarmament issues at the individual, local and international levels, and have the children reflect on their role in a peaceful society through drawing.…

The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs organised a meeting to promote the implementation of the UN Programme of Action (PoA) for Asian countries in Bali, Indonesia, on 5-6 March 2012. The meeting, jointly organised by the UNODA and the Government of Indonesia, brought together states from the Asian region to review and advance implementation of the Programme of Action at the regional level, and to contribute to the broader consultation process of the second United Nations Conference to Review Progress Made so far in the Implementation of the PoA, to be held in August 2012…

The Tenth United Nations-Republic of Korea Joint Conference on Disarmament and Non-proliferation Issues took place in Jeju, Republic of Korea, on 7 and 8 November 2011. The event was organized jointly by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs through its Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific and the Government of the Republic of Korea.

The annual Conference has been jointly organised by the United Nations and the Republic of Korea since 2002. Known as the “Jeju Process”, it is well-known for providing an informal setting for frank and…