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Unit 18The United Nations Disarmament MachineryChapter 4: Accomplishments and Shortcomings
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  1. 0. A Message from the Author
  2. 1. Disarmament in Modern History
  3. 2. The United Nations Disarmament Machinery
  4. 3. Supporting the United Nations Disarmament Machinery
  5. 4. Accomplishments and Shortcomings
  6. 5. The EU and the United Nations Disarmament Machinery
  7. 6. Summary and Further Reading
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Chapter 4

Accomplishments and Shortcomings

Major Accomplishments Achieved Within the Framework of the Machinery

The United Nations Disarmament Machinery plays an invaluable role in the negotiation and adoption of major multilateral arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament treaties.

Photo taken outside on a sandy road. A person is pictured from behind, wearing a Blue Helmet with the letter UN on it holds a gun.
MINUSCA Peacekeepers Patrol PK5 Neighbourhood in Bangui, CARSource: UN-Photo / Eskinder Debebe, https://www.flickr.com/photos/un_photo/37173675904/in/album-72157614778816043/, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

In this chapter you will learn more about some of the major accomplishments of the Disarmament Machinery.

Photo of a sculpture of a knotted gun in front of a buldings facade.
The “Non-Violence” sculpture, also known as the “Knotted Gun,” by Swedish artist Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd has been on display at the entrance to the General Assembly building at UN Headquarters in New York City since 1988.Source: Håkan Dahlström, https://www.flickr.com, CC BY 2.0.

Major Accomplishments Achieved Within the Framework of the Machinery – Weapons of Mass Destruction

Major Accomplishments Achieved Within the Framework of the Machinery – Conventional Weapons and Other Issues

The Role of Civil Society

Civil society plays a fundamental role in the advancement of disarmament goals and in assisting the United Nations Disarmament Machinery achieve its major accomplishments in the field.

Historic photo of people in coats, suits and dresses marching. They hold a banner that shows two peace signs and reads: Action for Life. Defence Ministry, eighteenth February 1961.
Bertrand Russell, philosopher and logician, leads an anti-nuclear march in London, February 1961.Source: Tony French, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bertrand_Russell_leads_anti-nuclear_march_in_London,_Feb_1961.jpg, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Visitors could leave their message during the global chalk art project ‘CHALK4PEACE’ at the UN Headquarters on International Day of Peace, 2016.Source: UN Photo / Laura Jarriel, https://dam.media.un.org/asset-management/2AM9LOLB2B2B?WS=SearchResults&FR_=1&W=1531&H=455.
  • marches
  • studies and publications
  • conferences
  • side events at international conferences

… are only some of the ways in which civil society is able to generate incredible impact often resulting in the adoption of well-informed national policies and ground-breaking international treaties.

The Role of Civil Society: Example TPNW

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) is one of the latest examples and results of civil society’s efforts in promoting disarmament.

Adopted: 7 July 2017 Opened for signature: 20 September 2017 Entered into force: 22 January 2021

The treaty is the first legally binding international agreement that outlaws nuclear weapons, prohibiting their use, possessing, development, production, testing, stockpiling and transferring, among other things.

The ultimate goal of the TPNW is the total elimination of nuclear weapons.

The treaty was adopted following decades of international advocacy campaigns organized by civil society.

One of the major architects of the Treaty was The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), a coalition of non-governmental organizations, which in 2017 was awarded the Nobel Peace Price in recognition of its efforts to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of the potential use of nuclear weapons.

In 2016, two ICAN campaigners dressed as nuclear bombs express their confidence that a treaty banning nuclear weapons is on its way.Source: Tim Wright, https://www.flickr.com/photos/icanw/26382368654/, CC BY 2.0.

Civil Society and Disarmament Paper Series

The Office for Disarmament Affairs publishes the series entitled “Civil Society and Disarmament”.

The series is published within the context of the General Assembly resolutions on the United Nations Disarmament Information Programme and the United Nations Study on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Education.

In 2016, two ICAN campaigners dressed as nuclear bombs express their confidence that a treaty banning nuclear weapons is on its way.Source: UNODA / Peaceboat, https://peaceboat.org/english/news/navigating_disarmament_event.

The publication provides a forum for the views of civil society in order to further an informed debate on topical issues of arms limitation, disarmament and security.

More information on civil society and disarmament is provided on the United Nations website.

The United Nations Disarmament Machinery: Some Criticism

The UN has historically been the laboratory and factory for the production of arms control and disarmament achievements, over the years.

However, the work of the machinery has been subjected to some considerable criticism, mainly due to the inability of its bodies to produce substantive progress for the past several years.

In the following pages you will find some of the main criticisms that have been moved to the machinery, as well as some of the main proposals to overcome them.

Cartoon shows an ark named U.N. Security Council with animals on it. As the big animals are all standing on one side of the ship, it's very unbalanced. The big animals are labeled: Russia, France, China, U.K., U.S. The smaller animals are crowded on the opposite side. In between stands a figure labeled Kofi Annan. Looking to the smaller animals while gesturing to the big ones he shouts: I've told them it's unbalanced!
Unbalanced United Nations Security CouncilSource: Zapiro, https://www.zapiro.com/040926st, All rights reserved.

The United Nations Disarmament Machinery: Shortcomings

Source: Grübelfabrik, CC BY-NC-SA.

United Nation General Assembly First Committee

  • Many of the adopted resolutions reiterate same ideas and proposals without producing concrete actions nor behavioural change.

  • A large number of items in the agenda prevents focus on the real needs of the international community.

Jorge Morales Pedraza, The Reform of the United Nations Disarmament Machinery

Conference on Disarmament

  • Its consensus rule, originally designed to facilitate agreement among states, has instead provided a convenient cover for those who aim at blocking progress, leading to a stalemate.

  • Political and regional groupings have never changed and reflect Cold War era divisions (i.e. some NATO countries are still in the Eastern Group).

Patricia Lewis, Ramesh Thakur, Arms Control, Disarmament and the United Nations

United Nations Disarmament Commission

  • Its work has been affected by a lack of political will to deal with certain issues at the multilateral level.

  • Its reports to the UNGA often focus on the disagreements on disarmament issues rather than on ways to produce conceptual and substantive progress.

Sergio Duarte, How to Revitalize Disarmament Efforts

United Nations

  • Security Council Resolutions

  • United Nations sanction regimes resulted from the UN Security Council Resolutions at times have proved to be ineffective in curbing nuclear weapons programmes and ambitions.

John Hudson, David Francis, Why Did Sanctions Fail Against North Korea?

The United Nations Disarmament Machinery: Some Proposals for Change

Over the years, various parties have voiced their opinion and made proposals on how to develop the Disarmament Machinery.

Within the United Nation General Assembly First Committee

  • attach concrete actions to resolutions
  • set specific timetables and deadlines for concrete actions
  • limit number of resolutions
  • limit speaking time in general debate
  • resolutions to become binding if approved by consensus or ¾ of voters (currently UNGA Resolutions are not binding)

Within the Conference on Disarmament

  • reconsider the composition of regional and political groups
  • reconsider consensus rule, at least for the adoption of the agenda
  • consider enlargement of the membership

Within the Machinery

  • encourage dialogue among main bodies
  • convene a SSOD-IV to put a stronger emphasis on nuclear disarmament, reaffirming the SSOD-I’s mandate

Quiz

The EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament eLearning Course aims to cover all aspects of the EU non-proliferation and disarmament agenda. It's produced by PRIF with financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of individual learning units are the sole responsibility of the respective authors and don't necessariy reflect the position of the European Union.