Disarmament Week is observed annually to promote awareness and understanding of the issues of disarmament in several countries. The week aims to reduce the use of weapons, specifically nuclear weapons, to bring peace in society. This year, the disarmament week will be starting on October 24. The week-long observance will continue till October 30. Disarmament Week seeks to promote awareness and a better understanding of disarmament issues and their cross-cutting importance.
Securing our common future: An Agenda for Disarmament
In 2018, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres launched Securing our Common Future: An Agenda for Disarmament, outlining a vision of disarmament actions that help set our world on a path towards sustainable peace and security for all.
The Secretary-General called for fresh perspectives and renewed cooperation, against the backdrop of a deteriorating international security environment, new risks and unfulfilled commitments. His Agenda for Disarmament defines four key pillars with practical measures to be achieved through stronger partnerships and unwavering determination:
- Disarmament that saves humanity by endeavouring for a world free of nuclear weapons, strengthening norms against other weapons of mass destruction, and preventing the emergence of new domains of strategic competition and conflict.
- Disarmament that saves lives by mitigating the humanitarian impact of conventional arms and addressing the excessive accumulation and illicit trade.
- Disarmament for future generations by ensuring responsible innovation and use of advances in science and technology, keeping humans in control of weapons and artificial intelligence, and ensuring peace and stability in cyberspace.
- Strengthening partnerships for disarmament by reinvigorating disarmament institutions and processes, engaging regional organisations, ensuring the full and equal participation of women, empowering youth as a force for change, and enhancing participation by civil society and engagement by the private sector.
The Secretary-General’s Agenda for Disarmament further recognises the important contribution of disarmament and arms control to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Agenda for Disarmament addresses six different Sustainable Development Goals through nine actions. Disarmament and arms control remain inextricably connected with development in a multitude of ways, providing a unique opportunity to advance both the implementation of the SDGs and the Agenda for Disarmament.
History of the week:
Starting on 24 October, the anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, the week-long annual observance was first called for in the Final Document of the General Assembly’s 1978 special session on disarmament (resolution S-10/2). In 1995, the General Assembly invited governments, as well as NGOs, to continue taking an active part in Disarmament Week (resolution 50/72 B, 12 December 1995) in order to promote a better understanding among the public of disarmament issues.
Source: www.un.org
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