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2019 UN Disarmament Yearbook

Volume 44, Part II

Timeline

THE FOREWORD

Welcome to Part II of the 2019 United Nations Disarmament Yearbook. Prepared each year at the request of the General Assembly, the Yearbook offers a comprehensive and authoritative guide to recent developments and trends in the field of multilateral disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control.

The Office for Disarmament Affairs makes every effort to maintain the Yearbook as a consistent source of objective information for the diplomatic community, academia and the general public. I am pleased to note that this latest volume incorporates a number of innovations meant to expand on what then-Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim, in his introduction to the very first edition, set out as the publication’s aim: contributing to “a better and broader understanding of disarmament issues”. This forty-fourth edition features, for the first time, a collection of graphics and charts that provide key historical context while highlighting opportunities for further progress.

Additionally, in recognition that gender issues are crucial to address in creating the conditions for lasting peace and security, the present volume of the Yearbook is the first to devote a full chapter to the topic of “gender and disarmament”. It is hoped that this information will assist policymakers and practitioners in considering how gender-responsive approaches can improve their disarmament-related work, including through the pursuit of equal participation by women and men in relevant multilateral forums and decision-making.

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Chapters

THE TIMELINE

JAN

21 Jan - 29 Mar

Conference on Disarmament, 1st session

Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the Conference on Disarmament’s 2019 high-level segment, Palais des Nations, 25 February 2019. (UN Photo/Antoine Tardy)

FEB

MAR

1 Mar

20th anniversary: entry into force of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention

The first female clearance team in Viet Nam.Photo: Nguyen Thi Kim Thanh, Norwegian Embassy in Hanoi, 8 May 2019.

APR

16–25 Apr

United Nations Disarmament Commission, informal session

MAY

13 May–28 June

Conference on Disarmament, 2nd session

JUN

7 June

20th anniversary: opening for signature of the Inter-American Convention on Transparency in Conventional Weapons Acquisitions

Security forces participate in a workshop on physical security and stockpile management, weapons marking and data record-keeping, held from 6 to 18 May 2019 in Vontovorona, Madagascar.

JUL

11 July

35th anniversary: entry into force of the Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies

15 July

10th anniversary: entry into force of the Pelindaba Treaty

29 July–13 Sep.

Conference on Disarmament, 3rd session

AUG

SEP

OCT

3 Oct.–8 Nov

Seventy-fourth session of the First Committee of the General Assembly

NOV

18-22 Nov

Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and All Other Weapons of Mass Destruction, 1st session

26–29 Nov

Fourth Review Conference of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention

Thirty-two youth delegates from 18 countries delivered a powerful statement during the closing ceremony of the Oslo Review Conference. (Photo: Stine Østby/Medvind/Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oslo)

DEC

1 Dec

60th anniversary: signing of the Antarctic Treaty.

24 Dec

5th anniversary: entry into force of the Arms Trade Treaty

The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa assists Togo with the destruction of seized and obsolete weapons and ammunition, 21 September 2019.