ABSTRACT
A UN Department for Disarmament Affairs was established in 1982, on the recommendation of the UN General Assembly’s second Special Session on Disarmament. It was renamed the Centre for Disarmament Affairs in 1992, and in 1997 it became the Department for Disarmament Affairs. In 2007 a further name change was effected, to the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA). UNODA promotes preventive disarmament measures, as well as military confidence-building and transparency. UNODA has mainstreamed a gender perspective into its work. In accordance with a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2016 member states and relevant agencies were requested to submit to the UN Secretary-General contributions relating to the role of women in disarmament. UNODA’s WMD Branch provides substantive support with respect to the disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
