Disarmament Week2026 · Date · History · Messages · Quotes
A/RES/S-10/2
About Disarmament Week
Disarmament Week runs from 24 to 30 October and is a United Nations observance intended to promote awareness and understanding of disarmament issues and their links to international peace and security.
The week begins on 24 October, United Nations Day. Its scope is broader than any one weapon category and can include nuclear weapons, conventional arms, emerging technologies, arms control, humanitarian consequences and the institutions used to negotiate risk reduction.
Why Disarmament Week matters
Disarmament is not only a technical question about weapon numbers. It also involves verification, trust, international law, security perceptions, humanitarian risk and the ability of states to negotiate durable arrangements.
A useful observance should therefore distinguish advocacy, treaty obligations, negotiated arms-control measures and broader political goals rather than treating them as identical concepts.
History of Disarmament Week
The Final Document of the General Assembly’s 1978 special session devoted to disarmament, embodied in resolution A/RES/S-10/2, called for an annual Disarmament Week beginning on 24 October.
The date deliberately begins on the anniversary of the founding of the United Nations.
On 12 December 1995, the General Assembly again invited governments and non-governmental organizations to take an active part in Disarmament Week through resolution 50/72 B, reinforcing public education and participation.
How the observance developed
This timeline uses documented milestones from reviewed sources. Missing stages are left out rather than guessed.
United Nations General Assembly
A/RES/S-10/2
The General Assembly invited governments and non-governmental organizations to continue taking an active part in Disarmament Week and promoted wider public understanding of disarmament issues.
United Nations General Assembly · A/RES/50/72 B
What the evidence establishes
Confirmed institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Details that could not be established from the reviewed sources are listed separately below.
5 fields not established in reviewed sources
Later institutional actions
Later recognition, renaming, mergers or date changes are kept separate from original establishment.
How to Observe Disarmament Week
Read one current treaty, UN disarmament factsheet or official meeting summary and identify what is legally binding, politically agreed or still under negotiation.
Compare two disarmament or arms-control mechanisms and note how their verification and enforcement arrangements differ.
Hold a classroom or community discussion about how security concerns and humanitarian consequences can pull policy in different directions.
Use primary institutional sources when discussing contested weapons issues and clearly separate established facts from policy arguments.
Disarmament Week Facts
Disarmament Week is observed from 24 to 30 October.
The observance was called for in the Final Document of the General Assembly’s 1978 special session on disarmament.
That Final Document was embodied in A/RES/S-10/2, adopted on 30 June 1978.
The week starts on 24 October, the anniversary of the founding of the United Nations.
In 1995 the General Assembly invited governments and NGOs to continue active participation in the Week through resolution 50/72 B.
Disarmament Week Messages
Wishing everyone observing Disarmament Week a day of reflection, constructive dialogue and purposeful follow-through.
On Disarmament Week, may awareness lead to informed discussion, practical action and respect for the communities at the heart of the observance.
May Disarmament Week encourage thoughtful participation, shared responsibility and action that continues after the observance ends.
Disarmament Week Quotes
“Disarmament must be brought back to the centre of our common efforts for peace and security.”
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
Evidence & sources
Sources used across the guide are gathered here. Labels show how each source supports the page, and contextual references are kept separate from primary evidence.
United Nations Digital Library — A/RES/S-10/2 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — Disarmament Week (opens in a new tab)
Dedicated Authoritative Page
Understand it, compare it, then explore further
Start with the most common factual questions, then compare closely related observances and explore useful connections.
Frequently asked questions
When is Disarmament Week?
24–30 October The documented recurrence rule is: 24–30 October.
Does Disarmament Week fall on the same date every year?
Yes. It uses a fixed annual date unless stronger evidence changes the pattern.
Is Disarmament Week an official public holiday?
The reviewed sources verify it within this scope: United Nations international week. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when reliable evidence explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes Disarmament Week?
The reviewed sources identify United Nations General Assembly as the proclaiming or establishing body.
Is Disarmament Week international or country-specific?
The documented scope is international or global: United Nations international week. That does not mean every country treats the date as a public holiday or observes it in the same way.
How is this page verified?
The factual information is checked against reviewed sources, including the date pattern, scope and institutional history. This page was checked on 2026-09-05.
When is Disarmament Week?
It runs from 24 to 30 October each year.
Why does Disarmament Week begin on 24 October?
The United Nations states that the week starts on 24 October because that date is the anniversary of the founding of the UN.
When was Disarmament Week established?
It was called for in the Final Document of the General Assembly’s 1978 special session on disarmament, embodied in A/RES/S-10/2.