Former Programmes

Arms Control and Disarmament Programme

Under the former Arms Control and Disarmament Programme, VERTIC maintained a watching brief over all developments in the verification, implementation and compliance of arms control and disarmament agreements. VERTIC promoted the development and implementation of effective verification measures for arms control and disarmament treaties, and contributed to the public debate on such issues.

The former Arms Control and Disarmament Programme and Environment Programme were merged to form the new Verification and Monitoring Programme, which was launched in November 2012.

Completed projects under the Arms Control and Disarmament Programme can be accessed here.

Environment Programme

VERTIC’s Environment Programme sought to promote the effective development, implementation and verification of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and related areas. Verification systems can include monitoring, reporting, review and compliance mechanisms. For an introduction to this topic please see ‘A guide to verification for environmental agreements’ (VERTIC, 2003).

VERTIC´s Environment Programme provided expert advice on developing treaty mechanisms and implementaton issues to governments, international organizations and civil society. We were regularly invited to participate in and contribute to international consultations, workshops and capacity building activities in a range of high-level forums. The Programme provided research and analysis for publications by leading organizations. We also advised on project development and strategy; we have experience in running multi-country and multi-partner processes.

The Environment Programme focused on the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), its 1997 Kyoto Protocol, proposals for the post-2012 climate change regime, and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) and related areas. VERTIC worked on climate change issues since 1991.

The former Arms Control and Disarmament Programme and Environment Programme were merged to form the new Verification and Monitoring Programme, which was launched in November 2012.

Completed projects under the Environment Programme can be accessed here.

Peace Agreements Programme

VERTIC’s Peace Agreements Programme focused on the monitoring and verification of peace accords. Verification and monitoring may be applied to the whole range of elements that constitute a peace implementation process, ranging from the military aspects, through electoral monitoring and human rights monitoring, to the monitoring of local police using international civilian police. The monitoring and verification of the military aspects of peace agreements has the longest lineage historically: ceasefire agreements have often called for monitoring by impartial international observers.

Since the end of the Cold War the deployment of multi-function peace operations as part of comprehensive peace settlements has vastly expanded the possibilities for monitoring and verification. Such activities have also become increasingly significant because the results are much better publicised by the global media, because modern peace agreements tend to be more explicit and elaborate and because experience in monitoring and verification in other fields, such as arms control and disarmament, is gradually being extended to the implementation of peace accords.

Compliance / Special Projects Programme

VERTIC first established a Compliance programme in 2016 with the aim to undertake projects designed to assess the overall strength of compliance with international agreements. This programme was later renamed as Special Projects, and ultimately became the Compliance Mechanisms and Measures Programme.

Top