UNITAR Works with Civil Society Network to Drive Dialogue and Action for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Future

The event’s first session, “Recent UN Trends in Nuclear Disarmament,” aimed to foster understanding of the public – including students, youth and civil activists – about UN actions for nuclear disarmament and to raise awareness of global trends in the nuclear disarmament debate.

The expert panellists included three advisers to UNITAR training programmes – Mr. Tariq Rauf, Former Head of Verification and Security Policy, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mr. Tim Caughley, a Non-Resident Senior Fellow for the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), and Mr. Yuriy Kryvonos, a former Director, United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD) – as well as Ms. Junko Horibe, Associate Professor, Nagoya University of Foreign Studies. The session was facilitated by Chisa Mikami, Head of the UNITAR Hiroshima Office. 

The panellists offered valuable insights into today’s security and diplomacy challenges and ongoing multilateral efforts, including the upcoming 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which is central to the UN-based multilateral framework for nuclear disarmament.

As the world today faces growing risks of nuclear weapons use, Mr. Rauf emphasized the urgency of recommitting to multilateral efforts for nuclear disarmament. “Creating space for international organizations, civil society and diplomats to come together remains crucial in ensuring progress in the right direction,” he stated, pointing to the day’s event as a prime example of fostering meaningful dialogue and collaboration.