United Nations marks International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness on 5 March 2026

Key facts

• The International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness is observed every year on 5 March to promote better awareness and understanding of disarmament issues among the public, especially young people.
• Global military expenditures reached a record $2.7 trillion in 2024.
• An interactive ballot-box installation at the Vienna International Centre (VIC) Rotunda from 2 to 6 March 2026 invites visitors to vote on global spending priorities and reflect on redirecting resources toward education, health, and climate action.
• The UN General Assembly has held three Special Sessions on Disarmament (SSOD) that shaped the disarmament architecture, yet a fourth session remains elusive since 1995.
• The United Nations Secretary-General’s report titled 'The Security We Need: Rebalancing Military Spending for a Sustainable and Peaceful Future' will be discussed in a virtual briefing on 5 March at 10:15 am Nepal Time.
• UNODA Occasional Paper No. 47, 'Revisiting Consensus in Multilateral Disarmament Discussions: Trends, Challenges and the Way Forward', authored by Adedeji Ebo and Katherine Prizeman, will be launched on 5 March at 3 PM EST at the Dag Hammarskjöld Library.
• A second interactive ballot-box installation will be held at Schwedenplatz, Vienna, on 5 March afternoon to engage the public on global spending priorities.
• On 5 March, the UN Regional Center for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) will meet high-school students from the Sacré-Coeur Avépozo Institute in Togo to discuss small arms, light weapons, and autonomous weapons systems.
• On 6 March, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) will meet high-school students from Hiroshima, Japan, to discuss its work on disarmament and peacebuilding.
• Suzuka Nakamura, a Japanese peace activist and third-generation hibakusha from Nagasaki, was selected as one of the UN Youth Office's 17 Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2025-2027.