On 16 September 2026, the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP) launched the 2026-2027 Young Women in Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (YWNPD) Mentorship Programme, the sixth edition since inception. The Mentorship Programme is part of the Young Women and Next Generation Initiative (YWNGI) established in 2021 under the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium(EUNPDC).
The Mentorship Programme pairs 20 young women (mentees), chosen through a highly competitive selection process, with well-established experts in the field (mentors). Mentors and mentees engage in a mentoring relationship that envisions, among other things, regular video or in-person meetings. Through a dedicated sponsorship scheme, mentees are also offered an opportunity to attend conferences, seminars, and other professional development activities, allowing them to benefit from networking and career development opportunities.
The event brought together the mentees with their respective mentors marking the start of their eight-month long mentorship relation.
VCDNP Senior Research Associate Federica Dall’Arche, who has led the activities of the mentorship programme since its inception, kicked off the meeting with a warm welcome to the new cohort. She highlighted the importance of mentorship and emphasised the long-lasting relationships the programme fosters, exemplified in the growing community of mentors and mentees who have engaged in the programme since 2021. She stressed that the programme is designed to enhance awareness and encourage participation in the non-proliferation, arms control, and disarmament field. She reflected on how the community has grown and evolved into something far beyond its original vision, expressing hope that the journey will inspire, challenge, and broaden participants’ perspectives while supporting their professional and personal growth.
Following, EUNPDC Chair Sibylle Bauer highlighted the activities of the EUNPDC, especially those directed at the younger generation, including the e-Learning modules, internships, and courses for students of the natural sciences. She also noted the active engagement of past mentees at the EUNPD Annual Conferences, where the first in-person meeting of the programme is usually convened.
VCDNP’s Karolina Proprentner, Office and Events Manager, and Mara Zarka, Research Associate and Project Manager, provided a detailed overview of the mentorship programme, including expectations, opportunities, and up-coming activities, including those at the margins of the EUNPDC Annual Conference in Brussels, which were presented by Ludovica Castelli, Research Fellow and the International Affairs Institute (IAI). In their remarks they highlighted the dedicated sponsorship programme available to mentees to attend conferences, workshops and courses related to arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament; the social media spotlight campaign designed to introduce the mentors and mentees to a wider audience; and information about the in-person meeting in Brussels.
The launch event was enriched by the remarks of two previous participants – former mentor Rebecca Jovin, Chief of Office of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) at Vienna, and former mentee Annabel Kummer (2025-2026), Intern at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Both speakers reflected on their experiences within the programme and invited the new cohort to take full advantage of the opportunities it offers and the global community of support that the Mentorship programme has grown into since inception.
A friendly round of introductions demonstrated the motivation, varied interests, and intriguing hobbies the current mentees and mentors bring to the growing network of YWNPD Mentorship Programme participants, and a spirit of sharing, collaboration, and support.
The event concluded with remarks from the VCDNP Executive Director, Elena Sokova, who emphasised the VCDNP’s role in facilitating the strengthening of this community and the excitement and enthusiasm forward to the eight months ahead of the programme. She expressed sincere gratitude to the new and returning mentors for volunteering their time and expertise to the programme, without whom the Mentorship Programme would not have been possible and thanked the European Union for the generous support of the EUNPDC and the YWNGI.
The Young Women in Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (YWNPD) Mentorship Programme is made possible thanks to the generous financial support of the European Union.
