Global Guide to Disarmament and

Non-Proliferation Education

Participating UN Agencies   

Support to academic activities on disarmament and non-proliferation – how can educational activities be supported, and at what level of the education cycle, how can existing curricula and courses be enhanced, what key goals could be achieved?

Collaboration and concerted effort in educational activities with other UN bodies/international organizations, as promoted by the UN Millennium Declaration, which contains among its objectives the declared aim of promoting peace, security and disarmament.

Relationships with the NGO community.

Different organizations will have different mandates and areas of expertise.  How can these best be utilized in awareness raising as opposed to advocacy and/or lobbying?

How can education be incorporated into professional training? What professions will benefit most?

How can an understanding of these issues and of their context be enhanced in media practitioners?

Public Opinion and Influence:  links with inter-parliamentary institutions should be developed, particularly with the involvement of young parliamentarians, the general media, and the business community.

Academia:  should be selectively targeted.

“OPCW has only just started to develop its own educational programs.  At the moment, no specific budget is allocated for this purpose (emphasis added).”  No formal recommendations.

(also see Disarmament Forum No. 3  Education for Disarmament)

Summary of existing programs.  Current work involves “producing an English/Arabic lexicon that will explain major concepts and terms relating to arms control.” Entitled Coming to Terms with Security: A Lexicon for Arms Control, Disarmament and Confidence Building, it will be organized as a thematically structured glossary of 400 cross-referenced terms.  Also highlighted, a collaboration with VERTIC related to a book focused on verification and confidence-building, likewise published in English and Arabic.  Through participation in the study, the stated aim is to “identify where UNIDIR, as a UN research institute, could best serve as an interface between international organizations and the research community for the promotion of education for disarmament, as well as co-ordinate with other international organizations, governmental initiatives and non-governmental and civil projects.”

Description of existing programs on disarmament education as regards WMD and small arms.  Aim to “promote new thinking and innovative approaches to the formidable task of establishing the basis for effective disarmament.”  No formal recommendations put forward.

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