The Reform of the United Nations Disarmament Machinery

Abstract

The limitation, reduction, prohibition or elimination of specific types of weapons, particularly nuclear weapons is, and will continue to be, one of the most important challenges that the international community should face in the 21th century. To overcome these challenges a multilateral approach through the United Nations and its main organs and specialised international organisations involved in non-proliferation, disarmament and arms control issues is needed. These organs and specialised international organisations are: the General Assembly and its main subsidiary bodies, the Security Council, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) and the Conference on Disarmament (CD).