At the 2026 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, UNIDIR convened a dynamic series of side events addressing today’s most pressing nuclear policy challenges. Hosted in partnership with the European Union, this event examined the evolving drivers of nuclear energy development in the Middle East and the region’s nuclear proliferation landscape in the context of the latest security dynamics and technological advancements.
Interest in nuclear energy across the Middle East and North Africa region is gaining renewed momentum amid a global push to expand nuclear energy in the coming decades to achieve energy security, supply assurance and economic growth. The event presented UNIDIR’s latest research paper on the drivers of nuclear energy expansion and findings. It also explored how these may affect the regional non-proliferation outlook, ongoing discussions on the establishment of a Weapons of Mass Destruction- Free Zone in the Middle East, and models of risk mitigation and peaceful cooperation.
Event recording
Agenda
Opening remarks
- Amb. Stephan Klement, EU Special Envoy for Non-Proliferation and Disarmament
Panellists
- Amb. Ihab Moustafa, Permanent Representative of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the UN and Head of Delegation to the Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
- Shota Kamishima, Senior Coordination Officer, Director General’s Office, International Atomic Energy Agency
- Dr Zia Mian, Co-Director of the Programme on Science and Global Security, Princeton University
- Almuntaser Albalawi, Researcher, Middle East WMD-Free Zone Project, UNIDIR
Moderated by Dr Chen Zak Kane, Head of UNIDIR Middle East WMD-Free Zone Project
When and where
Monday, 27 April 2026 | 13:15-14:30 EDT | Conference Room 1, UN Headquarters, New York
Further information
For questions, please contact mewmdfz-unidir@un.org.