United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs

Established in January 1998, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) promotes disarmament through dialogue, confidence-building on military matters, and regional disarmament efforts. The Office for Disarmament Affairs also supports multilateral efforts aimed at achieving the ultimate goal of general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control. UNODA actively works with other United Nations (UN) bodies such as the General Assembly First Committee and Disarmament Commission also heading various projects in Africa.

In Africa, UNODA provides accurate, impartial, and up-to-date information on multilateral disarmament issues and activities to Member States seeking a consensus on multilateral agreements, with intergovernmental institutions, agencies of the United Nations system, research and educational institutions, civil society, non-governmental organizations, media, and the general public. Particularly, it addresses the issue of illegal possession of weapons, attempting to aid in the adoption of guidelines and proposals for regional disarmament methods, promoting proactive disarmament strategies such as communication and transparency, and dealing with the issue of terrorism in Africa that has propagated due to the lack of stable independent governmental authorities. UNODA has a regional center in Africa, UN Regional Centres for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC), which primarily undertakes concrete activities in the agenda’s implementation plan.