Advancing Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Education
Report Written by Lena Pothier and Valeriya Zherebtsova
On 7 May 2025, Kiribati, Japan, Mexico, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and its youth initiative Reverse The Trend (RTT), the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, and Peace Boat US sponsored a side event on advancing nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation education. Speakers included: Josephine Moote, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Kiribati; Ambassador Tomiko Ichikawa, Permanent Representative of Japan to the CD; Eduardo Alcibiades Sanchez Kiesslich, Secondary Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Mexico; Radha Day, Chief of Regional Disarmament Information and Outreach Branch of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs; Masako Toki, Senior Project Manager and Research Associate of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS); and Emilie McGlone, Director of Peace Boat US. The event also featured Lena Pothier, a NAPF/RTT youth delegate. Christian Ciobanu, Director of Policy and Advocacy of NAPF, RTT Coordinator, and Adviser for Kiribati, moderated the event.
Josephine Moote kicked off the discussion, focusing on the importance of empowering young people to share their stories on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons. She mentioned a youth forum held in Astana, Kazakhstan, where Kiribati youth discussed nuclear justice and engaged with Hibakusha and nuclear testing survivors. She highlighted the need for affected communities to engage with Hibakusha to learn from one another. Overall, Moote stressed the need for the states parties to the NPT to provide more opportunities for young people to voice their views on nuclear disarmament.
Ambassador Ichikawa conveyed that the reality of nuclear weapons is at the core of Japan’s efforts regarding disarmament education. Japan agrees that one of the top priorities should be engaging young people and has worked to achieve this goal by establishing the Youth Communicators for a World without Nuclear Weapons programme and the Youth Leader Fund for a World Without Nuclear Weapons.
Eduardo Kiesslich discussed Mexico’s partnerships with governmental and non-governmental organisations on educational initiatives relating to nuclear disarmament. Moreover, he explained the partnership between CNS and Mexico, where they have jointly organised summer programmes on nuclear disarmament for diplomats in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Lena Pothier asked Radha Day how the UN and NPT states parties can promote nuclear disarmament and provide a space for young people to express themselves. Day’s responses emphasised that disarmament education is a tool as powerful as the NPT itself. She indicated ways that UNODA has expanded its offering of educational opportunities to engage young people. She stressed the importance of finding new ways to get young people curious about nuclear disarmament, for example, by tailoring resources geographically and opening up the main room for young people to speak.
Masako Toki stressed the importance of educational institutions, such as CNS, quoting Kofi Annan,who said, “Education is the most effective form of defense spending.” She further stated that education remains an underutilised resource, and it is more important than ever to invest in youth. Additionally, Tokiexplained that is important to connect disarmament to other social justice issues, such as environmentaland racial justice. She also mentioned that barriers ought to be reduced to ensure that disarmament hasvoices not just from people with privileged backgrounds.
Emilie McGlone rounded out the discussion by describing Peace Boat US’ focus on the 17 Sustainable Development Goal pillars, youth engagement, and its work with both Mayors for Peace and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). McGlone also discussed the importance of creating a space for hibakusha to share their experiences.