What United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs does

The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) is a Secretariat entity of the United Nations, established in January 1998 as part of the UN Secretary-General's reform programme (formerly the Department for Disarmament Affairs). Headquartered in New York with 83 staff, UNODA provides substantive and organizational support for multilateral disarmament, non-proliferation, and arms control efforts, operating through headquarters plus five regional centers in Geneva, Vienna, Lima, Lomé, and Kathmandu. It serves as the formal secretariat for the General Assembly First Committee, the Disarmament Commission, and the Conference on Disarmament, and supports numerous treaty regimes including the CTBT, NPT, TPNW, BWC, CWC, ATT, APLC, CCM, and CCW, serving 193 UN Member States and global civil society.

UNODA's core offerings comprise information platforms (Disarmament Treaties Database, Military Expenditure Database, UN Register of Conventional Arms, Gender Dashboard, Documents Library, Meetingsplace), capacity-building tools (Disarmament Education Dashboard hosting 35+ open courses with 27,000+ registered users as of December 2023; the Disarmament Fellowship Programme training 1,170+ officials from 173 Member States since 1979; and the Youth4Disarmament initiative), and programmatic instruments (the SALIENT joint initiative with UNDP active in eight countries; the UNSCAR trust facility; and the MOSAIC implementation compendium used in over half of Member States). Technology delivery is web-based with freely accessible databases and a hosted e-learning platform at disarmamenteducation.org; there are no native mobile applications or commercial APIs. Disarmament-related AI in the military domain is addressed through normative dialogue (MAPS Dialogues) rather than internal AI product development.

UNODA is funded through the United Nations regular budget and voluntary contributions from Member States. All services, databases, education, and training programs are provided free of charge to Member States, civil society, academia, and the general public. The office does not generate commercial revenue and operates under international law as part of the UN Secretariat rather than under any national commercial framework.

Name

United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs

Legal name

United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs

Website

https://disarmament.unoda.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) provides substantive and organizational support for multilateral disarmament, non-proliferation, and arms control to 193 UN Member States and global civil society, funded by the UN regular budget and voluntary contributions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Disarmament Affairs

NAICS

International Affairs (92812)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

United Nations System & Specialized Agencies (BPADAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Peace, Security & Arms Control Organizations (BPADAAAF)

Keywords

• Disarmament affairs
• Arms control
• Non-proliferation
• Weapons of mass destruction
• Conventional arms control

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. UN Regular Budget and Extra-budgetary Contributions: UNODA is funded through the United Nations regular budget and voluntary contributions from Member States. As a UN office, it does not generate commercial revenue.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

UNODA provides substantive and organizational support for multilateral norm-setting in disarmament through the General Assembly, its First Committee, the Disarmament Commission, and the Conference on Disarmament. It maintains a portfolio of public databases (treaties, military expenditure, arms trade, gender), an e-learning platform with 35+ courses, capacity-building fellowship and youth programmes, and funding mechanisms (SALIENT, UNSCAR) that assist Member States in implementing arms control and non-proliferation obligations.

