Gaukhar Mukhatzhanova Appointed Japan Chair for a World without Nuclear Weapons

The VCDNP is pleased to announce the appointment of Gaukhar Mukhatzhanova, Director of the International Organizations and Non-Proliferation Programme, as the Japan Chair for a World without Nuclear Weapons. She will lead a multi-year research and dialogue programme on nuclear disarmament, multilateral diplomacy, and institutions funded through the endowment the VCDNP received from the Government of Japan.

Ms. Mukhatzhanova is one of the world’s leading experts on multilateral diplomacy on nuclear weapons issues with a specific focus on the  Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), nuclear disarmament, multilateral nuclear diplomacy, and nuclear-weapon-free zones. She has closely followed the NPT review process since 2009 and has served as an adviser on national delegations to the 2010, 2015, and 2022 Review Conferences and several Preparatory Committee sessions. She also advised state delegations to the negotiations of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in 2017 and the Second Meeting of TPNW States Parties in 2023.

Ms. Mukhatzhanova has published extensively on the NPT, its review process and implementation, and multilateral nuclear politics. She regularly shares her expertise on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation issues at international conferences and other meetings. In March 2024, at the invitation of the Government of Japan, Ms. Mukhatzhanova briefed the UN Security Council on nuclear disarmament and the risk of use of nuclear weapons.

“I am honoured by this appointment and excited for the opportunity to lead research and dialogue projects on nuclear disarmament, multilateral negotiations, and the disarmament machinery,” said Ms. Mukhatzhanova. “It is especially important to have sustainable funding for such projects at the time of renewed focus on great power competition and the decline of the international arms control and disarmament architecture.”

“I am delighted with the appointment of Gaukhar Mukhatzhanova, a renowned expert and authority on the NPT and multilateral nuclear diplomacy, as the Japan Chair for a World Without Nuclear Weapons,” said Elena K. Sokova, VCDNP Executive Director. “I am confident that under Gaukhar’s leadership, the programme will produce valuable insights and recommendations, and facilitate multi-stakeholder engagement to guide decision-making for a safer future.”

The VCDNP expresses its gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan for its  generous support.