This year, we lost one of the most prominent leaders for disarmament of our time, former Sri Lankan diplomat Mr. Jayantha Dhanapala. He served as Director of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) from 1987 to 1992 and United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs from 1998 to 2003. He passed away on 27 May 2023.
In addition to his assignments as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the United States and Permanent Representative to the Conference Disarmament, Mr. Dhanapala served as President of the NPT Extension and Review Conference in 1995, playing a central role in forging consensus on the treaty’s indefinite extension. He devoted his life to disarmament and multilateralism in his various capacities, including as President of Pugwash International. He devoted his life to disarmament and multilateralism in numerous additional capacities, including as President of Pugwash International. He is also remembered for including civil society and academia in multilateral arenas in order to better enlighten and educate the general public and youth on disarmament.
This special side event will honour Mr. Dhanapala’s extraordinary life and career. Friends and colleagues will reflect on his legacy, sharing their thoughts and experiences, recalling his efforts and achievements to advance nuclear disarmament, to establish a nuclear-weapons-free zone in Central Asia, to promote international cooperation against the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons (particularly in Africa), to support weapons inspections in Iraq, to mainstream disarmament in all issue areas, and to champion the United Nations and its Charter.
AGENDA
Welcome and opening remarks
Robin Geiss, Director, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)
Tributes
- Ambassador Mohan Pieris, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations
- Randy Rydell, former Senor Political Affairs Officer, UN Department/Office for Disarmament Affairs
- Swadesh Rana, former Chief, Conventional Arms Branch, UN Department for Disarmament Affairs
- William Potter, Director, James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey
- Patricia Lewis, Director, International Security Programme, Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House (former Director of UNIDIR)
- Tsutomu Tom Kono, Senior Political Affairs Officer, UN Office for Disarmament Affairs
- Ivor Richard Fung, Chief, Conventional Arms Branch, UN Office for Disarmament Affairs
Q&A
Closing remarks
Robin Geiss, Director, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)
WHEN & WHERE
The side event to UNGA First Committee will take place on Thursday 26 October 2023, 13:15-14:30 EDT, in room CR.5 at United Nations Headquarters, New York.
The event will also be broadcast via UN Web TV at: https://media.un.org/en/asset/k1n/k1nvc3zocu