Product overview

The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) operates as a platform of databases, educational tools, training programmes, and funding mechanisms for multilateral disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control. The core offerings include the Disarmament Treaties Database, Documents Library, and Meetingsplace for information management; the Disarmament Education Dashboard and Youth4Disarmament for capacity building; the Disarmament Fellowship Programme and Fellowship Training Programme on SALW Control for professional development; and funding mechanisms including SALIENT and UNSCAR. Supporting tools include the MOSAIC implementation compendium, Military Expenditure Database, Gender Dashboard, ODA Publications, and ODA Yearbook. The Vienna Conversation Series provides dialogue forums. All offerings support the implementation of international disarmament treaties and conventions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Disarmament Treaties Database Online database providing comprehensive information on multilateral disarmament treaties and their status, accessible to UN Member States and the public.
• Disarmament Education Dashboard Global e-learning platform offering 35+ open online training courses on disarmament, non-proliferation, and arms control with over 27,000 registered users (as of December 2023).
• Youth4Disarmament Flagship youth outreach programme including the Youth Leader Fund for a World without Nuclear Weapons (YLF), empowering young leaders to advocate for a nuclear-weapon-free world.
• Disarmament Fellowship Programme Annual training programme for national officials to enable more effective participation in international disarmament, non-proliferation, and arms control forums.
• SALIENT (Savings Lives Entity) Joint UNODA-UNDP initiative supporting Member States to tackle armed violence and illicit small arms and light weapons through holistic approaches to sustainable security and development. Active in eight countries.
• UNSCAR (UN Trust Facility Supporting Cooperation on Arms Regulation) Flexible multilateral donor fund providing rapid-impact funding to support arms regulation through mobilization of resources for ratification and implementation of international arms control documents.
• MOSAIC (Modular Small-arms-control Implementation Compendium) Voluntary practical guidance notes for small-arms control implementation. Modules are used in well over half of Member States to improve small-arms control measures.
• Military Expenditure Database UN database for reporting and analysing global military expenditure data submitted by Member States.
• ODA Publications Repository of publications, reports, and educational materials produced by the Office for Disarmament Affairs.
• ODA Yearbook Annual publication covering developments in the field of disarmament, arms control, and international security.
• Documents Library Digital library containing official documents, resolutions, and records related to UN disarmament activities.
• Meetingsplace Platform providing information on meetings and events related to disarmament and arms control.
• Gender Dashboard Data portal providing gender-related statistics and information on disarmament and arms control efforts.
• UN Register of Conventional Arms (UNROCA) Online platform for global reporting on international arms transfers by Member States.
• First Committee Resolutions and Decisions Database Database of resolutions and decisions adopted by the First Committee of the UN General Assembly on disarmament and international security matters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,170 officials trained from 173 Member States since 1979
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNDP is a joint partner with UNODA in SALIENT (Savings Lives Entity), a joint initiative dedicated to supporting Member States tackle armed violence and illicit small arms and light weapons as part of a holistic approach to sustainable security and development. SALIENT works on the principle that small arms control and armed violence reduction must be nationally led, people-centred, anticipatory and responsive.
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)majorTechnology or IntegrationKey local partner of the UNODA Vienna Office. IAEA is Vienna-based and collaborates with UNODA on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament matters.
• Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO)majorTechnology or IntegrationKey local partner of the UNODA Vienna Office. CTBTO collaborates with UNODA on nuclear test ban verification and disarmament monitoring.
• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)majorTechnology or IntegrationKey local partner of the UNODA Vienna Office. UNODC works with UNODA on crime and terrorism-related arms issues.
• United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)majorTechnology or IntegrationKey local partner of the UNODA Vienna Office. UNOOSA collaborates with UNODA on outer space security and disarmament aspects.
• Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional intergovernmental organization that works closely with the UNODA Vienna Office on European security and arms control matters.
• Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThink tank partner of the UNODA Vienna Office for disarmament research and policy development.
• Diplomatic Academy of ViennaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner of the UNODA Vienna Office for education and training in disarmament.
• United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNIDIR collaborated with UNODA on the MOSAIC assessment tool upgrade and various publications. The institute provides research support for disarmament analysis.
• International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIANSA is the global civil society network working on armed violence and small arms control. Partner in the EU-funded gender-responsive small arms control project.
• Organization for American States (OAS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with UNODA (through UNLIREC) and Central American Integration System (SICA) to develop the Central American Road Map to Prevent the Illicit Trafficking and Proliferation of Arms and Ammunition.
• Central American Integration System (SICA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with UNODA (through UNLIREC) and OAS to develop the Central American Road Map to Prevent the Illicit Trafficking and Proliferation of Arms and Ammunition.
• Mines Advisory Group (MAG)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnered with UNODA in Sri Lanka for stockpile management training and construction of container armoury.
• UNDP-SEESACminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with UNODA (through UNRCPD) on study tour to Western Balkans for SALW control best practices.
• Republic of KoreamajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupported the Military AI, Peace & Security (MAPS) Dialogues, a side event convened by UNODA on AI in the military domain.
• Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSo)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablishing partner in the SALIENT initiative, working with UNODA and UNDP on armed violence reduction and small arms control.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): UN-related organization safeguarding the peaceful use of nuclear technology and supporting non-proliferation. Directly comparable as a Vienna-based partner of UNODA, operating overlapping nuclear-disarmament and safeguards mandates across the same Member State base.
• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC): Vienna-based UN office addressing firearms trafficking, crime, and terrorism. Co-located with the UNODA Vienna Office and overlaps on illicit arms flows, ammunition management, and firearms protocol implementation.
• United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA): Vienna-based UN office coordinating international cooperation on peaceful uses of outer space. Co-located partner of UNODA Vienna, with overlapping mandate on outer-space security and disarmament, including PAROS-related work.
• Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE): Regional intergovernmental organization with a broad security mandate including conventional arms control, SALW, and confidence-building measures. A major UNODA partner operating in the same arms-control and security space, particularly in the European theatre.
• United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR): UN autonomous institute within the UN system providing independent research on disarmament and international security. Closely comparable to UNODA: both serve UN Member States, collaborate on MOSAIC and joint publications, and operate in the same disarmament policy space — UNIDIR provides research, UNODA provides secretariat and operational delivery.
• Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO): Vienna-based international organization responsible for the CTBT verification regime. A key UNODA partner that shares the same Member State audience and directly supports UNODA's CTBT universalization work referenced in recent Tonga accession milestones.

Emerging players

• Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP): Independent non-profit think tank providing disarmament research and policy development, based in Vienna. Comparable as a disarmament-focused knowledge and capacity-building organization, but operating as a civil-society actor rather than a UN body; a designated UNODA partner.
• Mines Advisory Group (MAG): International NGO specializing in weapons clearance and stockpile management. A direct operational partner to UNODA in Sri Lanka for stockpile management training and container-armoury construction; comparable in delivery of practical disarmament services.
• International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA): Global civil-society network working on armed violence and small arms control. Comparable as a partner in UNODA's gender-responsive small arms control project and as a stakeholder in the same SALW advocacy space.

Broad incumbents

• Organization of American States (OAS): Regional intergovernmental organization with conventional arms control and small-arms programmes in Latin America. Directly comparable because OAS collaborated with UNODA (UNLIREC) and SICA on the Central American Road Map to prevent illicit arms trafficking.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/unodavienna
• Facebookfacebook.com/unodavienna
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unoda
• Instagraminstagram.com/unodavienna

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs