Background
At the twenty-first Assembly of the Organization of African
Unity, held in Addis Ababa from 18 to 20 July 1985, the Heads of State and
Government called upon the Secretary-General of the United Nations to establish
a regional office in Africa to promote peace, disarmament and development on
the continent (resolution AHG/Res.138XXI).
On 16 December 1985, in response to this call and
reaffirming its previous resolutions on regional disarmament, the General
Assembly adopted a resolution creating the United Nations Regional Centre for
Peace and Disarmament in Africa – UNREC (A/RES/40/151 (undocs.org) G). UNREC was established
within the United Nations Secretariat in January 1986 in Lomé, Togo.
UNREC is placed within the United Nations Office for
Disarmament Affairs (ODA), under the Regional Disarmament Branch, and operates as its field
presence in Africa. The Regional Disarmament Branch carries out the
responsibilities of ODA at the regional level and from a regional perspective.
There are two other regional disarmament centres in the world, in Lima, Peru, for
Latin American and the
Caribbean and in Kathmandu, Nepal, for Asia and the Pacific.
Mandate
The General Assembly gave UNREC the mandate to provide, upon
request, substantive support for initiatives and other efforts of Member States
of the African region towards the realization of measures of peace, arms
limitations and disarmament in the region.
UNREC was further mandated to cooperate with the African Union and to
coordinate the implementation of regional activities in Africa leading to
peace, arms control and disarmament.
Scope of Work
UNREC is the only United Nations regional entity specialized
in disarmament and non-proliferation in the African region. Its main function
is to support Member States in translating decisions, instruments and
commitments in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation into action, at
national, sub-regional and regional levels.
Due to the specific nature of security issues in Africa, the
Centre puts an emphasis on activities linked to the illicit trade of SALW and
to support Member States in meeting their disarmament and non-proliferation
commitments and obligations. The Centre provides support to African Member
States and inter-governmental organizations in these activities It supports
States by strengthening their capacity and providing them with the technical,
legal and substantive assistance necessary to achieve sustainable peace and
security.
The Regional Centre organizes its work around four separate
thematic areas: Small Arms and Light Weapons; Conventional Arms; Weapons of
Mass Destruction and Security Sector Reform.
Secretary-General Reports on the Activities of UNREC
Since creation of UNREC in 1986, the Secretary-General
issues a report each year on the activities undertaken by UNREC.
For a full list of these reports, please click : United
Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa :
Organizational Structure of the UN Office for Disarmament
Affairs
