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United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) Occasional Papers
The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) publishes the UNODA Occasional Papers series to feature, in edited form, papers that deal with topical issues in the field of arms limitation, disarmament and international security, including statements made at meetings, symposiums, seminars, workshops or lectures.
1 - 20 of 36 results
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UNODA Occasional Papers No. 36
Language: EnglishPublication Date: September 2020More LessThis paper offers a preliminary analysis of the effects of COVID-19 (coronavirus) on the ammunition management sector in the spring of 2020. It raises key issues related to the risks associated with conventional ammunition through the implementation of relevant control and management measures. It argues that shifts in national priorities and reduced resources may affect overall international disarmament efforts by undermining the management of conventional ammunition, and potentially enhance the risks of accidental explosions and diversion. Ammunition management needs to remain a priority during and after COVID-19.
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UNODA Occasional Papers No. 35
Author: United NationsLanguage: EnglishPublication Date: June 2020More LessThis publication addresses the issue of military spending from various angles by examining the impact of military expenditures on security; the relationship between military spending and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; the importance of gender perspectives in rethinking unconstrained military spending; and lessons learned from economic conversion movements. It has been published in support of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Secretary-General’s Agenda for Disarmament to encourage renewed research and analysis on the relationship between military spending and economic and social development.
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UNODA Occasional Papers No. 34
Author: United NationsLanguage: EnglishPublication Date: December 2019More LessThis publication describes the achievements and shortfalls of the first twenty years of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction, which entered into force on 1 March 1999. Published with the aim of bringing together diverse perspectives on this key instrument of humanitarian disarmament, the paper was written by pioneers and luminaries of the movement that helped achieve the Convention and that committed themselves towards realizing the Convention’s full implementation. Each chapter contains discussions of an element of the Convention.
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UNODA Occasional Papers No. 33
Author: United NationsLanguage: EnglishPublication Date: August 2019More LessThis publication provides a historic overview of the efforts within the United Nations to reduce military spending. It examines how the discussions on reducing military budgets have evolved in disarmament forums over the last decades. This includes early efforts to pursue the reduction of military spending throughout the Cold War period as a distinct objective of general and complete disarmament, the emergence of efforts related to promoting transparency on military matters, and the various workstreams carried out under the banner of the relationship between disarmament and development.
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UNODA Occasional Papers No. 32, October 2018
Author: Giacomo Persi PaoliLanguage: EnglishPublication Date: November 2018More LessThis document summarizes the main findings and implications of the first empirical study investigating the scale and scope of arms trafficking on the dark web, which was conducted by RAND Europe and the University of Manchester from September 2016 to July 2017. There is an ongoing debate over the extent to which online black markets on the so-called “dark web”, the part of the Internet not searchable by traditional search engines and hidden behind anonymity software, facilitate arms trafficking. Details have emerged in the media following the Munich shooting in 2016 linking the weapons used by the attacker to vendors on dark web marketplaces (also known as cryptomarkets). Some media reports have also linked the Paris terrorist attacks in November 2015 to these platforms. While these reports appear to have raised concerns about the role of such dark web markets in arms trade, evidence on the subject is largely anecdotal, based on secondary data as reported after events such as terrorist attacks or successful law enforcement operations.
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UNODA Occasional Papers No. 31, December 2017
Author: United NationsLanguage: EnglishPublication Date: April 2018More LessThis edition of the Occasional Paper, published by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, celebrates the fifteenth anniversary of the United Nations Study on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Education, which was presented to the United Nations General Assembly in 2002 (A/57/124). It contains contributions from experts from around the world, which showcase fresh perspectives, new ideas and innovations in disarmament and non-proliferation education.
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UNODA Occasional Papers No. 30, November 2017
Author: United NationsLanguage: EnglishPublication Date: January 2018More LessThis publication considers lethal autonomous weapon systems, approaching the issue from five different perspectives. It has been published ahead of the first meeting of the Group of Governmental Experts of the High Contracting Parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons mandated to examine issues related to emerging technologies in the area of lethal autonomous weapon systems in the context of the objectives and purposes of the Convention. The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs Occasional Papers are a series of ad hoc publications featuring, in edited form, papers or statements made at meetings, symposiums, seminars, workshops or lectures that deal with topical issues in the field of arms limitation, disarmament and international security.
