A discussion on the issues of general and complete disarmament took place at the United Nations Office in Geneva

On 12 February 2020, a panel discussion on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and General Complete Disarmament was held in the United Nations Office inGeneva, with the participation of about one hundred students of the University of London and diplomats from more than twenty UN Member States, including Sweden, France, Australia, Egypt, Iran, Japan, Belarus, the United States, Finland and China. The panel discussion was organized by the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan to the United Nations Office at Geneva in cooperation with the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy of the University of London.

The presentations by the participants focused on the role of youth in disarmament.

In her opening speech the moderator of the discussion, the Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the Office of the United Nations in Geneva Ambassador  Zhanar Aitzhanova, stressed the need to involve young people in the discussion on disarmament issues and in the promotion of the idea of a nuclear-weapon-free world.

The need to interact with young people on disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control issues was also highlighted in her speech by the Director-General of the UN Office in Geneva Ms. Tatiana Valovaya. According to polls, more than 50 percent of young people recognize the great relevance and importance of nuclear disarmament along with other problems of our time.

The importance of involving young people in the development of new ideas, which can then be applied in practice, was highlighted by Mr. Dan Plesch, Director of the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy, University of London.

Сhallenges related with development of new technologies as, for example, hypersonic weapons, were addressed by the Director of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research Ms. Renata Dwan. It was noted that there was a need to engage a wide range of stakeholders in discussing disarmament issues.

Following the presentations, a discussion was held with the participation of diplomats and students of the University of London.