On 18 October 2023, the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP) and the International Affairs Institute (IAI) organised an outreach event to the University of Innsbruck. The activity was organized under the framework of the Young Women and Next Generation Initiative (YWNGI), an effort of the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium (EUNPDC) to engage the next generation and raise awareness on non-proliferation, disarmament and arms control issues. Titled “The Nuclear Dimensions of the War against Ukraine”, the event included two panels. The first panel discussion of the event was dedicated to the current geopolitical situation in Europe and to nuclear risks associated with the war against Ukraine, including potential uses of nuclear weapons, risks related to the safety and security of nuclear facilities, as well as the impact of the war on nuclear arms control and disarmament. Speakers included (in order of appearance):

• Ettore Greco, Executive Vice President, IAI, who examined the origins of the war, discussing the overall geopolitical environment and challenges that led to the Russian invasion in February 2022;

 

• Nikolai Sokov, Senior Fellow, VCDNP, who discussed the nuclear dimension of the war, including the potential use of nuclear weapons, risks of escalation, as well as the impact that the war is generating on arms control and Russia-West relations more broadly;

 

• Elena Sokova, Executive Director, VCDNP, who drew attention to the risks related to nuclear safety and security of nuclear facilities, including the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

 

The second panel of the event was dedicated to the work of the EUNPDC and to opportunities for young women and the next generation in the arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament field. The panel featured (in order of appearance):

• Manuel Herrera, Senior Researcher, IAI, who provided an overview of the EUNPD Consortium and its work, including specific activities organised by each member of the Consortium;

 

• Federica Dall’Arche, Senior Research Associate, VCDNP, who discussed opportunities in the field available for young students and practitioners, including those offered by the EUNPDC such as internships, e-learning courses, and the YWNGI mentorship programme;

From the left: Manuel Herrera, Martin Senn, Federica Dall’Arche

Both panels were moderated by Martin Senn, Professor at the University of Innsbruck.   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 12th Consultative Meeting of the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (EUNPD) Consortium was held on 12 and 15 June 2023. Organised by the Fondation pour la recherche stratégique (FRS), the meeting focused on the European angle of the current topics of debate: interests of the EU, impacts of risks and threats on European security interests, and common policies. In addition, the Meeting focused on technical, operational, and strategic approaches to the questions posed, trying to step back from the current debates to give them analytical depth. The eleventh consultative meeting (the year before) was devoted to a review of multilateral control export regimes. The 15 June 2023 meeting extended this reflection by focusing on European actions in support of EU’s own policy goals as well as of the existing major multilateral treaties and mechanisms to fight against diversion and illicit trafficking of conventional weapons, the control of transfer of dual-use and emerging goods and technologies against the backdrop of present security challenges, and the current normative approaches to the technological debate on weaponisation of emerging technologies, to identify potential gaps in strategic trade control and ways to address them. The participants were encouraged to draw conclusions to inform the upcoming review of Common Position 944/2008 defining common rules governing control of exports of military technology and equipment, and present works of the Dual-Use Working Party. As far as non-proliferation and disarmament are concerned, the12 June 2023 meeting focused on nuclear, ballistic and space issues in relation to the current major technological and strategic challenges: hypervelocity and increasing conventional penetration capabilities, dual systems, integration of command-and-control systems, multi-domain approaches. These challenges were explored in a few specific case studies: strategic instability in North-East Asia, the Iranian nuclear and ballistic issue, the dynamics of action-reaction in Asia-Pacific around the case of the AUKUS partnership. [embeddoc url="https://www.nonproliferation.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/EUNPDC-12th-Consultative-Meeting_Agenda.pdf" download="all" viewer="google"]

SIPRI and the European Union Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium (EUNPDC) invite graduate and postgraduate students of nuclear and aerospace engineering disciplines to apply for an intensive online introductory course on the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), mechanisms to control their further spread and pathways to disarmament. The course will take place online, during four half-days on 2–5 May 2023, 14:00 to 18:00 Central European Summer Time (CEST). The course will cover the fundamentals of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons, as well as of missiles and other means of WMD delivery; threats associated with the military use of WMD and potential terrorist uses of chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear (CBRN) material (i.e. CBRN terrorism); arms control treaties; WMD-free zones; non-proliferation treaties and means of their verification; export controls; and mechanisms aimed at achieving disarmament. The course will also discuss the role of the nuclear and aerospace industries in preventing the spread and use of nuclear weapons. The course will be instructed by renowned experts on WMD non-proliferation, arms control, disarmament, export controls, verification and related subjects from SIPRI, other European research centres, think tanks and international organizations.