Developing New Mechanisms for Disarmament: A Concept for a “COP for Weapons”?

MSGT Jose Lopez Jr. / Wiki Commons

This policy brief sets out a menu of proposals for revitalising UN and ad hoc disarmament and arms control mechanisms in ways that can build mutual reassurance among states. No dedicated multilateral processes systematically address major conventional weapons, including missiles, tanks, combat aircraft, and warships, despite their continued and widespread role in causing civilian harm. Proposing the concept of a COP for Weapons represents a substantial and ambitious undertaking but one that may help respond to the scale and complexity of contemporary weapons governance challenges.