The 1th edition of the Summer School on Nuclear Disarmament and Non-proliferation for diplomats from Latin America and the Caribbean was held from July 5 to 2024, 26, with the participation of diplomats from XNUMX countries of the region.
Established in 2014, the Summer School is the result of close collaboration between the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico (SRE), the Matías Romero Institute (IMR), and the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. The course aims to provide specialized training for diplomats from Latin America and the Caribbean on issues pertaining to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
The Summer School commenced with a high-level panel featuring Amb. Flávio Roberto Bonzanini, OPANAL Secretary-General; Amb. Joel Hernandez Garcia, Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, Secretariat of Foreign Affairs of Mexico; Ms. Mallory Stewart, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Arms Control, Deterrence, and Stability, U.S. Department of State; Mr. Chitaru Shimizu, Director for the Arms Control and Disarmament Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan); and Dr. William Potter, founding Director of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies MIIS. The panel emphasized the importance of education in the field of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, reaffirming the significance of the Summer School.
Throughout the week, the Summer School hosted 18 panel discussions with distinguished government officials, academics, and civil society representatives. Such panels covered a range of critical topics within the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation agenda including key non-proliferation and arms control treaties, the promise of nuclear-weapon-free zones, and the importance of inclusion of women and youth in discussions on nuclear policy.
Among the renowned panelists were Ms. Maria Antonieta Jaquez Huacuja, Coordinator for Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Arms Control, Secretariat of Foreign Affairs of Mexico; Amb. Adam Scheinman, Special Representative of the U.S. President for Nuclear Nonproliferation; and Mr. Jean du Preez, Program Director for Education and Training, CNS.
Additionally, participants received video messages from United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu; and Dr. Robert Floyd, Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). On July 2, participants engaged in a virtual session with Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Amb. Rafael Mariano Grossi, featuring Q&A.
The program also included field trips to the OPANAL headquarter and the National Institute for Nuclear Research (ININ) where the participants visited the TRIGA Mark III nuclear research reactor.
During the visit to OPANAL, Amb. Flávio Roberto Bonzanini addressed participants in a speech reaffirming the continued relevance of Treaty of Tlatelolco. OPANAL officers, alongside Mr. Jean du Preez, held two panels covering the history, texts, and implementation of the existing nuclear-weapon-free zones, with special emphasis on the Treaty of Tlatelolco.
Participants also had the opportunity to learn from prominent experts from the Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (ABACC) and the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP).
The Summer School ended on July 5th with a presentation from the participants addressing the continued importance of nuclear non-proliferation issues in the Latin America and Caribbean region. The program formally concluded with a certificate presentation and remarks by Amb. Flávio Roberto Bonzanini, Amb. Joel Hernandez Garcia, and Ms. Nomsa Ndongwe, Research Fellow, CNS.
