UN's First Committee on Disarmament and International Security begins its work amidst genocide and war
7 October 2024
Every year it seems like the context surrounding the UN General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security is bleaker than the last. This certainly held true for 2024, a year in which Israel has waged genocide and war crimes against Palestine and now launched a military invasion of Lebanon, spreading violence throughout the region under the protection and facilitation of the United States and other major arms producing countries. This and other wars, as well as the climate crisis and economic inequalities and more, mean the First Committee has its work cut out for it.
The 79th session of the is scheduled to meet in New York from 7 October to 8 November 2024. The draft schedule and programme of work is available online. The Chair of the First Committee will be Ambassador Maritza Chan, Permanent Representative of Costa Rica.
Reaching Critical Will’s First Committee Briefing Book provides analysis and recommendations to all delegations across the full range of issues that should be discussed, from cluster munitions to torture-free trade, from nuclear weapons to guns, from the arms trade to disabilities and disarmament. This year, with new resolutions seeking the establishment of a UN study on the impacts of nuclear war, organising General Assembly consultations on autonomous weapons, and conducting work on armed drones, there are concrete actions states can take to advance international law and protect humanity and all living things on this planet.
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