In 2019, sixteen Non-Nuclear Weapons States launched The Stockholm Initiative on Nuclear Disarmament. This initiative sought to encourage constructive discussion on advancing nuclear disarmament diplomacy before and at the NPT Review Conference as well as effective multilateralism in a period of mounting geostrategic tensions. In 2020, the sixteen States further agreed to a series of 22 concrete actions or ‘Stepping Stones for Advancing Nuclear Disarmament’ designed to variously reduce the salience of nuclear weapons; rebuild habits of cooperation; reduce nuclear risks; and enhance transparency.
This UNIDIR event will discuss the prospects for progress with the Stockholm Initiative, with a particular focus on the prospect of realizing key Stepping Stones in the run-up to the Tenth NPT Review Conference and beyond.
SPEAKERS:
The workshop will consist of two moderated discussion panels. Each panel will begin with a series of prepared questions focusing on key Stepping Stones, before opening-up to wider questions from the audience.
Opening Remarks:
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Robert Siegfried (Head of division for nuclear disarmament, arms control and related strategic issues, German Federal Foreign Office)
Session 1 speakers:
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Andrey Baklitskiy (Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Advanced American Studies at the MGIMO University of the Russian Foreign Ministry and a Consultant at PIR Center)
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Thomas Countryman (Board Chairman, Arms Control Association)
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Wakana Mukai (Assistant Professor, Asia University)
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Amir Nasir (First Secretary, Permanent Mission of Malaysia to the United Nations)
Session 2 speakers:
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Aidan Liddle (Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the Conference on Disarmament)
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Yann Hwang (Ambassador, Permanent Representative of France to the Conference for Disarmament)
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Nicolas Plattner (Head Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA, Switzerland)
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Elena Sokova (Executive Director, Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation)
Closing Remarks:
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Ann-Sofie Nilsson (Ambassador for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, Sweden)
WHEN & WHERE:
17 March 2021, 14:00 – 16:00 CET (online)
PARTICIPANTS:
UNIDIR encourages the participation of representatives and experts specialized or interested in issues pertaining to nuclear weapons and disarmament.
RECORDING: