International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness 2026; March 5th.

 

  FORUM: "Designing a World without Nuclear Weapons" International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness 2026. The observance seeks to promote better awareness and understanding of disarmament issues among the public, especially young people. Since the founding of the United Nations, the goals of multilateral disarmament and arms limitation have been central to the Organization’s efforts to maintain international peace and security. Weapons of mass destruction, in particular nuclear weapons, continue to be of primary concern, owing to their destructive power and the threat that they pose to humanity. The excessive accumulation in conventional weapons and the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons jeopardizes international peace and security and sustainable development, while the use of explosive weapons in populated areas is seriously endangering civilians. New and emerging weapon technologies, such as autonomous weapons, pose a challenge to global security and have received increased attention from the international community in recent years. Why Do You think disarmament is important?; Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #IDDNPA, #Disarmament, #disarmamentawarenessday, #5march, #nonproliferationawarenessday #VCS, #peaceandsecurity.

Statement of the United Nations Secretary-General on the International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness 2026; March 5th.

Our dream of peace is in peril.

The threat of nuclear weapons use is the highest in decades. Global tensions are pushing military spending to stratospheric levels. Small arms and light weapons are proliferating. And emerging technologies are making conflicts even deadlier.

We must lower the temperature. On this International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness, I urge leaders to step back from the brink. Stop rattling the nuclear saber. Halt the arms races.

It’s time to invest in the architecture of peace, not the tools of war. That means living up to disarmament obligations. Rebuilding trust. And strengthening the systems and tools that prevent the proliferation, testing and use of deadly weapons.

Together, we can prevent catastrophes and ensure a safe and peaceful world for all.

António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General.

 

EVENTS: Find below the International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness 2026 events open to the public, both hybrid and in-person events, along with the way to register.

Interactive Exhibit on Military Expenditure.
Monday, March 2nd, 2026, Starting at 1:30PM CET.

In-person attendance in the Rotunda of the UN Vienna International Centre*

From 2 to 6 March, the Rotunda of the Vienna International Centre (VIC) will host an interactive “ballot-box” installation inviting visitors to cast their vote on global spending priorities. With global military expenditures having reached a record of $2.7 trillion in 2024, this installation creates a space to reflect on how resources are allocated — and how they could be redirected toward sectors such as education, health and climate action. The installation will open on 2 March at 1:30 PM CET with welcoming remarks by the Permanent Representative of Kyrgyzstan, the Chief of the UNODA Vienna Office and Olamide Samuels (ONN), followed by a performance by the UN Choir and a reception.

Accessing the legacy of the Special Sessions of the General Assembly devoted to Disarmament.
Tuesday, 3 March 2026, starting at 9am EST.
Hybrid event with in-person attendance on the 15th Floor of the Secretariat Building, Room 1520**.
Register to participate!

The United Nations General Assembly has held three Special Sessions on Disarmament (SSOD), which fundamentally shaped the disarmament architecture and the subsequent discussions within it. Despite repeated calls since 1995, including recently in the Pact for the Future, a fourth special session remains elusive. This event examines the lasting impact of these sessions and explores a critical question: can the international community overcome current divisions to convene SSOD-IV?

Implications of the Secretary-General’s Report on Military Expenditure for Asia and the Pacific.
Thursday, 5 March – 10:15am UTC +5:45 (Nepal Time) – Virtual Event
Register to participate!

This virtual briefing will discuss the United Nations Secretary-General’s report on military expenditure, “The Security We Need: Rebalancing Military Spending for a Sustainable and Peaceful Future.” Participants will hear key findings from the report and learn from regional experts about what they mean for peace, security, and sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific. This briefing is the first session of UNRCPD’s 2026 regional briefing series and is open to a general audience, including academia, think tanks, civil society and youth, and interested members of the public.

More info: https://www.unrcpd.org/iddnpa1

 On Thursday, from 5 March to 3PM EST -  Launch of UNODA Occasional Paper No. 47 – Revisiting Consensus in Multilateral Disarmament Discussions: Trends, Challenges and the Way Forward.

