About

The Nuclear Disarmament Verification Repository (NDVR) is an interactive digital platform developed by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) to consolidate and organize knowledge on verification in arms control and disarmament processes. NDVR builds on lessons learned and best practices from past and present agreements and situates its work within the broader context of international initiatives to advance nuclear disarmament verification—such as the work of the Groups of Governmental Experts (GGEs) on nuclear disarmament verification and the ongoing proposal to establish a Group of Scientific and Technical Experts (GSTE) on nuclear disarmament verification.

The Repository compiles methodologies, procedures, and technologies applied in existing verification regimes across nuclear and related areas—including chemical, biological, conventional, and space. While its primary focus is nuclear disarmament verification, the NDVR draws on experiences from other arms control and disarmament processes to illustrate the range and scope of options for verifying compliance. By making this knowledge accessible, the NDVR provides policymakers, practitioners, and researchers with resources to support ongoing and future nuclear disarmament verification efforts.

The NDVR is organized into four thematic sections:

• Key Terms – Definitions and concepts central to verification discussions, drawn from UN sources.

• Treaties – Summaries of verification arrangements across nuclear, chemical, biological, conventional, and space regimes.

• Tools – Illustrative examples of methods, procedures, and technologies applied in verification.

• Institutions – Profiles of organizations and mechanisms that implement and support verification.

Users can browse these sections or use the search function to locate specific terms, treaties, tools, or institutions. A comparison feature is also available to provide a comparative overview of similarities and differences between treaties’ verification arrangements.

The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research is a voluntarily funded autonomous institute within the United Nations. An impartial actor, the Institute generates ideas and promotes action on disarmament and security. Based in Geneva, UNIDIR is centrally positioned to assist the international community in developing the practical, innovative thinking needed to find solutions to the challenges of today and tomorrow.

UNIDIR brings together States, international organizations, civil society, the private sector and academia so that we may work together—internationally, regionally and locally—to build and implement creative solutions that will benefit all States and peoples.

The Nuclear Disarmament Verification Repository is maintained by UNIDIR’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme.

The Nuclear Disarmament Verification Repository was first developed with the generous financial support from the Government of Norway.

The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in the publication are the sole responsibility of the individual authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the United Nations, UNIDIR, its staff members or sponsors.

Some content on the Portal allows for machine translation provided through Google Translate service. This feature is included only to enhance user convenience and experience. Translations provided by Google Translate do not constitute official translations. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, express or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and noninfringement. For more information please reference the Google Terms & Service at: https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en-US.

Photo credit on the Homepage: By MSGT Jose Lopez Jr., VIRIN: DF-ST-91-05778, Public Domain, Wikimedia; About Page: By Tom Ek – DSC_2635-export, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia; Treaties: “Years of flying ended here” by Ian Abbott, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0; Treaties Nuclear: By SSGT RONALD RUSH – DOD Defense Visual Information Center, Public Domain, Wikimedia; Treaties Chemical: “Pilot project in Ecuador evaluates potential of Member State-managed first response training” by OPCW, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0; Treaties Biological: By The U.S. Army – Army Team Equips Soldiers to Take on Chemical, Biological Warfare, CC BY 2.0, Flickr; Treaties Space: By NASA - Arabsat communications satellite deploying from Discovery's payload bay (NASA ID: 51g-034-045), Public domain, NASA; Tools: By IAEA Imagebank – Checking Fuel Assembly (03210032), CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia; Institutions: “108th Session of the OPCW Executive Council” by OPCW, CC BY-ND 2.0 ; Compare: “National Museum of the United States Air Force Missiles” by Kelly Michals, CC BY-NC 2.0 ; Terms and Conditions: By Jeff Keyzer – Flickr: Texarkana Roadtrip, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia; Other Resources: CTBTO Public Information – www.ctbto.org; Fraud Alert: By David James Paquin (attributed), Public Domain, Wikimedia; Glossary: CTBTO Public Information – www.ctbto.org.