On June 20, 2023, the seminar “The Crisis of the Nuclear Disarmament and Arms Control Regimes and the Role of the New Agenda Coalition” was held in Brasilia, Brazil.
Originally proposed by the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, the seminar was organized by the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Alexandre de Gusmao Foundation (FUNAG), a public foundation affiliated with the Ministry.
Attended by a large number of members of the diplomatic and academic communities in Brazil, the event examined the current status and prospects of those regimes, as well as the role of the New Agenda Coalition (NAC) on its 25th anniversary, as a driving force in addressing current challenges related to nuclear disarmament.
Prominent experts participated in the discussions, such as Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs; Ambassador Sergio Duarte, President of the Pugwash Conferences; and Ambassador Flavio Bonzanini, Secretary General of the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL).
Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Ireland (pro-tempore coordinator of the New Agenda Coalition), Brazil, Egypt, and New Zealand presented their views on the actions that need to be taken in order to revitalize and strengthen the disarmament and arms control regimes at the global level. Two representatives of the Hibakusha community in Brazil offered their personal testimonies on why the elimination of weapons of mass destruction is such a vital, pressing issue.
On the occasion, FUNAG lauched the new, expanded edition of Desarmamento e Temas Correlatos (Disarmament and Related Issues), by Ambassador Sergio Duarte. The book can be downloaded free of charge here.
The full seminar was broadcast live and can be viewed at FUNAG’s YouTube channel. Its complete program is available here.
Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs 