UNIDIR-UNODA Disarmament Orientation Course 2025

The Geneva Branch of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) are pleased to invite representatives of permanent missions to the United Nations at Geneva and delegations of international or regional organizations in Geneva to participate in the 2025 edition of the Disarmament Orientation Course. The course will be held in person at the Palais des Nations in Geneva over five to six sessions, each lasting two hours. Further information and details will be provided in the coming weeks. 

The course will take place over the following dates:

·       15, 18 and 19 September: 8:00 - 10:00 CEST 

·       22, 23 and 25 September: 8:00 - 10:00 CEST

The objectives of this course are to: 

·    Provide an overview of key multilateral disarmament and arms control challenges and topics relevant in Geneva;

·       Introduce new delegates to the practical elements of day-to-day engagement with Geneva-based disarmament, non-proliferation, and arms control bodies and processes;

·   Share practical resources and highlight current research available to the Geneva disarmament community; and

·       Provide a forum for newly arrived diplomats to connect and exchange views with each other and with technical experts.

The expected outcomes are: 

·    Participants will be equipped to effectively engage with Geneva-based disarmament bodies, processes and debates;

·    Participants will gain an enhanced understanding of core disarmament and arms control concepts, issues and mechanisms;

·   Levels of participation in Geneva-based processes will increase; and

·     Connections within the Geneva disarmament community will be strengthened.

The course is open to diplomats or officials with responsibilities for disarmament and arms control matters who have recently arrived in Geneva. Please kindly note that the course is free of charge and will be delivered in English. 

Nominations and expressions of interest in participating should be submitted through Indico by completing the online registration form no later than 25 July 2025. A note verbale from permanent missions is required for individual registrations. Should you wish to nominate or express interest on behalf of multiple delegates, we would kindly ask that their full names be listed in a single note verbale.

Following a review of nominations, selected participants will be notified by mid-August 2025. Any further enquiries should be directed to doc@un.org.