Spring 2022 Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Short Course

From 16 to 20 May 2022, the VCDNP held its twenty‑third intensive short course on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament for diplomats and practitioners. During the week-long course consisting of lectures, panel discussions, quizzes, and tours of key facilities at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) in Vienna, participants, mainly from developing countries, studied and discussed a rich portfolio of issues, from nuclear safeguards and current challenges to the non‑proliferation regime, to the UN disarmament machinery.

The Spring 2022 cohort consisted of 18 participants from 15 countries, with strong female representation at 61 percent. For many participants, the course was an important step in preparing for their assignments as diplomats posted to the international organisations in Vienna, or as policymakers, administrators, and regulators in their capitals. The VCDNP was especially pleased to welcome participants to our first in-person course since February 2020.

Highlights of the short course included:

• A panel discussion and working lunch with Ambassador Alexander Kmentt of Austria, President-Designate of the First Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW);
• An informal discussion on working as a diplomat to the Vienna institutions with alumni of VCDNP short courses, including Ambassador Belen Sapag of Chile, Anke ter Hoeve-van Heek of the Netherlands, Shawn Friele of Canada, and Mahmoud Hamdy of Egypt;
• Lectures on the nuclear fuel cycle and the nuclear safeguards system by senior IAEA officials Marc Humphrey and Sandra Munoz;
• An overview of the history and development of IAEA safeguards by former senior IAEA official and Director of the Open Nuclear Network Laura Rockwood; and
• An in-depth lecture on the UN disarmament machinery by seasoned expert and former South African diplomat Jean du Preez, Senior Programme Manager at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at Monterey.

VCDNP experts Elena Sokova, Dr. Nikolai Sokov, Ingrid Kirsten, Gaukhar Mukhatzhanova, Dr Hanna Notte, and Noah Mayhew also shared their expertise in nuclear security, nuclear weapons proliferation, arms control, peaceful uses of nuclear technologies, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and nuclear weapons issues in the Middle East and North Korea in presentations and discussions with course participants.

During a half-day visit to the Vienna International Centre, participants benefited from access to the IAEA Safeguards Laboratories and Incident and Emergency Centre, from where the IAEA has been coordinating its support to the Zaporizhzhia and Chernobyl nuclear power plants in Ukraine, as well as CTBTO radionuclide monitoring stations and its International Data Centre, from where the Organisation scans the planet around the clock for nuclear explosions. The visit was complemented by presentations from senior IAEA and CTBTO officials.

See the full agenda here.

In an anonymous survey after the short course, 93% of participants rated the course as excellent or very good. All participants said that they would highly recommend the course to their colleagues. Participants especially appreciated the variety of speakers and lecturers chosen, the opportunity to interact with experts outside of lectures, and the off-the-record setting, which enabled them to ask questions freely and interact openly.

The following are testimonials from participants in the Spring 2022 cohort:

“Great training, thanks so much for organising this! Your institute fills a knowledge void that is problematic in doing our work. Really of added value!”

“It was an amazing week full of information and networking, especially for small countries.”

“Absolutely useful for those of us who work at the missions in Vienna and also cover those files from the capitals.”

The VCDNP extends its thanks to the Government of Norway and the Carnegie Corporation of New York for their generous support of our capacity-building and training activities.