United Nations General Assembly, First Committee (Disarmament & International Security)

About

The Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC) is the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), established in 1945 after the devastating impact of World War 2. It was created as a part of the United Nations Charter, signed on 26 June 1945 in San Francisco, USA, to promote international peace. It mainly focuses on international peace, disarmament, and preventing the proliferation of weapons.

DISEC is one of the six main committees of the UN General Assembly. It includes all 193 member states of the UN, each member having one vote. The decisions are usually made through the majority vote.

Though the resolutions passed are non-binding, they carry great influence and often serve as the basis for major treaties like the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT, and the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). Many topics are discussed in DISEC, ranging from disarmament and arms trafficking to cybersecurity, AI in warfare, outer space militarization, and more.

There are five prominent countries which often take the lead in the DISEC, these are the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, and France, all of whom are recognized as nuclear powers, while India, Iran, Israel and Japan also play key roles.

DISEC helps turn conflict into cooperation through dialogue and diplomacy. It’s where the world takes steps—together—toward peace.