August 23, 2018
On August 16, 2018, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu visited the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) for consultations with staff and students. Ms. Nakamitsu was accompanied by Mr. Chris King, Deputy Chief, WMD Branch of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA).
UN High Representative for Disarmament Izumi Nakamitsu
During her visit, High Representative Nakamitsu discussed new UN initiatives related to disarmament and nonproliferation education and the intersection of gender and nonproliferation, among other issues. CNS experts briefed her on related initiatives being undertaken at MIIS, and also provided briefings on the use of new tools and technologies for disarmament and nonproliferation. She also met with participants in the Center’s Summer Undergraduate Nonproliferation Program, who briefed her on their internship activities and research projects.
A highlight of Ms. Nakamitsu’s visit was a public talk she delivered on the UN secretary-general’s new agenda for disarmament in the twenty-first century. The seminar, moderated by CNS Director Dr. William Potter, focused on means to secure the common future of humankind in the face of new and enduring challenges. The secretary-general’s agenda identifies three priority areas—weapons of mass destruction, conventional weapons, and new battlefield technologies—and is closely linked to the UN’s 2030 agenda for sustainable development. The seminar provided an opportunity for members of the Monterey community to ask specific questions about how the disarmament agenda will be implemented and to exchange views on a variety of other topics, including artificial intelligence and new dual-use technologies.
Ms. Nakamitsu’s visit to MIIS reinforces the close and productive cooperation CNS enjoys with the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs. Each year, students in the Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies program at MIIS intern at UNODA through CNS’s International Organizations and Nonproliferation Program (IONP). In this capacity, they play a central role in UNODA’s core activities, including supporting the review process for the Non-Proliferation Treaty and, in 2017, the negotiations of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Ms. Nakamitsu and Mr. King both recalled the important contributions that MIIS students and CNS staff make to UNODA and the disarmament community more broadly. Both sides noted their desire to deepen the relationship between CNS and UNODA in key areas, including training and capacity-building and increasing diversity in the disarmament and nonproliferation field.
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