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Eighth EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Conference
13 December 2019 - 14 December 2019
Message from Pawel Herczyński on behalf of HR/VP Josep Borrell
EU NON-PROLIFERATION AND DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE
13-14 DECEMBER, 2019
Excellency’s, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my pleasure to welcome you to Brussels to the Eight Annual EU Non-proliferation and Disarmament Conference. Diplomats, policy makers, civil society, industry, and academics from around the world are here today to tackle some of the most complex challenges of our times. Today you are not simply discussing non-proliferation and disarmament issues. You are here to discuss about our future: the fate of global security. I very much regret not being able to attend in person.
I want to welcome the participation of civil society, in particular the EU Non-proliferation and Disarmament Consortium of think tanks. Thank you for organising this event. But, above all, thank you for your tireless work in promoting research and dialogue on these important issues.
We live in a dangerous world. This will not come as a surprise to you. Looking at the wider geo-strategic picture, we see the rebirth of geo-strategic competition. This affects different regions and mobilises powerful regional actors. Today’s challenges affect us all irrespective of our location.
We are seeing a step back in some of the greatest accomplishments in global non-proliferation and disarmamanet after the cold war. If we forget our past, we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes. We must avoid entering into a new arms race which would endanger the peaceful future of our continent.
Non-proliferation and disarmament are at a critical juncture. Multilateralism as a whole is under threat. The European Union strongly believes in a rules-based world order, where States and institutions address global challenges together, but also resolve their differences.
In the coming year, the EU will particularly focus on promoting a successful outcome of the 2020 Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. On its 50th anniversary, we must celebrate and reinforce the NPT as a key multilateral instrument for international peace, security and stability. The EU strongly supports all three pillars of the NPT: disarmament, non-proliferation, and peaceful uses of nuclear technologies. All States Parties have committed to pursuing policies that are fully compatible with the Treaty and the objective of achieving a world without nuclear weapons. Our non-proliferation efforts in relation to Iran will continue to be key in this context.
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty has been an important component of European security architecture. Its disappearance creates a dangerous security void. It also highlights that intermediate-range nuclear missiles are a threat way beyond Europe. The EU is ready to support international efforts aimed at developing confidence-building measures that will help avoid escalation and further proliferation.
The well-established norm against chemical weapons is being tested. We must be firm that any use of chemical weapons anywhere, at any time, by anyone, be it a State or a non-State actor, under any circumstances is unacceptable and violates international law and norms. There can be no impunity, those responsible need to be brought to justice.
Finally, we should not forget that it is conventional weapons that claim most victims in today’s conflicts. For this reason, the EU is stepping up its efforts to prevent the trafficking of small arms and light weapons, and to achieve a mine-free world for future generations. We should never forget the human face of security.
Further initiatives and processes at international and regional levels to restore dialogue and trust and promote transparency and confidence-building measures are crucial and deserve our support.
In all these areas, dialogue with our global partners is essential. This is what makes gatherings such as this conference so important. We must collectively speak the language of both our interests and of our values.
I call upon all of you to demonstrate persistence and creativity in strengthening the global non-proliferation and disarmament architecture. We owe this to future generations to leave to them a more secure and stable world.
I wish you a fruitful and open discussion, with the collective aim to increase international security, ensure non-proliferation, and promote disarmament.
This is some extract of the Eighth EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Conference :
SUMMARY REPORT
Presentation at the 8th EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Conference
FRIDAY, 13 DECEMBER 2019
INTRODUCTORY SESSION – Europe Room
Welcome Addresses
Ettore Greco, Executive Vice President, Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), Rome
Opening Speech
Pawel Herczyński, Acting Deputy Secretary General for Common Security and Defence Policy and Crisis Response
FIRST PLENARY SESSION – Europe Room
Non-Proliferation and Disarmament at a Critical Juncture: New Trends and Challenges
Chair:
Jacek Bylica, Special Envoy for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, European Union External Action Service (EEAS), Brussels
Speakers:
Christopher Ford, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, U.S. Department of State, Washington D.C.