In-Person attendance in the First Floor Reading Room of the Dag Hammarskjöld Library*
Registration to participate!

The Occasional Papers series was developed to give wider dissemination of input from expert panels and seminars, sponsored by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA). In this Occasional Paper, Adedeji Ebo (Director and Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs) and Katherine Prizeman (Political Affairs Officer in UNODA's Science, Technology and International Security Unit) explore the role that consensus has played in specific, recent disarmament discussions and offer some recommendations on the way forward.

Read Occasional Paper No. 47 here.

Interactive Exhibit on Military Expenditure – Schwedenplatz, Vienna
Thursday, 5 March – Afternoon
In-person attendance at Schwedenplatz

A second edition of the interactive “ballot-box” installation will take place at Schwedenplatz, in the afternoon, bringing the conversation beyond the United Nations and into the public square. Open to all, the exhibit invites participants to cast their ballots on where global spending priorities should lie.

Other events: We will also be hosting events targeted at the youth:

UN Regional Center for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) Meets with Students from Togo

On 5 March, the UN Regional Center for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) will convene with high school students from the Sacré-Coeur Avépozo Institute to discuss small arms and light weapons and autonomous weapons systems. This represents a key moment to mobilize Togolese youth against illicit arms proliferation and towards a safer future!

Follow along on X @odaunrec!

UN Office for Disarmament Affairs Meets with Students from Hiroshima, Japan

On the sideline of the International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness, on 6 March, UNODA will convene with high school students from Hiroshima to discuss the Office’s work. Youth lead the way in advancing disarmament and peacebuilding efforts!

*A VIC Grounds Pass is required to attend this event.

**A UNHQ Grounds Pass is required to attend this event

Story from a young peace activist.

Suzuka Nakamura, a Japanese peace activist and third‑generation hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) from Nagasaki, has been advocating for a world free of nuclear weapons since high school. Selected as one of the UN Youth Office's 17 Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2025-2027, she is now determined to create a mobile atomic bomb museum as a new way to bring the urgent call for nuclear disarmament to communities across the world.

International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness; March 5th.

FORUM: "The history, success and challenges of Nuclear disarmament education." International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness 2025. Since the founding of the United Nations, the goals of multilateral disarmament and arms limitation have been central to the Organization’s efforts to maintain international peace and security. Weapons of mass destruction, in particular nuclear weapons, continue to be of primary concern, owing to their destructive power and the threat that they pose to humanity. The excessive accumulation in conventional weapons and the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons jeopardizes international peace and security and sustainable development, while the use of explosive weapons in populated areas is seriously endangering civilians. New and emerging weapon technologies, such as autonomous weapons, pose a challenge to global security and have received increased attention from the international community in recent years. Why Do You think disarmament is important, Join the conversation on nuclear disarmament education. Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #IDDNPA2025, #Disarmament, #disarmamentawarenessday, #5march, #nonproliferationawarenessday #VCS, #peaceandsecurity.

EVENTS: Activities to Commemorate the International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness Day 2025. on and around March 5th. Registration.

On March 5st, 2025: Side-event on “The History, Success, and Challenges of Nuclear Disarmament Education” - The Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies (Cornell University), the Permanent Mission of Kyrgyzstan to the United Nations, and the Office for Disarmament Affairs will be organizing a special lunchtime event marking the International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness at UNHQ on March 5th. The title of the event is “The History, Success, and Challenges of Nuclear Disarmament Education.” The goal is for the attendees to hear from experts in the nuclear disarmament and education fields, to strategize on how best to inspire and educate students, and to ensure that students, especially from schools with less access to nuclear disarmament education, have an equal opportunity to study nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation. This event will also explore the gap between those creating educational resources on nuclear disarmament and the intended beneficiaries, as well as those involved in curriculum development. The panelists will represent a broad cross section of experts in the field disarmament education.

