UNODA provides substantive support in the area of the disarmament of weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, chemical and biological weapons). It supports and participates in multilateral efforts to strengthen the non-proliferation of WMD and in this connection cooperates with the relevant intergovernmental organizations and specialized agencies of the United Nations system, in particular the IAEA, the OPCW and the CTBTO PrepCom, in addition to supporting relevant multilateral treaties such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Biological Weapons Convention.

Conventional arms are weapons other than weapons of mass destruction. They are the most commonly known and widely used weapons in conflict and crime settings and encompass a wide range of equipment, including battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, large-caliber artillery systems, combat aircraft and unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV), attack helicopters, warships, missile and missile launchers, landmines, cluster munitions, small arms, and lights weapons and ammunition.

The Regional Disarmament Branch (RDB) is the operational arm of UNODA at the regional, subregional and national levels. The branch serves over 135 countries and comprises a New York-based office as well as three UN Regional Centres for Peace and Disarmament:

Confidence building measures are meant to prevent or reduce the occurrence of ambiguities and suspicions to improve international cooperation in disarmament and arms control.

Other disarmament issues include UNODA’s work in education, youth, gender, multilateralism, information security and outer space, among other areas.