News– The Indian Army is hosting the UN Fellowship Training Programme on Small Arms and Light Weapons Control for the Asia-Pacific region.
About United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA)
- It is a United Nations Secretariat office responsible for promoting global disarmament and arms control.
- Established: It was established in January 1998 as the Department for Disarmament Affairs under UN reforms.
- Headquarters: Its headquarters is located in New York, USA.
- Primary Goal: Its main goal is the complete elimination of weapons of mass destruction and strict control of conventional weapons.
- Organisation structure
- It is led by an Under-Secretary-General and High Representative.
- It comprises five branches, including the Weapons of Mass Destruction Branch (WMD), the Conventional Arms Branch (CAB), the Information and Outreach Branch (IOB), the Conference on Disarmament Secretariat and Conference Support Branch, and the Regional Disarmament Branch (RDB), which manages three regional centres.
Key Functions
- Support for Disarmament of Weapons of Mass Destruction: It supports multilateral efforts for disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons.
- Control of Conventional Weapons: It promotes transparency, confidence-building, and practical measures to curb the flow of small arms.
- Support to the Conference on Disarmament: It provides organisational and substantive support to the Conference on Disarmament, which is a multilateral negotiating forum.
- Regional and Advisory Support: It offers advisory services to member states and coordinates regional disarmament centres and activities.