On 18 March 2025: Vienna Conversation Series event youth empowerment for disarmament - This Vienna Conversation Series event, planned in cooperation with the Kyrgyz Republic, commemorates the International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness by underscoring the essential role of a diverse range of actors in promoting disarmament education, with a focus on youth engagement and empowerment. It will highlight new learning opportunities offered by UNODA and promote peer-to-peer exchange of experience to promote diverse applications to various UNODA programmes. The event also seeks to support the new calls for applications of UNODA learning programmes and boost their visibility among Member States, Vienna-based organizations, civil society, and, particularly youth groups, to ensure diverse applications. See additional information.

From 5 to 6 March 2025: Visibility among the Vienna community - The Office for Disarmament Affairs’ (ODA) Vienna Office will be kicking off a series of activities to mark the International Day. There will be an exhibition booth at the Rotunda of the Vienna International Center, featuring educational materials on the human cost of weapons and an interactive game on disarmament facts and fiction. Social media efforts, including promotion of ODA's e-learning opportunities, will continue during the week.

From 5 March to 13 April: Youth Leader Fund for a World without Nuclear Weapons launches Call for Applications - The Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), with the generous support of the Government of Japan, is pleased to announce the launch of the second Call for Applications for the Youth Leader Fund for a World without Nuclear Weapons (YLF). Following the successful completion of Phase I, UNODA is seeking to select the next 100 young leaders from around the world to participate in an innovative online learning programme. Fifty of these participants will be given the opportunity to travel to Japan for a week-long study visit to Nagasaki and Hiroshima. During this visit, they will meet with hibakusha (survivors of the atomic bombings), engage with other youth advocates, and gain firsthand insight into the devastating consequences of nuclear weapons. Notably, Phase II of the programme is particularly focused on communication and storytelling as powerful tools for advocacy. The programme aims to bring together a diverse and geographically representative group of advocates for nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, aged 18 to 29. The Call for Application closes on 13 April. For further details, please visit Disarmament Education Dashboard.

TRAINING: Enroll in the Gender and disarmament courses - UN Women training centre.

Statement of the Secretary-General for the International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness 2025; March 5th.

Humanity’s future depends on investing in the machinery of peace, not the machinery of war.

Yet global tensions are increasing, the nuclear threat is rising, and guardrails are eroding. Meanwhile, small arms and light weapons are proliferating, and rapidly evolving technologies like Artificial Intelligence and quantum computing are deepening the dangers.

On this International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness, I urge leaders to strengthen the systems and tools that prevent the proliferation, testing and use of deadly weapons and live up to their disarmament obligations.

I also call for a concerted effort in meeting the disarmament commitments contained in the recently adopted Pact for the Future. These commitments include working towards a world free of nuclear weapons, and new strategies to prevent the use of chemical and biological weapons, and to address the weaponization of outer space and the use of lethal autonomous weapons.

It’s time for leaders to put words into action, and invest in disarmament solutions and the peaceful future every person deserves.

United Nations Secretary-General.

International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness 2023; March 5th.

FORUM: "The role of disarmament education as a tool for peace and security." International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness 2023.

Since the founding of the United Nations, the goals of multilateral disarmament and arms limitation have been central to the Organization’s efforts to maintain international peace and security. Weapons of mass destruction, in particular nuclear weapons, continue to be of primary concern, owing to their destructive power and the threat that they pose to humanity. The excessive accumulation in conventional weapons and the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons jeopardizes international peace and security and sustainable development, while the use of explosive weapons in populated areas is seriously endangering civilians. New and emerging weapon technologies, such as autonomous weapons, pose a challenge to global security and have received increased attention from the international community in recent years. Follow the conversation with the hastags: #disarmamentawarenessday, #5march, #nonproliferationawarenessday #VCS, #peaceandsecurity.

Statement from the U.N. Secretary-General on International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness 2023; March 5th.

On this first-ever International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness, the global community gathers around a fundamental conviction.

