Between January and April 2024, the participants of the Young Women and Next Generation Initiative (YWNGI) Mentorship Programme, an initiative the VCDNP created in cooperation with IAI and the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium, joined a series of skill-building workshops designed to improve their research skills and their ability to retrieve and assess open source information, as well as public speaking skills and their ability to interact with different audiences. The first workshop, titled “Introduction to OSINT for Nuclear Professionals” was organised over two days and delivered by Marcy Fowler, Research and Analysis Manager at Open Nuclear Network (ONN). It also featured a case study by Elin Bergner, former YWNGI mentee and now Research Assistant at ONN. The workshop addressed the basics of open-source intelligence (OSINT) and its application by international organisations, NGOs, and governments. It covered in detail media, image, and video analysis as a tool to conduct fact-checking activities and dispel false information. A part of the discussion was also devoted to artificial intelligence and the future of OSINT. Elin Berger presented the latest technological advancements, highlighting the challenges posed by the intersection between OSINT and AI as well as the unintended consequences of exposing information, including privacy concerns, social engineering, information warfare, security risks, and ethical dilemmas.   The second capacity-building activity, titled “Mindful Communication” was organised as a series of three workshops delivered by Scott Morgan, a leadership and communication coach with over 30 years of experience. Through tailored examples and exercises, the interactive workshops covered the basics of effective public speaking, providing participants with useful tips on how to deliver academic presentations, how to participate in panel discussions (both as moderator and as a panelist), and how to prepare for and deliver media interviews. Participants were challenged to think outside the box, react to ad-hoc and improvised prompts, and to test their ways of communicating.   More information: Agenda of the outreach event  The EUNPDC Consortium and its work Additional Opportunities for the Next Generation The YWNGI is possible thanks to the generous support of the European Union and aims to engage the next generation and raise awareness on non-proliferation, disarmament and arms control issues. The VCDNP and IAI thank the University of Innsbruck for hosting the event.  

The twelfth EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Conference (EUNPDC) was held on 4 and 5 December 2023 in a hybrid format at the Thon Hotel Brussels City Center in Brussels (Belgium). The Conference was organised by the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) on behalf of the EU Network of Independent Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Think Tanks, gathering experts on non-proliferation, disarmament, arms control and conventional weapons from public institutions, governments, international organisations, independent think tanks, and civil society. Over 400 experts from more than 50 countries – EU members, associated states, and third countries – attended the conference in person. Browse the agenda The Conference, organised within the framework of the activities carried out by the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium, is funded by the European Union. Access the Brief Conference Report in: EN | AR | SP | FR | RU | ZH Watch the replay of the sessions on our YouTube channel: 

• EU's Non Proliferation and Disarmament Agenda
• Nuclear Proliferation and Disarmament Challenges
• Chemical Disarmament after the Fifth Review Conference of the CWC
• Outer Space: Realm of Conflict or Cooperation? 
• Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Warfare
• Diversion of Conventional Arms
• Conflict Dynamics and Security Cooperation in East Asia
• Bio-Technology and Weaponization Risks
• Testimonies of Non-Proliferation and Disarmament - A Conversation with the Next Generation
• The War in Ukraine and the Future of Arms Control in Europe
• Arms Control and Global Power Dynamics

   

On 04 December 2023, the IAI, as a member of the EUNPD Consortium, organised the EU Next Generation Nonproliferation and Disarmament Workshop. The annual event, in its sixth edition, was attended by young academics in the field of non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament, selected through a call for papers. During the event, participants presented their ideas on how to address the main challenges in this field.

  In particular, the following topics were addressed this year: - China’s expansion of its fissile material stockpiles - Cooperation to Counter Missile Proliferation Risks between Europe and Japan - Strategic concerns vis-à-vis Taiwan - Behavioral analysis to tackle challenges in the NPT framework - The Middle East WMDFZ project - The Influence of Nonproliferation Regime on the Civil-led Nuclear Programs of Global South Emerging Powers - The use of blockchain technologies to enforce chemical weapons norms - New and Emerging Technologies and Arms Control in the Biological domain - Public attitudes towards lethal autonomous weapons The presentations were followed by questions and comments from other participants, including EU representatives. Browse the programme below: [embeddoc url="https://www.nonproliferation.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/AGENDA-EUNPD-Next-Gen-Workshop-2023.pdf" download="all" viewer="google"]