The Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP) offers courses to train diplomats and officials on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament issues, providing unique learning experiences and valuable networking opportunities.
VCDNP courses have become a key resource for the diplomatic community, helping to prepare officials posted to Vienna and working in capitals for the nuclear portfolio. Since 2011, we have delivered 34 courses, training over 900 diplomats and practitioners from more than 120 countries worldwide. Our courses are taught by VCDNP staff, senior experts from other research institutions, as well as from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO).
VCDNP courses equip participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate discussions on nuclear policy issues effectively and confidently. Alongside a week-long, intensive short course, providing diplomats and practitioners with a comprehensive introduction to the nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament space, the VCDNP also offers specialised courses on nuclear safeguards and nuclear security as well as courses tailored to ambassadors posted to Vienna.
We place importance on ensuring that VCDNP course cohorts are diverse in gender and geographical representation. We are proud to achieve gender parity in our courses. Additionally, around 75% of our course participants represent developing countries. This helps to bring a diverse range of perspectives and experiences to the discussions held in our courses and improves access to technical and diplomatic training for countries with fewer resources.
Twice a year, in spring and autumn, the VCDNP offers an intensive short course, covering a wide variety of nuclear governance issues. This course is tailored to diplomats posted to Vienna and officials in capitals who wish to expand their expertise to be better equipped for handling the nuclear portfolio. Participants follow a week-long programme combining lectures, panel discussions, and site visits to key IAEA facilities, such as the Safeguards Laboratories or the Incident and Emergency Centre, as well as CTBTO monitoring stations for nuclear explosions and the International Data Centre.
The course provides a comprehensive introduction to nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament with a specific focus on the 'Vienna issues'. Some of the topics that regularly feature on the course agenda are illustrated below.
In anonymous surveys, between 95% and 100% of participants rate their learning experience at the VCDNP as 'excellent' or 'very good'. Participants especially appreciate the high quality of the lectures, the broad range of relevant issues discussed, the variety of perspectives covered, and the networking opportunities that the course provide.
The following are testimonials from VCDNP course alumni:
"Necessary for any diplomat serving in Vienna or in the field of non-proliferation and/or disarmament."
"I am leaving this course with much more confidence in tackling the substantive issues of non-proliferation and disarmament that arise in my portfolio."
"What I liked best was the comparability between theoretical frameworks and practical case studies as well as the presenters. The course explained technical issues in a way that was easily understandable."
In addition to our regular courses on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, the VCDNP organises specialised courses, including on nuclear safeguards and nuclear security.
In the course 'Safeguards for Policymakers: What You Need to Know', officials from Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Ministries of Energy, and other relevant government bodies study the legal framework, verification techniques, case studies in non-compliance, as well as future challenges for the IAEA safeguards regime. Participants learn from senior experts, analysts, and safeguards inspectors from the IAEA and national regulators. A highlight of the course is a tour of the nuclear power plant at Zwentendorf, Austria, which offers the unique opportunity of visiting all areas of a Generation-II nuclear power plant.
The VCDNP has offered specialised courses on nuclear security for diplomats and professionals in collaboration with the IAEA’s Division on Nuclear Security. The week-long course covers the relationship between peaceful nuclear applications and nuclear security, the history of the nuclear security regime and its instruments, the role of the IAEA and other organisations, and opportunities and challenges in nuclear security.
The VCDNP also offers courses on nuclear issues for ambassadors posted to Vienna, tailored to their specific interests and busy schedules. These courses bring together ambassadors in a 'closed-door' setting that enables effective learning and open discussions. Courses for ambassadors are taught by senior VCDNP experts, who are able to draw from decades of subject matter expertise and hold significant experience in diplomatic negotiations themselves.
The course programme covers topics that are essential for ambassadors' work in Vienna, including the IAEA safeguards system, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and its review process, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), peaceful uses of nuclear technology, and nuclear security.
The VCDNP extends its thanks to the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Government of the Netherlands, and to the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs for their generous support of our capacity-building and training activities.