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UNODA Occasional Papers No.29: Bringing Democracy to Disarmament - A Historical Perspective on the Special Sessions of the General Assembly Devoted to Disarmament, October 2016
Author: Randy RydellLanguage: EnglishPublication Date: November 2016More LessThe United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) Occasional Papers is a series of ad hoc publications presenting, in edited form, papers or statements made at meetings, symposiums, seminars, workshops or lectures that deal with topical issues in the field of arms limitation, disarmament and international security. They are intended primarily for those concerned with these matters in Government, civil society and in the academic community. This paper provides historical background on the special sessions of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament (1978, 1982 and 1988) and discusses efforts to convene a fourth special session. The Assembly has used these sessions to enable Member States to participate in the process of developing or strengthening global norms in disarmament. Complementing work done elsewhere in the multilateral disarmament machinery, the sessions enable consideration of how the various parts of the disarmament puzzle fit together in a coherent whole.
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UNODA Occasional Papers No.28: Rethinking General and Complete Disarmament in the Twenty-First Century, October 2016
Language: EnglishPublication Date: October 2016More LessThe United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) Occasional Papers is a series of ad hoc publications presenting, in edited form, papers or statements made at meetings, symposiums, seminars, workshops or lectures that deal with topical issues in the field of arms limitation, disarmament and international security. They are intended primarily for those concerned with these matters in Government, civil society and in the academic community. This publication's authors, who include some of the world’s leading scholars, diplomats and activists on the topic, examine historic, strategic, humanitarian and economic aspects of general and complete disarmament to elaborate and elevate the case for prohibiting conventional weapons systems as well as nuclear weapons. The featured articles were originally presented at the seminar held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 21 October 2015 entitled “Comprehensive Approaches for Disarmament in the Twenty-first Century: Rethinking General and Complete Disarmament”. It was organized by the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy at at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica.
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UNODA Occasional Papers No. 27: Sessions of the Nuclear Discussion Forum, December 2015
Language: EnglishPublication Date: June 2016More LessThe United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) Occasional Papers is a series of ad hoc publications presenting, in edited form, papers or statements made at meetings, symposiums, seminars, workshops or lectures that deal with topical issues in the field of arms limitation, disarmament and international security. They are intended primarily for those concerned with these matters in Government, civil society and in the academic community. This publication contains the presentations made during the Nuclear Disarmament Forum (NDF) held in 2015. Founded in 2011 by the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United Nations, the NDF has proven itself to be a very useful addition to the global debate on nuclear non-proliferation, disarmament and security. It serves a unique function as a venue for informal diplomacy and allows for an honest exchange of ideas on how the international community can work towards its shared goal of a world free of nuclear weapons.
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UNODA Occasional Papers No.26: The New Zealand Lectures on Disarmament by High Representative Angela Kane, June 2014
Author: United NationsLanguage: EnglishPublication Date: July 2014More LessThe United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) Occasional Papers is a series of ad hoc publications presenting, in edited form, papers or statements made at meetings, symposiums, seminars, workshops or lectures that deal with topical issues in the field of arms limitation, disarmament and international security. They are intended primarily for those concerned with these matters in Government, civil society and in the academic community. This Occasional Paper is a collection of High Representative Angela Kane's speeches during her visit to New Zealand in April 2014. The speeches she delivered at a range of venues provide a comprehensive stocktake of the prospects and challenges currently confronting disarmament and arms control efforts. Her balance sheet registers both progress, most notably in the field of conventional arms (in particular, last year’s historic adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty), and a lack of progress—especially as regards nuclear disarmament.
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UNODA Occasional Papers No.25: The Gun-Free Zone - A Tool to Prevent and Reduce Armed Violence, December 2013
Author: United NationsLanguage: EnglishPublication Date: June 2014More LessUNODA Occasional Papers is a series of ad hoc publications that deal with topical issues in the field of arms limitation, disarmament and international security and are intended primarily for those concerned with these matters in Government, civil society and in the academic community. This paper brings together existing information and experiences from practitioners and policy makers and analyzes the impact of Gun-Free Zones (GFZs) in order to determine when and where GFZs can be a valuable measure to prevent and reduce armed violence. It gives national governments, local authorities and international development and peacebuilding agencies and organizations a better understanding of GFZ in order to incorporate, where applicable, this tool into their strategies.
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UNODA Occasional Papers No. 24: Contrasting Perspectives on Tactical Nuclear Weapons in Europe
Author: United NationsLanguage: EnglishPublication Date: December 2013More LessThis series of ad hoc publications deals with topical issues in the field of arms limitation, disarmament and international security and are intended primarily for those concerned with these matters in Government, civil society and in the academic community. This issue focuses on tactical nuclear weapon (TNW) reduction, both in the US and Europe. Despite the many debates, little has been done in recent years to reduce or eliminate the forward-deployed NATO nuclear weapons. This paper presents an overview of relevant discussion points ranging from a brief historic outline, theoretical and practical arguments for TNW disarmament, the logic of nuclear disarmament, and the provision of a clear description of the different positions of relevant NATO member States on the TNW issue.
