United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research

Last updated

United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research
AbbreviationUNIDIR
Formation1980;44 years ago (1980)
Type Research institute
Legal statusActive
Headquarters Geneva, Switzerland
Head
Director
Flag of Germany.svg Robin Geiss
Parent organization
United Nations General Assembly
United Nations Economic and Social Council
Website www.unidir.org
A coloured voting box.svg   Politicsportal

The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) is a research institute of the United Nations focused on disarmament and international security. It was established in 1980 by the United Nations General Assembly with the stated purpose of informing states and the global community on questions of international security, and to assist with disarmament efforts so as to facilitate progress toward greater security and economic and social development for all. [1]

Contents

The UN General Assembly specified that UNIDIR would be an autonomous entity within the United Nations structure, so that its work could be conducted in scientific independence. [1]

Background

Through its research projects, publications, small meetings and expert networks, UNIDIR promotes creative thinking and dialogue on the disarmament and security challenges of today and of tomorrow.

UNIDIR explores both current and future security issues, examining topics as varied as tactical nuclear weapons, refugee security, computer warfare, regional confidence-building measures, and small arms.

Working with researchers, diplomats, government officials, non-governmental organisations and other institutions, UNIDIR acts as a bridge between the research community and United Nations Member States. UNIDIR's work is funded by contributions from governments and donor foundations.

UNIDIR is based in Geneva, the primary centre for security and disarmament negotiations, home of the Conference on Disarmament, and global focal point for humanitarian concerns such as human rights, refugees, migration, health and labour issues.

Research areas

In 2018, the Board of Trustees endorsed the organisation's following research agenda for 2018–2020:

Mandate

UNIDIR works on the basis of the provisions of the Final Document of the First Special Session of the UN General Assembly Devoted to Disarmament and also takes into account relevant General Assembly recommendations. The work programme is reviewed annually and is subject to approval by the UN Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters, which also functions as UNIDIR's Board of Trustees. The Director reports yearly to the General Assembly on the activities of the institute.

UNIDIR's mandate is as follows:

The work of the Institute shall aim at:

(a) Providing the international community with more diversified and complete data on problems relating to international security, the armaments race and disarmament in all fields, particularly in the nuclear field, so as to facilitate progress, through negotiations, towards greater security for all States and towards the economic and social development of all peoples;

(b) Promoting informed participation by all States in disarmament efforts;

(c) Assisting ongoing negotiations on disarmament and continuing efforts to ensure greater international security at a progressively lower level of armaments, particularly nuclear armaments, by means of objective and factual studies and analyses;

(d) Carrying out more in-depth, forward-looking and long-term research on disarmament, so as to provide a general insight to the problems involved and stimulating new initiatives for new negotiations.

The Mandate is from Article II, Paragraph 2 of the institute's Statute, which may be found here.

Management

All inner workings and research done by UNIDIR is supervised by a Board of Trustees and the Director. The Board also serves as the Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters. Each member must be knowledgeable in security, arms control and disarmament. Each member is elected by the Secretary General to serve a two-year term.

Director

In February 2021, Robin Geiss was appointed as the Director of UNIDIR, succeeding Irish disarmament expert Renata Dwan. [2] Geiss formerly served as the Director of the Glasgow Centre for International Law and Security at the University of Glasgow and as the Swiss Chair of International Humanitarian Law with the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights. [2]

Board members

As of 2021 the members of the Board of Trustees were: [3]

List of Directors

No.Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of officeCountry Secretary-General Ref.
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
1Liviu Bota
(born 1936)
198019877 yearsFlag of Romania.svg  Romania Boutros Boutros-Ghali [4]
2 Jayantha Dhanapala
(born 1938)
198719925 yearsFlag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka [5]
3 Sverre Lodgaard
(born 1945)
199219964 yearsFlag of Norway.svg  Norway [6]
4 Patricia Lewis
(born 1957)
1997200811 yearsFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Kofi Annan [7]
5Theresa Hitchens
(born 1953)
200920145 yearsFlag of the United States.svg  United States Ban Ki-moon [8]
6Jarmo Sareva
(born 1959)
201420184 yearsFlag of Finland.svg  Finland [9]
7Renata Dwan
(born 1969)
201820213 yearsFlag of Ireland.svg  Ireland António Guterres [10]
8 Robin Geiss
(born 1974)
2021Incumbent3 yearsFlag of Germany.svg  Germany António Guterres [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolfgang Ischinger</span> German diplomat

Wolfgang Friedrich Ischinger is a German diplomat who served as chairman of the Munich Security Conference from 2008 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conference on Disarmament</span> Multilateral disarmament forum

The Conference on Disarmament (CD) is a multilateral disarmament forum established by the international community to negotiate arms control and disarmament agreements based at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The Conference meets annually in three separate sessions in Geneva.

William C. Potter is Sam Nunn and Richard Lugar Professor of Nonproliferation Studies and Founding Director of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS). He also directs the MIIS Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stockholm International Peace Research Institute</span> Research institute in Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) is an international institute based in Stockholm. It was founded in 1966 and provides data, analysis and recommendations for armed conflict, military expenditure and arms trade as well as disarmament and arms control. The research is based on open sources and is directed to decision-makers, researchers, media and the interested public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jayantha Dhanapala</span> Sri Lankan diplomat (1938–2023)

Jayantha Dhanapala was a Sri Lankan diplomat. A career diplomat in the Sri Lanka Overseas Service, he served as the Under Secretary General to re-establish the Department of Disarmament from 1998 to 2003; Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva from 1984 to 1987; and Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United States from 1994 to 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricia Lewis (physicist)</span> Irish physicist

Patricia Lewis is a British and Irish nuclear physicist and arms control expert, who is currently the Research Director for International Security at Chatham House. She is also currently Co-Director of the Global Commission on Internet Governance. She was previously the Senior Scientist-in-Residence and Deputy Director at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS). She was previously the Director of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) and the Director of VERTIC.

