Regional disarmament

Throughout the year, efforts were pursued at the regional and subregional levels to address arms control and disarmament issues. These efforts included initiatives to halt the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), to strengthen and consolidate nuclear-weapon-free zones (NWFZs), to tackle the illicit trade of small arms and light weapons (SALW), to undertake confidence- and security-building measures, and to destroy surplus stocks of conventional armaments. In a significant achievement, the five Central Asian States signed the Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia (CANWFZ) in September, creating the world’s fifth NWFZ, and the first located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere.

Related Subject(s): Disarmament