Nuclear, chemical, biological, and unpredictable autonomous and other indiscriminate weapon systems have no place in our world.

Yet today, these and other threats continue to menace humanity, with record levels of military spending, rising mistrust, and geopolitical tensions that, left unchecked, could spiral into even greater conflict.

In particular, the number of nuclear weapons held in stockpiles around the world remains at around 13,000 — more than enough to destroy our planet many times over at a time when risk of use is at its highest since the Cold War.

On this important day, I call on all partners — from governments and academia, to media, civil society groups, industry, and young people — to turn up the volume on this collective emergency and raise awareness about the critical importance of disarmament and non-proliferation to humanity’s future.

I also urge leaders to take steps to strengthen the global disarmament and non-proliferation regime — including the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons — and support a New Agenda for Peace with a reinvigorated vision for disarmament.

Disarmament and non-proliferation are investments in peace.

They are investments in our future.

Let’s end these threats before they end us.

António Guterres.

EVENTS: Activities to Commemorate the International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness Day 2023.


- Inaugural online launch event (1 March 2023)

To mark the first-ever International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness, the Permanent Mission of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United Nations and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs will co-host a virtual launch event on Wednesday 1 March, from 11.00 am to 12.30 pm (EST). Distinguished speakers including the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, and the President of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly will deliver opening remarks for the launch event, which will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A from participants. 

Distinguished speakers including the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, and the President of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly will deliver opening remarks for the event, which will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A from participants.

MODERATOR
• H.E. Ms. Aida Kasymalieva
Permanent Representative of the Kyrgyz Republic to the UN

OPENING REMARKS
• H.E. Mr. Zheenbek Kulubaev
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic
• H.E. Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu
UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs
• H.E. Mr. Csaba Kőrösi
President of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly

PANELLISTS
• H.E. Mr. Ishikane Kimihiro
Permanent Representative of Japan to the UN
• Ms. Maria Antonieta Jaquez Huacuja
Director for Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Arms Control, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico
• Mr. William Potter
Director of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies
• Ms. Naomi Ekpoki
UN Youth Champion for Disarmament
• Mere Tuilau
Manager, Reverse The Trend Pacific, Marshallese Educational Initiative's Pacific Campaign, Fiji

Register here.

- Vienna Conversation Series event “Advancements in Science & Technology: Leveraging disarmament education towards greater diversity and inclusion” (2 March 2023)

On 2 March from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. (CET), Member States, academia and civil society representatives will explore the impact of advances in science and technology on international peace and security through the lens of diversity and inclusion. They will also reflect on how the power of disarmament education may be leveraged to engage more stakeholders, especially new generations, in an inclusive and sustained manner. This event is organized by the UNODA Vienna Office in partnership with the Permanent Missions of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Korea to the United Nations in Vienna. Register here.

- #ClickDISARM Campaign

In a countdown to the International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness on 5 March, the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs’ #Youth4Disarmament initiative has launched the #ClickDISARM campaign to highlight a variety of ways for young people to get involved in awareness-raising activities for disarmament issues. As part of the initiative, various features of the #Youth4Disarmament website will be highlighted, using each letter of “DISARM” to spotlight the different avenues available to: Demystify, Innovate, Share, Amplify, Research, and Motivate.

The campaign will be launched and conducted on the #Youth4Disarmament Instagram page.

- Launch of the 2023 Youth for Biosecurity Fellowship (3 March 2023)

The Geneva Branch of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs will launch the 2023 Youth for Biosecurity Fellowship in the framework of the first International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness celebrations. The online launch event on 3 March aims to present the Fellowship, the application process and the programme with managers and experts supporting the initiative and alumni.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Did you know that in 2021, global military spending reached $2.1 trillion? 
• 12,700 nuclear weapons remain an existential threat to humanity today. 
• 26,000 people can be treated for malaria for the price of 1 battle tank. 

Here are some outreach materials.

CAMPAIGN: Raise awareness on the opportunities provided to engage, educate, and empower young people on disarmament.