Disarmament
Gender and disarmament
In 2022, the cascading impact of the war in Ukraine and increasingly antagonistic relations between nuclear-armed States contributed to global and regional tensions while exacerbating humanitarian and human rights challenges. Global military spending, which hit an alltime high, brought disruptive implications for attaining the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly its targets related to women’s empowerment and gender equality.
Conventional weapons
Throughout 2022, the world continued to suffer from the illicit transfer, destabilizing accumulation and misuse of small arms, light weapons and ammunition. In various settings, armed violence continued to be driven by the ongoing movement of weapons to and between non-State actors, including in the context of organized crime and terrorism.
Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation
The year 2022 began on a high note when, on 3 January, the nuclear-weapon States1 of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) issued a joint statement affirming that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. The joint statement also reaffirmed those States’ commitments under the Treaty, including those related to nuclear disarmament.
Disarmament machinery
The year saw mixed levels of progress across the various components of the multilateral disarmament machinery. The United Nations Disarmament Commission resumed substantive work and submitted its first substantive report to the General Assembly since 2018. In the seventy-seventh session of the General Assembly’s First Committee, States demonstrated their engagement on disarmament-related issues through record-high numbers of interventions, resolutions and decisions. The Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters convened for two sessions in 2022, tackling a new two-year programme of work on the pressing matter of global military spending. Meanwhile, the Conference on Disarmament generated further frustration and discontent as it continued to be deadlocked. It could not even agree to its traditional annual report, instead adopting a one-page report containing only meeting dates for 2023. Furthermore, the General Assembly resolution entitled “Report of the Conference on Disarmament” was adopted by a vote for the first time.
Regional disarmament
In 2022, many regional organizations navigated the continued, albeit lessened, impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and increased tensions resulting from the war in Ukraine to tackle a wide range of concerns related to weapons of mass destruction and conventional arms, in particular the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. While public health restrictions were gradually eased across regions, allowing a range of in-person activities to resume, virtual meeting technologies continued to provide valuable support in taking forward a range of projects and initiatives. The United Nations maintained regular engagement with regional and subregional organizations through regular policy dialogues, long-term projects and exchanges.
Foreword
It gives me great pleasure to introduce this preview edition of the 2022 United Nations Disarmament Yearbook. Since 1976, the Yearbook has provided diplomats and other interested readers with comprehensive and objective insight into the year’s developments in the field of multilateral disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control.
Acknowledgements
Volume 47 of the United Nations Disarmament Yearbook, like previous editions, was a collaborative effort to which the staff of the Office for Disarmament Affairs devoted considerable time and effort. It was prepared under the overall direction of the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, and the Director of the Office, Adedeji Ebo. We sincerely thank all colleagues who contributed to this publication on behalf of other funds, programmes, entities and organizations.
Information and outreach
In 2022, the General Assembly renewed two key resolutions mandating United Nations information and outreach activities in the area of disarmament: “United Nations Disarmament Information Programme” (77/87); and “United Nations study on disarmament and nonproliferation education” (77/52). Those resolutions enable the Office for Disarmament Affairs and other United Nations entities to provide Member States, the diplomatic community, non-governmental organizations and the public at large with unbiased, up-todate and relevant information on multilateral disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control.
Civil society leaders weigh disarmament strategies for a better world
On 14 September 2020, the United Nations Youth Champions for Disarmament attended a meeting between the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs and civil society advocates working on many of the same issues.
A Woman, a Latin American—and a future force of change
As a Colombian, I grew up in a nation marked by violence and armed conflict. These matters seized my interest from a very young age; learning about them felt vital to understanding my country and the factors that drive conflicts around the world.
Youth Champions for Disarmament discuss weapons of mass destruction with United Nations staff
The United Nations Youth Champions for Disarmament recently had an opportunity to learn from two members of UNODA’s Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Branch. They reminded us that we could reshape the world if we worked together to free it from nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.
Keeping youth in the loop on “killer robots”
I took a deep breath and began reading my speech, starting with its first sentence
#75Words heard across the world
This year has shifted many of our lives into virtual reality. Handshakes have been replaced with emails, friendly catch-ups with cyber get-togethers, and traditional in-person exchanges with a procession of online activities.
How can action on conventional weapons help us achieve the Sustainable Development Goals?
After watching a United Nations ceremony commemorating the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, the United Nations Youth Champions for Disarmament had a valuable opportunity to learn from two UNODA staff members about the twenty-first-century challenges and implications of conventional weapons, including their relationship with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The end of the training, but the beginning of so much more!
During the training, Mr. Takuma Haga, an Associate Political Affairs Officer at UNODA, and Mr. John Ennis, UNODA’s Head of Information and Outreach, discussed the work of regional disarmament, the different elements of the UNODA outreach strategy and their own professional experiences.
Young people in Seoul host disarmament education event with former top United Nations official
How can we make more young people aware of the importance of disarmament? This became a defining question for me as I led an education project for the Northeast Asia Youth Steering Committee, a group supported by UNODA and the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.