United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research

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United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research

🌐 Building a more secure world.

The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) is an autonomous institution within the United Nations that conducts independent research on disarmament and international security issues. We bring together governments, international organizations, civil society, the private sector and academia to implement creative solutions that will contribute to building a more secure world.

23/08/2026

Collective action can, and should continue to make a major, positive difference.

Several months into the year, its findings remain relevant. The UNIDIR Roundup and Outlook 2026 reviews the major developments in international security over the past year, and outlines how the Institute has made a real global impact on policy, practice and everyday lives despite mounting geopolitical tensions.

Read more and learn about UNIDIR’s priorities for 2026: unidir.org/RO26

23/08/2026

☢️ UNIDIR’s report examines practical pathways for a voluntary trust fund to address the humanitarian and environmental consequences of nuclear weapon testing and use.

Drawing on four existing trust fund models:

🔹 The Arms Trade Treaty voluntary trust fund;

🔹 The UN Trust Facility for Supporting Cooperation on Arms Regulation

🔹 The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific multi-donor trust fund for tsunami, disaster and climate preparedness

🔹 The UN voluntary trust fund for victims of trafficking in persons, especially women and children.

The report identifies key operational elements and outlines three options to inform ongoing States Party discussions.

👉 Read it here: http://unidir.org/TPNWTrustFund

22/08/2026

Conventional arms control tools can help conflict management, but in practice, their application is stifled by structural, political and capacity challenges.

UNIDIR’s publication by Senior Fellow Bates Gill examines UN Security Council members’ perspectives on the value and use of these tools for preventing and mitigating conflict and armed violence.

The report looks at:

🔹 The elements of a conventional arms control ‘toolbox’

🔹 The principal challenges for using these tools

🔹 Recommendations to Security Council members, including elected and non-permanent members, and UN entities on how to overcome challenges and use, develop, and apply such tools

🔗 Read the publication: unidir.org/SC-arms-contro

20/08/2026

🌐 From AI in the military domain to its impact on cloud computing, nanomaterials and 3D printing, UNIDIR research is cited 11 times in the UN Secretary-General's latest report on current developments in science and technology.

The report looks at how these technologies are reshaping military decision-making, arms control verification and the broader security landscape, drawing on findings from across UNIDIR's programme areas.

UNIDIR is committed to providing the UN community and Member States the evidence base they need to navigate these developments and their implications for global peace and security.

Read the full report: docs.un.org/en/A/81/246

20/08/2026

UNIDIR is proud to announce the winners of the Outer Space Security Conference 2026 Youth Video Competition! 🎉

These two outstanding young leaders bring bold technical innovations to the future of space security, and will join us at in Geneva to present their ideas to a global audience of experts and decision-makers. 🚀

🏆 Ali Shan, a Pakistani youth advocate, promotes STEM among underprivileged youth. He organizes Beaconhouse Notion of Academia, a STEM Olympiad engaging 1,000+ students. A STEMx Outstanding Performance Award recipient, he has spoken at the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services and represented Pakistan at World Scholar's Cup.

🏆 Joel Modokpe Pajiah, a Nigerian Law School trainee, specializes in public international law, humanitarian law, and space law. He was named Best Counsel at the 2025 Jessup Nigerian Championship and recognized by Oxford's Bonavero Institute in 2024.

💡 Join us at to see their work and be inspired by the next generation shaping the future of outer space: unidir.org/OS26

20/08/2026

Misconceptions about thermobaric weapons, also known as aerosol or vacuum bombs, have re-entered the public discourse amid the global rise in armed conflict.

Join UNIDIR on 7 September for an online event bringing together expert analysts to address:

🔹 Common misunderstandings of thermobaric weapon capabilities

🔹 Misidentifications of their use

🔹 What the future may hold for thermobaric weapon development

🔹 Thermobaric weapon regulation under international law frameworks

The session will provide accessible, trusted information on the use, capabilities and limitations of thermobaric weapons.

👉 Register now: unidir.org/thermobaric

19/08/2026

Human ingenuity has put a space station into orbit, yet we still cannot guarantee safe passage for aid, or for a family fleeing conflict.

On World Humanitarian Day, we echo United Nations OCHA's call: protect humanitarians and ensure safe access. Every year, aid workers are killed, injured or blocked from reaching the people who need them most, and the consequences fall hardest on those already in crisis.

Progress should reach and benefit everyone. That's why UNIDIR's research spans a wide range, from the governance of outer space to the barriers that keep humanitarian assistance from reaching those who need it.

18/08/2026

As military technologies continue to evolve, so do the questions they raise.

UNIDIR’s new publication explores how international humanitarian law applies to the use of lethal autonomous weapon systems in real operational contexts.

Through practical scenarios and guiding questions, it helps unpack key legal and operational issues surrounding their use.

🔗 Learn more: unidir.org/Compendium-LAWS

18/08/2026

🌐 At a time of rising geopolitical tensions, where multilateralism is under strain, what role can unilateral measures play in reducing global risk?

UNIDIR’s latest report explores past precedents and paths forward for reducing weapons arsenals without a reciprocal arrangement in place. Authored by James Revill and Sarah Bidgood, with expert commentators, the report examines the potential of unilateral measures to reinvigorate arms control efforts and build international trust.

It analyses three historical case studies to identify key factors behind their success or failure, and how unilateral action can foster trust and facilitate future reciprocal agreements:

🔹 Gorbachev’s 1985 unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing

🔹 The 1991 Presidential Nuclear Initiatives

🔹 The 1969 US renunciation of biological weapons

📖 Read more: unidir.org/unilateral

17/08/2026

🕊️ Youth are not passive voices, but active contributors to peace.

UNIDIR's Edward Madziwa discusses how the Agenda, adopted by the UN Security Council, makes sure young people's ideas shape the outcome, not just their presence in the room.

Young people are the leaders of today and tomorrow and should be there to shape the narrative of the peace they want to see.

🎓 Explore the Agenda in our Youth Disarmament Orientation Course: unidir.org/youth-disarm

📸 Jan Demuth

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