As part of a proposed restructuring of the U.N. Secretariat, the new Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon toyed with the idea of transforming the "Department for Disarmament Affairs" into an "Office for Disarmament Affairs". The mere suggestion brought strong opposition not only from the 117-member Non-Aligned Movement, the largest single political bloc of developing nations, but also from more than 100 anti-war groups, NGOs and peace activists, who see the proposed move as a demotion of the disarmament issue at the U.N.

Ban said that was not his intention, but rather he hopes to strengthen the Office for Disarmament Affairs by bringing it directly under his wing, and he has pledged that it will be headed by an Under-Secretary-General, not a lower-ranked Assistant Secretary-General.

Nevertheless, his decision to introduce changes in the existing Department -- "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", says one peace activist -- remains the subject of debate among NGOs and delegations.