The Annual Conference of the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium (EUNPDC), a major international event that gathers non-proliferation and disarmament experts from governments and non-governmental organisations worldwide, was held in Brussels on 12 and 13 November 2024.
Elena Sokova, VCDNP Executive Director, and Federica Dall’Arche, Senior Research Associate, participated in the Conference, moderating respectively a keynote speech by UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu, and a panel discussion titled: “The Future of Non-Proliferation and Disarmament: a Conversation between Generations”.
Mentors and Mentees of the 2024-2025 edition of the Young Women and Next Generation Initiative (YWNGI) Mentorship Programme were invited to attend the Annual Conference as well as its Next Generation Workshop on 12 November 2024.
The day before and the day after the Annual Conference, Mentors and Mentees participated in a dedicated programme of activities, which included a tour of the European Parliament, a networking session, a welcome dinner, and an in-person skill-building exercise on open-source intelligence analysis, delivered by Marcy Fowler, Research and Analysis Manager, and Elin Bergner, Research Assistant at the Open Nuclear Network (ONN).
Participation in the EUNPDC events gave Mentors and Mentees an opportunity to meet in person, facilitating networking and generating a stronger a sense of community among participants. Mentors and Mentees built upon their virtual engagement, strengthening the relationships they have developed since the start of the programme in September 2024. The meeting also allowed Mentees to actively participate in, and be exposed first-hand to, discussions on non-proliferation and disarmament and to connect with leading and emerging experts in the field.
The YWNGI Mentorship Programme was established in 2021 by the VCDNP and IAI in the framework of the EUNPDC. Every year, the Programme pairs 20 young women (Mentees), carefully selected through a highly competitive process, with well-established experts (Mentors) to engage in a mentoring relationship that envisions, among other things, regular video or in-person meetings. Mentees are also expected to attend conferences, seminars, and networking events. Dedicated funds through a Sponsorship Programme are offered to Mentees to facilitate their in-person participation in different events in the field.
More information about the Young Women and Next Generation Initiative (YWNGI) and the Mentorship Programme can be found below:
