Young Nuclear Disarmament Leaders Program

Background of Project

The 2019 NPT PrepCom will be held in New York from April 29, 2019 to May 10, 2019. The 2019 NPT PrepCom, open to all States parties to the Treaty, is responsible for addressing substantive and procedural issues related to the Treaty and the 2020 NPT Review Conference. The Chair of the third session is Ambassador Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob of Malaysia.

At the 2019 NPT PrepCom, states will engage in substantive debates on the relationship between the TPNW and the NPT. The majority will contend that the TPNW closes the legal missing gap in the nuclear nonproliferation regime. However, the Nuclear Weapon States (NWS) will challenge this notion and pressure states to support their stance.

To counteract the NWS’ strategy, it is imperative for international youth to support the TPNW and challenge the NWS’ arguments by lobbying states and presenting a strong youth statement.

In order to galvanize, empower, and bring international youth to the 2019 NPT PrepCom, PEAC Institute is proposing an innovative program entitled the “Young Nuclear Disarmament Leaders Program.” The program will run from April 26, 2019 to May 3, 2019.

Participants

The participants will be from the tri-state area of New York, Northeast region of the US, and international medical students. An emphasis will be placed on bringing young women from diverse backgrounds to the 2019 NPT PrepCom. It is vital that this program emphasizes the importance of women’s empowerment.

We will also select students, who have a background in international relations/nuclear disarmament and are interested in becoming activists who will support the early entry into force of the TPNW, in addition to changing the narrative on nuclear weapons.

Components of the Project

In March 2019, PEAC Institute will organize a series of informational sessions about the program at various universities. PEAC Institute will further request its partner, the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, to advertise and nominate medical students from the Global South to participate in this program.

In early April of 2019, PEAC Institute will organize a series of webinars, featuring leading experts from different civil society groups.

On April 27, 2019, we will convene an orientation for the participants in New York. At the orientation, we will review the schedule and discuss the strategy.

During the 2019 NPT PrepCom, the participants will be expected to monitor the plenary discussions, deliver the youth presentation, and lobby delegates to support the TPNW. The participants will work in tandem with ICAN to increase support for the early entry into force of the TPNW.

Upon completing the program, the participants will receive certificates.

Partners

The partners for the project are the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Physicians for Social Responsibility New York, and PEAC Boat US.