Young Women and Next Generation Initiative in Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Mentorship Programme – 1st Edition Final Meeting

On 28-29 April 2022, as part of the Young Women and Next Generation Initiative (YWNGI), the International Affairs Institute (IAI) and the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP), with the support of the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium, organized the final meeting of the 1^st  edition of the Young Women and Next Generation Initiative in Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Mentorship Programme , an initiative aimed to pair successful candidates (mentees) with well-established experts (mentors) and engage in a mentoring relationship. During this last year, Mentees had the opportunity to attend relevant conferences and outreach events on non-proliferation, disarmament, arms control and related topics, including the EUNPDC Annual Conference and the Next Generation Workshop. Networking and career opportunities have been also facilitated through seminars, social events and other activities.

Previous events can be found here.

The event was divided into three thematic panels.

The first panel addressed current and emerging challenges and opportunities in arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation. Moderated by Elena Sokova (VCDNP), it featured some of the Mentors of the programme, including: Sybille Bauer (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, SIPRI), Renata Hessmann (The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, UNIDIR), Filippa Lentzos (King's College London), and Jenny Nielsen (Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, CTBTO).

During the second panel, three Mentees of the programme, Intan Bedisa (International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development, INFID), Stella Blumfelde (University of Genoa) and Emily Faux (University of Leeds), presented on issues related to non-proliferation and disarmament, specifically: regional approaches to nuclear non-proliferation, cybersecurity and disinformation, and popular culture and nuclear politics respectively. The panel was co-moderated by Mara Zarka (VCDNP) and Manuel Herrera (IAI).

The last panel was devoted to a comprehensive evaluation of the programme with a view to receiving feedbacks and making improvements for future editions. The open discussion was moderated by Federica Dall’Arche (VCDNP).

The event was opened by IAI Director Nathalie Tocci, while closing remarks were delivered by Ettore Greco (IAI).

Read the concept note and event agenda

You can find Intan Bedisa's presentation here.

You can find Stella Blumfelde's presentation here.

You can find Emily Faux's presentation here.

For more information, please visit the website of the initiative.