Humankind has always been perturbed by the use of particularly cruel means of war. As a result, a number of actions have been taken to restrict such use. The establishment of the United Nations Disarmament Machinery is definitely one step in this direction.

As a key proponent of disarmament since its creation, the UN has over the years heavily and naturally contributed to the definition of the disarmament architecture, pursuing two main goals: first, the elimination of weapons of mass destruction. And second, the regulation of conventional arms, particularly the illicit traffic of small arms and light weapons.

In this learning unit, you will learn about the work and the efforts of the United Nations Disarmament Machinery in promoting arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament.

After completing this learning unit, you will:

• be familiarized with the basic concept of disarmament and its objectives from the United Nations perspective
• understand the role that the United Nations plays in promoting non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament
• be introduced to the UN’s institutional framework, the main bodies and the main instruments pursing disarmament goals
• comprehend the importance of cooperation in disarmament efforts
• understand the interplay between the UN and the European Union in achieving arms control and disarmament objectives