Department for Disarmament Affairs

The Department for Disarmament Affairs (DDA) was re-established in January 1998 by General Assembly resolution 52/12. The Department was originally established in 1982 - upon the recommendation of the General Assembly's second special session on disarmament ( SSOD II ) - and continued until 1992.

The Department advises the Secretary-General on disarmament-related security matters; monitors and analyzes developments and trends in the field of disarmament; supports the review and implementation of existing disarmament agreements; assists Member States in multilateral disarmament negotiation and deliberation activities towards the development of disarmament norms and the creation of agreements; promotes openness and transparency in military matters, verification, confidence-building measures, and regional approaches to disarmament.

In cooperation with the Division for the Advancement of Women, the DDA created an excellent Briefing Notes on Gender Perspectives on Disarmament

The Department for Disarmament Affairs is structured in five branches:

1. CD Secretariat & Conference Support Branch (Geneva)
The CD Secretariat and Conference Support Branch (Geneva) provides organizational and substantive servicing to the Conference on Disarmament (CD), the single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum of the international community, and its Ad hoc Committees.

2. Weapons of Mass Destruction Branch (WMD)
The WMD Branch provides substantive support in the area of the disarmament of weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, chemical and biological weapons). It supports and participates in multilateral efforts to strengthen the non-proliferation of WMD and in this connection cooperates with the relevant intergovernmental organizations and specialized agencies of the United Nations system, in particular the IAEA, the OPCW and the CTBTO PrepCom.

3. Conventional Arms (including Practical Disarmament Measures) Branch (CAB)
The CAB focuses its efforts in the conventional field ( all weapons not considered WMD) of promoting transparency and confidence-building, curbing the flow of small arms in regions of tension, and developing measures of practical disarmament.

4. Regional Disarmament Branch ( RDB )
The RDB provides substantive support, including advisory services, to Member States, regional and subregional organizations on disarmament measures and related security matters; RDB oversees and coordinates the activities of the three (3) regional centers:

5. UN Regional Center for Peace and Disarmament in Africa,
UN Regional Center for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific,
UN Regional Center for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Monitoring, Database and Information Branch ( MDI )
The MDI Branch organizes a variety of special events and programs in the field of disarmament, produces DDA publications (Disarmament Yearbook..) and occasional papers, and maintains the database for specialized areas like Register of Conventional Arms, Status of Treaties and Article 7 - Mine-Ban Convention.

United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs Website

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