Youth Advocacy in the Field of Nuclear Disarmament
Event Report
By Annamaria V. Belevitch | Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and Reverse The Trend
On October 27, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, Peace Boat US, the Prospect Hill Foundation, and Reverse the Trend: Save Our People, Save Our Planet hosted a side event entitled “Youth Advocacy in the Field of Nuclear Disarmament.” This event served as
a forum for youth advocates to come together with established academics and professionals in the field of nuclear disarmament to discuss the critical importance of youth empowerment in nuclear weapons issues and to explore potential solutions. The speakers were Zhangeldy Syrymbet, Counsellor of the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan to the UN; Omar Majumdar, Youth Activist with the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and Reverse The Trend: Save Our People, Save Our Planet; Molly Rosaaen, Intern with Peace Boat US and Activist with Youth for the TPNW; and Cecilia Fan, Intern with Peace Boat US. Christian N. Ciobanu, the Policy and Advocacy Coordinator of the Nuclear Age Foundation and Project Coordinator of Reverse the Trend, moderated the event.
Zhangeldy Syrymbet discussed the harrowing legacy of nuclear testing in Kazakhstan by the Soviet Union. He reminded that the nuclear weapons in existence today are among the most dangerous to have ever existed. As technology advances, the destructive capabilities of these weapons multiply beyond what would have been imaginable only a few decades ago. Syrymbet took us through a historical account of the Soviet nuclear testing programme, for which the Soviets used Kazakhstan as ground zero. He discussed their complete irreverence for the local communities that continue to face the disastrous public health implications of nuclear testing today. Syrymbet explained that Kazakhstan collaborates with other governments that have a similar history of nuclear testing, such as Kiribati, while also fostering connections with civil society. Youth empowerment remains to be a priority for Syrymbet, as well as, creating public awareness and support for the universalisation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
Youth activists Omar Majumdar and Molly Rosaaen spoke of the importance of youth voices being considered within the exclusive walls of the United Nations, emphasising that nuclear weapons are of the utmost concern to the future generations, and youth should therefore, have a seat at the table. Majumdar explained that “it will be the young people in this room who have to bear the burden of nuclear weapons in the future. It’s our problem to deal with.” Yet, historically “young people are some of the biggest movers of change” Rosaaen asserted. The youth activists speaking on the panel pointed to existing projects like Reverse the Trend’s Community Forum and Youth for TPNW as ushering in a new era of allowing the youth to make real change when it comes to nuclear disarmament.
Cecilia Fan, an intern for Peace Boat US spoke of the importance of connecting the public with stories from the hibakusha. She affirmed that it will not be objective descriptions of nuclear science that will bring the change we want to see in nuclear policy, but instead, it will be first-person accounts of the tragic human suffering caused by nuclear weapons. As a general note, Fan stated “we need to feel compassion in order to devote ourselves to disarmament.” Fan also expressed the necessity of creating spaces for youth involvement in nuclear disarmament.
This event brought together various nongovernmental organisations involved in nuclear disarmament in the midst of the United Nations First Committee on Disarmament. Leading by example, these organisations have expressed their commitment to making space for youth advocacy at the United Nations, especially when it comes to nuclear issues that stand to impact generations to come.