Joy Uche Angela Ogwu is a former foreign minister of Nigeria and a former permanent representative of Nigeria to the United Nations in New York from 2008–2017. She is the first woman to hold the post of Permanent Representative to the United Nations from Nigeria. Prior to her ministerial career, Ogwu, who is from Delta State, served as Director–General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA).

Karl Frederick Inderfurth is an American diplomat. He was the Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs from August 1997 to January 2001. In his capacity as Assistant Secretary, Inderfurth was responsible for US policy regarding Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Prior to his appointment as Assistant Secretary, Inderfurth served as the U.S. Representative for Special Political Affairs to the United Nations, with the rank of Ambassador. In this capacity, Ambassador Inderfurth dealt with issues such as UN peacekeeping, disarmament, nuclear proliferation and security affairs. Ambassador Inderfurth also served as Deputy U.S. Representative on the United Nations Security Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small arms and light weapons</span> Two classes of man-portable weapons

Small arms and light weapons (SALW) refers in arms control protocols to two main classes of man-portable weapons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons</span>

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons is a global civil society coalition working to promote adherence to and full implementation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The campaign helped bring about this treaty. ICAN was launched in 2007. In 2022, it counted 661 partner organizations in 110 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs</span> Office of the United Nations Secretariat

The UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) is an Office of the United Nations Secretariat established in January 1998 as the Department for Disarmament Affairs, part of United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's plan to reform the UN as presented in his report to the General Assembly in July 1997.

Sverre Lodgaard is a Norwegian political scientist who has held several senior positions within government and non-governmental organizations, including the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI). Lodgaard specializes in peace, foreign and security policy, but has also worked on developing country issues. He has since the 2000s written extensively on nuclear arms control and disarmament issues and on Middle East affairs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela Kane</span> German diplomat (born 1948)

Angela Kane is a German diplomat and was formerly the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs and Under-Secretary-General for Management in the United Nations.

A nuclear weapons convention is a proposed multilateral treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. This might include prohibitions on the possession, development, testing, production, stockpiling, transfer, use and threat of use of nuclear weapons, such as those in the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, along with provisions for their verified elimination. It could be similar to existing conventions outlawing other categories of weapons, such as biological weapons, chemical weapons, anti-personnel mines and cluster bombs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yukiya Amano</span> Japanese diplomat (1947–2019)

Yukiya Amano was a Japanese diplomat and the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Amano previously served as an international civil servant for the United Nations and its subdivisions.

The 2010 Review Conference for the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was held at United Nations Headquarters in New York City from 3 to 28 May 2010. The President of the Review Conference is Ambassador Libran N. Cabactulan of the Philippines. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon used the opening of the conference to note that "sixty five years later, the world still lives under the nuclear shadow".

The Humanitarian Initiative is a group of states that evolved within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and nuclear weapons diplomacy more widely. 159 states subscribed to the last iteration of the initiative's Joint Statement in 2015. Since 2013, it led to a series of conferences exploring the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons, culminating in the Humanitarian Pledge, issued by the Austrian Government, to "fill the legal gap for the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons". The Pledge has been endorsed by 108 governments as of 1 June 2015. The Humanitarian Initiative is seen as a direct answer to the lack of progress in nuclear disarmament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons</span> Legally binding international agreement to prohibit nuclear weapons

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), or the Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty, is the first legally binding international agreement to comprehensively prohibit nuclear weapons with the ultimate goal being their total elimination. It was adopted on 7 July 2017, opened for signature on 20 September 2017, and entered into force on 22 January 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Gamba (UN official)</span> Argentine diplomat

Virginia Gamba de Potgieter is the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Children and Armed Conflict. She was appointed 12 April 2017 by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres as the replacement for Leila Zerrougui.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Geiss</span> German international law scholar (born 1974)

Robin Geiss is a German academic specializing in public international law. In 2021, he was appointed by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres as Director of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research. Prior to this, Geiss held various academic appointments including as Swiss Chair of International Humanitarian Law at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and Director of the Glasgow Centre for International Law and Security at the University of Glasgow.

References

  1. 1 2 "UNIDIR at 40". United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Mr. Robin Geiss of Germany - Director of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research". United Nations Secretary-General. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  3. "Our Governance | UNIDIR".
  4. "SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS LIVIU BOTA AS HIS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR GEORGIA". www.un.org. SG/A/639. 13 June 1997. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  5. "SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS JAYANTHA DHANAPALA OF SRI LANKA AS UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR DISARMAMENT AFFAIRS". www.un.org. SG/A/661. 14 January 1998. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  6. "Sverre Lodgaard of Norway appointed Director of UN Institute for Disarmament Research". www.un.org. 1 July 1992. SG/A/498. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  7. "SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS PATRICIA LEWIS OF UNITED KINGDOM TO HEAD UN INSTITUTE FOR DISARMAMENT RESEARCH". www.un.org. 2 July 1997. SG/A/641. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  8. "SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS THERESA A. HITCHENS OF UNITED STATES DIRECTOR OF UNITED NATIONS INSTITUTE FOR DISARMAMENT RESEARCH". www.un.org. 30 June 2008. SG/A/1142. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  9. "Secretary-General Appoints Jarmo Sareva of Finland Director of United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research". www.un.org. 21 October 2014. SG/A/1519*-BIO/4657*-DC/3529*. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  10. "Renata Dwan of Ireland Appointed Director United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research". United Nations Secretary-General. SG/A/1783-BIO/5056-DC/3756. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  11. "Secretary-General Appoints Robin Geiss of Germany Director of United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research". www.un.org. SG/A/2020. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.