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UNODA Occasional Papers No.23: The Impact of Poorly Regulated Arms Transfers on the Work of the United Nations
Language: EnglishPublication Date: April 2013More LessThis paper aims to develop a coherent United Nations approach to support the international community’s efforts to improve the regulation of international transfers of conventional arms. It records the United Nations Organization’s advocacy over the past years of a robust and comprehensive Arms Trade Treaty that covers the full array of conventional weapons as well as ammunition and that includes provisions that arms not be transferred where there is a clear risk that they will be used to commit violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law or seriously undermine development.
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UNODA Occasional Papers No.22: Options for the Further Strengthening of the NPT's Review Process by 2015
Language: EnglishPublication Date: February 2013More LessParties participating in the 2010 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) decided to defer its consideration of further strengthening of the review process of the Treaty to the next review cycle. Consequently, this issue was addressed at the first session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2015 Review Conference, held in Vienna from 30 April to 11 May 2012. This paper examines the various proposals that have been put forward thus far and that could incrementally improve accountability and efficiency as well as provide greater continuity and substantial savings. This includes smarter use of the time for substantive consideration, on the general debate and early establishment of subsidiary bodies, on moving to digitized records, on the establishment of an NPT Secretariat and the enhancement of participation by non-governmental organizations
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UNODA Occasional Papers No.21: Study on the Development of a Framework for Improving End-Use and End-User Control Systems, December 2011
Language: EnglishPublication Date: June 2012More LessUnited Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs' (UNODA) Occasional Papers is a series of ad hoc publications presenting, in edited form, papers or statement made at international meetings, symposiums, seminars or workshops organized by the Office for Disarmament Affairs. Mindful of the role that end-use certificates could play in preventing the diversion of authorized arms transfers — in particular regarding small arms and light weapons and their ammunition — UNODA decided to undertake this study to further enhance understanding of this highly topical issue.
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UNODA Occasional Papers No.16: Assessing the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms, April 2009
Language: EnglishPublication Date: June 2012More LessThe United Nations Register of Conventional Arms was founded when inter-State warfare had, for a long time, been considered the main threat to peace and security. It focuses on transfers of those major conventional weapons that typically can be used in offensive military operations carried out across international borders. This publication offers historical information on the Register as a tool of transparency, as well as points to possibilities for its future development. It also presents facts and figures related to the Register in convenient statistical graphs.
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UNODA Occasional Papers No.19: Cyberwarfare and its Impact on International Security, June 2010
Language: EnglishPublication Date: June 2012More LessThe United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) Occasional Papers is a series of ad hoc publications presenting, in edited form, papers or statements made at meetings, symposiums, seminars, workshops or lectures that deal with topical issues in the field of arms limitation, disarmament and international security. They are intended primarily for those concerned with these matters in Government, civil society and in the academic community. They deal with topical issues in the field of arms limitation, disarmament and international security and are intended primarily for those concerned with these matters in Government, civil society and in the academic community. The paper contains a presentation on this topic delivered by James Andrew Lewis to the United Nations Secretary –General Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters.
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UNODA Occasional Papers No.20: Promoting Further Openness and Transparency in Military Matters - An Assessment of the United Nations Standardized Instrument for Reporting Military Expenditures, November 2010
Language: EnglishPublication Date: June 2012More LessThe United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) Occasional Papers is a series of ad hoc publications presenting, in edited form, papers or statements made at meetings, symposiums, seminars, workshops or lectures that deal with topical issues in the field of arms limitation, disarmament and international security. They are intended primarily for those concerned with these matters in Government, civil society and in the academic community. They deal with topical issues in the field of arms limitation, disarmament and international security and are intended primarily for those concerned with these matters in Government, civil society and in the academic community.
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UNODA Occasional Papers No.18: Ways to Strengthen the Field of Verification, January 2010
Language: EnglishPublication Date: April 2012More LessThe United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) Occasional Papers is a series of ad hoc publications presenting, in edited form, papers or statements made at meetings, symposiums, seminars, workshops or lectures that deal with topical issues in the field of arms limitation, disarmament and international security. They are intended primarily for those concerned with these matters in Government, civil society and in the academic community. They deal with topical issues in the field of arms limitation, disarmament and international security and are intended primarily for those concerned with these matters in Government, civil society and in the academic community. The subject of this issue is “ways to strengthen the field of verification”, and is presented by two papers in this publication.
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