United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)

The United Nations was founded on the belief that peace and security for all peoples would only be possible through disarmament. Article 26 of the United Nations Charter calls for 'the establishment and maintenance of international peace and security with the least diversion for armaments of the world's human and economic resources'. Long-term development and security, ensuring food, education, housing and economic infrastructure, is all but impossible in regions torn apart by conflict. The global community often invests again and again in the same conflict area, only to have hard-won progress destroyed by the next conflict. Development efforts are wasted unless these conflicts can be tamed and new ones prevented.