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Foreign state actors engage in multi-layered disinformation campaigns that aim to undermine non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament (NACD) conventions, discredit multilateral institutions, and compromise or derail cooperative threat reduction efforts.

While many GP Members and Partners were targeted by disinformation in the past and responded with counter-disinformation campaigns, these efforts were traditionally siloed within the individual areas of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats and were performed in relative isolation. In 2023, under Japan’s presidency and Canada’s leadership, the Global Partnership committed to approach counter-disinformation efforts in a more collaborative and comprehensive manner to tackle this complex threat.

Pioneered and funded by Global Affairs Canada, the GP’s 18-month pilot project, Countering WMD Disinformation Initiative, provides a comprehensive, coordinated, multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary approach to understanding and countering state-sponsored or state-adjacent disinformation regarding weapons of mass destruction. In its initial phase (2024-2025), the initiative focused on CBRN disinformation in the context of the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine. Based on the success and impact of those efforts, the initiative was renewed on an ongoing basis (2025), with an expanded scope to anticipate, identify, debunk and “prebunk” CBRN disinformation, wherever and whenever it arises. The initiative provides a more solid evidence-base for GP members and partners to identify, understand, and develop mitigation strategies, raise awareness about the nature and objectives of disinformation and ultimately reduce the impact.