1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea and the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) held a launching ceremony on September 8, 2021 in Geneva for the following 4 projects aimed at promoting youth engagement in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation.

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a. A global disarmament essay competition on “a nexus among disarmament, security and development”
b. A graduate and professional program (internship program)
c. A model United Nations First Committee on Disarmament meeting on “space security” and “security and technology”
d. An online youth disarmament orientation course for undergraduate and graduate students on “disarmament in the 21st century”

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※ UNIDIR is an autonomous institution within the framework of the UN established by the General Assembly resolution 37/99K for the purpose of undertaking independent research on disarmament and related international security issues. It currently runs 5 programs on: ①WMD, ②security and technology, ③conventional arms, ④gender and disarmament, and ⑤the Middle East WMD free zone.

2. Robin Geiss, UNIDIR Director, expects that these programs would contribute to furthering the diversity and sustainability of discussions in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation through youth engagement. He also looked forward to further expanding cooperation with Korea in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation.

3. As a champion of Action 38 of the UN Secretary-General’s Agenda for Disarmament, Korea proposed a resolution on “Youth, Disarmament and Non-proliferation,” which was co-sponsored by 84 countries and adopted by consensus during the 74th session of the General Assembly in 2019. Korea will present a follow- up resolution during the 76th session of the General Assembly later this year.

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* The gist of the first resolution, which Korea proposed as the sole main sponsor to the UN General Assembly First Committee, is as follows.

- It △encourages promoting meaningful and inclusive participation of young people in discussions in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation, △calls upon the Member States and relevant international organizations to consider developing and implementing policies and programs, and △stresses the importance of realizing the full potential of young people through education and capacity-building to promote the sustainable entry of young people into the field of disarmament and non-proliferation.