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Unit 18The United Nations Disarmament Machinery
All chapters
  1. 0. A Message from the Author
  2. 1. Introduction
  3. 2. Constructing the Disarmament Machinery
  4. 3. Central Components
  5. 4. Supporting Bodies
  6. 5. Accomplishments and Shortcomings
  7. 6. The Disarmament Machinery and the European Union
  8. 7. Quiz
  9. 8. Summary and Further Reading
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Large metal sculpture of a revolver with a knot in the barrel is seen against a stone building facade.

Above: Non-Violence by Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd at the United Nations headquarters, August 2017.

© Gerhard Huber / CC-BY-NC 4.0

The United Nations Disarmament Machinery

This learning unit will introduce you to technical, historical, political and legal aspects of the UN Disarmament Machinery.

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Chapters

  1. 1. A Message from the Author

    A quick video introduction from the home office.

  2. 2. Introduction

    Humankind has always been disturbed by the use of particularly cruel methods of warfare. The establishment of the UN disarmament machinery is among the most important actions we have taken to restrict the use of such methods.

  3. 3. Constructing the Disarmament Machinery

    From the Strasbourg Agreement to the 10th Special Session.

  4. 4. Central Components

    This chapter covers the central components of the UN Disarmament Machinery: The UN Security Council, the UN Disarmament Commission, and the Conference on Disarmament.

  5. 5. Supporting Bodies

    In addition to the main deliberative bodies discussed in the previous section, the UN Disarmament Machinery contains a number of specialised and regional institutions.

  6. 6. Accomplishments and Shortcomings

    The UN Disarmament Machinery has an played important role in disarmament efforts since 1945. Still, experts have criticised some of its working methods, constituent organs, and proposed reforms.

  7. 7. The Disarmament Machinery and the European Union

    How does the European Union contribute to multilateral arms control in the context of the UN Disarmament Machinery?

  8. 8. Quiz

    Test your knowledge!

  9. 9. Summary and Further Reading

Credits

  • Federica Dall'Arche profile image

    Federica Dall'Arche

    Istituto Affari Internazionali I.A.I

    Federica Dall’Arche is a policy advisor to the Italian Presidency of the Council of Ministers and a researcher at the International Affairs Institute (Istituto Affari Internazionali, IAI).

    Her focus is on non-proliferation and disarmament, and gender in international security. She graduated summa cum laude in political science at the University of Roma Tre and won a full merit scholarship for an exchange programme at the Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. Federica obtained her Master’s degree in Non-Proliferation and Terrorism Studies and a Certificate in Conflict Resolution at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS), California. In 2014, she won the Michiel Brandt Memorial Prize for best MIIS paper on Human Trafficking and conducted an internship at the Asian-Pacific Center for Security Studies, a US Department of Defense academic institute.

    She was later the recipient of the United Nations Security Council Monitor Fellowship at the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), and of the Non-Proliferation and Nuclear Security Fellowship at the Pacific Forum - Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). During her career she has also worked at Deloitte UK, the James Martin Center for Non-Proliferation Studies (CNS), the William Tell Coleman Library, and as a freelance collaborator for the online magazine geopolitica.info.

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Updates

  • 11 February 2023

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  • 17 January 2022

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Disclosures

Content Warning

This learning unit may contain audio-visual material or texts, which may not be suitable for all audiences.

Funding

This Learning Unit was produced with financial assistance from the European Union. The contents of this Learning Unit are however the sole responsibility of the author(s) and should under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.

External Links

The site may contain hyperlink text references (’Links’) to other sites that are offered by third parties. These Links are made available solely for the purpose of information and as an additional service for users. Only the respective operator is responsible for all content and statements on linked Internet sites. Therefore, PRIF cannot guarantee the correctness and accuracy or any other aspect of third party sites.

Preferred Citation

Federica Dall'Arche, "The United Nations Disarmament Machinery" in EUNPDC eLearning, ed. Niklas Schörnig, Peace Research Institute Frankfurt. Available at https://eunpdc-elearning.netlify.app/lu-18/, last modified 23 September 2024

The EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament eLearning Course aims to cover all aspects of the EU non-proliferation and disarmament agenda. It's produced by PRIF with financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of individual learning units are the sole responsibility of the respective authors and don't necessariy reflect the position of the European Union.