A considerable number of regional and multilateral agreements and conventions concerning disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (i.e. atomic explosive weapons, radioactive material weapons, as well as lethal chemical and biological weapons) are presently in force, although none of them have achieved universal participation. The non-proliferation system governs the possession of nuclear weapons, while disarmament has been accepted in regards to biological and chemical weapons. Various treaties establish obligations for participating states. Several international organizations and treaty-established bodies exercise control and verify compliance with the treaty’s obligations. Control and verification are based on state consent: the parties to a disarmament or nonproliferation treaty first provide information related to the initial situation, and then periodically report on implementation of the treaty’s obligations. On site inspections are needed to verify the accuracy and correctness of those information and reports. If a state violates its obligations under the treaty, appropriate sanctions should be available.

Multilateral means of control and verification in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation offer a broad range of options, from treaty-based mechanisms to voluntary, non-binding mechanisms. Compliance, however, has been often unsatisfactory. Especially during the last decades, action taken by the UN Security Council under Chapter VII of the UN Charter has proved essential in order to ensure that treaty obligations are implemented to an acceptable level.