United Nations wants to resurrect a global disarmament mechanism last used in the 1980s

Christina Macpherson

Aug 4

The Conversation, August 2, 2023

In the wake of the Russian invasion and war in Ukraine, the United Nations (UN) appears to be preparing to resurrect a global disarmament process which was discontinued more than 30 years ago.

On July 18, the UN secretariat released its long-awaited "New Agenda for Peace". This policy brief included recommendations by secretary general, António Guterres, on strategies to respond to current and future challenges facing humanity, such as poverty, climate change, pandemics, armed conflicts and threats against international peace and security.

To a warm response from the community of peacebuilders worldwide, the agenda contains practical advice on advancing a process of disarmament, by suggesting the reactivation of special sessions devoted to disarmament at the UN general assembly (SSOD).

UN special sessions on disarmament were held in 1978, 1982, and 1988, but a fourth never occurred. Since 2021, the activation of a fourth Special Session on Disarmament (SSOD-IV) at the UN general assembly has been the focus of the Strategic Concept for the Removal of Arms and Proliferation (Scrap Weapons), a disarmament project housed at SOAS University of London.

Scrap Weapons has also been supporting Brazil's call for the same, made at the 2022 UN general assembly's First Committee, which focuses on disarmament matters.

Disarmament machinery

For the disarmament agenda to progress, its machinery needs to be revisited. Current efforts at the Conference on Disarmament (CD) – the UN body tasked with negotiating treaties on weapons control – have stalled for almost 30 years because of a lack of consensus. This has been further conflated by an absence of political will and marred by geopolitical tensions and rivalries among member states.

In addition, unlike the Conference on Disarmament, a special session would be able to use the authority of the general assembly to create new mandates on a global zero option on missiles. It could also organise negotiations towards a general and complete disarmament (GCD) agenda, as per Scrap Weapons' work on transparency mechanisms and a draft framework for a treaty on general and complete disarmament................................................................ more https://theconversation.com/united-nations-wants-to-resurrect-a-global-disarmament-mechanism-last-used-in-the-1980s-210325