Izumi Nakamitsu, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, New York
Mikhail Ulyanov, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the International Organizations in Vienna
William Alberque, Director of Arms Control, Disarmament, WMD Non-Proliferation Centre (ACDC), North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
PARALLEL BREAKOUT SESSIONS
SESSION IA – Orange Room
Non-Proliferation and Disarmament in North-East Asia
Chair:
Elena Sokova, Executive Director, Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP)
Speakers:
Akira Igata, Visiting Professor, Center for Rule-making Strategies, Tama University, Tokyo
Andrei Lankov, Director of Korea Risk Group, and Professor, Kookmin University, Seoul
Duyeon Kim, Senior Advisor for Northeast Asia and Nuclear Policy, International Crisis Group, Seoul
Melissa Hanham, Deputy Director, Open Nuclear Network, and Director, Datayo Project, One Earth Future Foundation, Vienna
SESSION IB – Europe Room
Prospects and challenges of the WMDFZ in the Middle East
Chair:
Chen Kane, Director, Middle East Nonproliferation Program, James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS), Monterey
Speakers:
Emad Kiyaei, Principal, IGD Group
Farzan Sabet, Project Manager and Researcher, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), Geneva
Karim Haggag, Professor, American University of Cairo
Tomisha Bino, Programme Analyst, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), Geneva
SESSION IIA – Orange Room
Arms Control in Outer Space
Chair:
Michael Elleman, Director of Non-Proliferation and Nuclear Policy Programme, International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Washington DC
Speakers:
Ajey Lele, Senior Fellow, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi
Alexandra Stickings, Research Fellow, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), London
Petr Havlik, Senior Space Policy Officer, EEAS
Ma Shengkun, Deputy Director-General, Department of Arms Control, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Beijing
Xavier Pasco, Director, Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique (FRS), Paris
SESSION IIB – Europe Room
Cyber Security Challenges
Chair:
Niklas Schörnig, Senior Researcher, Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF)
Speakers:
Giacomo Persi Paoli, Programme Lead for Security and Technology, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), Geneva
Gregor Ramuš, Project Associate, OSCE, Vienna
Jinghua Lyu, Visiting Scholar, Cyber Policy Initiative, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington D.C.
Raluca Csernatoni, Visiting Researcher, Carnegie Europe, Brussels
SECOND PLENARY SESSION – Europe Room
Towards the 2020 NPT Review Conference
Chair:
Benjamin Hautecouverture, Senior Research Fellow, Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique (FRS), Paris
Speakers:
Jenny Nielsen, Information Officer, Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), Vienna
Gaukhar Mukhatzhanova, Director of International Organizations and Non-Proliferation Program, Vienna Center For Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP)
Marjolijn van Deelen, Head of the Non-proliferation, Disarmament and Nuclear Affairs Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, The Hague
Meena Singelee, Head of the Geneva Office, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
The JCPOA Procurement Channel: An Assessment
Nicolas Kasprzyk, Head JCPOA Procurement Channel Section, Delegation of the EU to the International Organisations in Vienna
SATURDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2019
THIRD PLENARY SESSION – Europe Room
Regulating Arms Trade
Chair:
Tim Ripley, Independent journalist and analyst
Speakers:
Abayomi Nicholas Adeomi, Program Officer, Small Arms and Light Weapons, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
Jānis Kārkliņš, Permanent Representative of Latvia to the United Nations, Geneva
Mélanie Régimbal, Director, United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), Lima
Sigrid Lipott, Associate Researcher, Small Arms Survey, Geneva
FOURTH PLENARY SESSION – Europe Room
Keynote Speech
Hans Brattskar, President of the Fourth Review Conference of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, Permanent Representative of Norway to the United Nations and other International Organisations, Geneva
Implementing the EU’s Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Agenda
Chair:
Gustav Lindstrom, Director, EU Institute for Security Studies (EUISS), Paris
Speakers:
Jacek Bylica, Special Envoy for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, European Union External Action Service (EEAS), Brussels
Leena Pylvanainen, Director for Arms Control, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Helsinki
Susanne Baumann, Federal Government Commissioner for Disarmament and Arms Control and Director-General for International Order, the United Nations and Arms Control, Federal Foreign Office, Berlin
Closing Remarks
Sibylle Bauer, Chair, EU Non-proliferation and Disarmament Consortium /Director of Studies, Armament and Disarmament, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)