On 17 August in New York, VERTIC will co-host a NPT Review Conference side event on nuclear disarmament verification.

Title:  Building Capacity on Multilateral Verification of Nuclear Disarmament: supporting nuclear disarmament verification research and innovation hubs in Africa, Latin America and Central Asia

Date: 17 August 2022

Time: 13:10 – 14:30 (New York)

Location: Conference Room 4, United Nations, New York

Hosts: Governments of Brazil, Kazakhstan and Norway; NPSGlobal Foundation; UNODA; and, VERTIC

Description: This side event aims to contribute to highlighting the importance of capacity-building for nuclear disarmament verification—an issue that has wide support across NPT and United Nations Member States. The side-event will focus on a recent project run by VERTIC and partners in Africa, Central Asia and Latin America. Funded by the Government of Norway, this project aimed to support the involvement of countries in these regions in nuclear disarmament verification activities by harnessing their existing capacities, developing new expertise and establishing a network of knowledge centres or ‘hubs’ on verification. The work involved stakeholders from governments, technical agencies, regional bodies, academia and civil society. Stakeholders from Argentina, South Africa and Kazakhstan will speak to their regional perspectives on disarmament verification. They will also speak on activities and further steps they could take towards developing practical research and capacity building activities on disarmament verification and measures to support the next generation of experts.

Speakers:

  1. Mr Larry MacFaul, Executive Director, VERTIC – Chair and Welcome Remarks
  2. Ambassador H.E. Gustavo Zlauvinen, President of the Tenth NPT Review Conference – Opening Remarks
  3. Mr Jørn Osmundsen, Special Envoy for Disarmament Affairs, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Chair of the Group of Governmental Experts to further consider nuclear disarmament verification issues – the Importance of NDV Capacity-Building
  4. Ms Melanie Reddiar, Chief Director: Secretariat of the South African Council for the Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction – Regional perspective
  5. Timur Zhantikin, Kazakhstan member of the Group of Governmental Experts – Regional perspective
  6. Ms Irma Argüello, Director, NPSGlobal Foundation – Regional perspective
  7. Mr Tom Markram, Director and Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations – Discussion facilitator and Closing Remarks

For additional information about the event please email Grant Christopher (grant.christopher@vertic.org) or Noel Stott (noel.stott@vertic.org).

A CTBTO On-Site Inspection specialist carrying a magnetometer, used for detection of underground cavities that may be caused by nuclear tests,
during the 2008 Integrated Field Exercise held at the Semipalatinsk test site.
Source: Copyright CTBTO Preparatory Commission, CC BY 2.0.