The NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace and Security holds panel discussion on arms control and disarmament issues particularly during the time the General Assembly First Committee, the Disarmament and International Security Committee, is in session in the fall and also in the spring when the Disarmament Commission meets. These fora provide a way in which NGO proposals and NGO expert advice can be introduced into the discussion that takes place at the UN. Most panels have both NGO experts and delegates as participants. Increasingly, throughout the year, the Committee is also holding discussions on initiatives to resolve regional conflicts in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and elsewhere. We welcome suggestions from NGOs working in conflict areas for future programming.

Thursday, October 29th, 2009 1:15PM - 2:45PM

Location: Conf Room A, UN Secretariat

With the 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Review Conference convening next May to discuss the future of the NPT, it is imperative to remember the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as a reminder of the destructive power of nuclear weapons and the dire need for complete nuclear abolition.

Speakers:

Ms. Emiko Okada, a survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bombs, speak about her experience and reminds us of the stakes in the game we are playing. 
Mr. Steve Leeper, the first non-Japanese chairman of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, who will explain why Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the other 3,000 members of Mayors for Peace believe it is crunch time for nuclear abolition. 
Ms. Parker Diggory, representative from Religions for Peace Global Youth Network who will be mobilizing religious youth to engage their mayors on advancing towards a nuclear weapons free world.

This event is presented by Mayors for Peace with the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace and Security and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs.

Wed, Oct 28, 2009, Church Center for the U.N. (corner of 44th St and 1st Ave), 2nd floor

2:30-3:30PM
NGOCDPS ANNUAL MEETING (to announce new board members and positions)

3:30-5:30PM
PANEL DISCUSSION, "Getting to Zero: How and When?"

Nuclear disarmament is back on the global agenda with new opportunities to advance this goal in significant ways. Consensus may exist on the need to reach "nuclear zero" but opinions differ on the best path to get there. This event will be an opportunity to present key perspectives on this important subject and invite discussion and debate between panelists and audience members. It will also emphasize the need for coordinated action from civil society as we approach the 2010 Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Speakers include representatives of the Carnegie Endowment, Federation of American Scientists, Global Security Institute, The Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation and others.

 >>view flier  

5:30-7:30PM
RECEPTION to kick-off a new year of commitment

Panel discussion presented by NGOCDPS BROWN BAG LUNCH SERIES

July 2009

Small arms are weapons of mass destruction, killing hundreds of thousands of people around the world each year.  They fuel conflict, poverty and human rights abuses. In July, diplomats will meet at the United Nations for the next cycle of discussion to move forward on developing a global and legally binding Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).  Ahead of that, this panel discussion is an opportunity to understand the need, scope, and content of an ATT as well as its connection to human rights and development. It will consider the real global and regional effects that an ATT could have on lives and communities. The panelists, all leading members of the Control Arms Campaign, will also describe the important role of civil society in the process and how one can get involved.

Guest speakers:
MS. ANNA MACDONALD, Oxfam International
MR. CESAR MARIN, International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA)
MR.  MIKE LEWIS, Amnesty International

4-15 May 2009, New York

The Preparatory Committee for the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) will hold its third session from 4-15 May 2009 at United Nations headquarters in New York.

More information, including the Calendar of Events, is available at the website of Reaching Critical Will

In partnership with Reaching Critical Will, a project of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom

Sunday, 3 May 2009 * 1:00 - 3:00p.m.

UN Church Center, 2nd floor, 777 UN Plaza [East 44th Street at First Avenue]

Open to all NGO delegations to the PrepCom, the NGO orientation will provide a brief introduction to the NPT, information about New York City and the United Nations, ideas for strategizing and for interacting with diplomats, important updates on logistics and more.

Please note that you must RSVP to Lacy Orme (lacy(at)reachingcriticalwill.org) for reasons of building security.

Light refreshments will be provided. Donations are encouraged.

Panel discussion presented by the INTERNATIONAL PANEL ON FISSILE MATERIALS

Tuesday, May 5, 2009, 1:15 - 2:45p.m.

United Nations

SPEAKERS

Ambassador J. LANDMAN (Netherlands)
HAROLD FEIVESON, International Panel on Fissile Materials (IPFM)
ZIA MIAN, IPFM
FRANK VON HIPPEL, IPFM

>>view transcript

Wednesday, April 29, 2009 * 12:30 - 2:00p.m.

Presbyterian United Nations Office Conference Room, UN Church Center, 777 UN Plaza [East 44th Street at First Avenue, 7th Floor]

GUEST SPEAKERS

- RAY ACHESON, Reaching Critical Will

- JIM WURST, Middle Powers Initiative

>>view flier 

Panel discussion presented by NGOCDPS BROWN BAG LUNCH SERIES In Partnership With THE NGO WORKING GROUP ON WOMEN, PEACE & SECURITY

Friday, 6 March 2009 * 12:00–2:00p.m.

Grumman Room, UN Church Centre, 777 UN Plaza [East 44th Street at First Avenue, 8th Floor]

Women often have distinct experiences of conflict, and strategies to build peace—including disarmament policies—should reflect this. In this panel discussion, we seek to highlight the importance of including women and their concerns in peace processes, and how this can contribute to sustainable and durable peace. Panelists will describe their own on-the-ground experiences with conflict, weapons, and disarmament initiatives.

GUEST SPEAKERS

>> view speaker bios

- MS. REBECCA PETERS, Director of the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA)

- MS. LAYLA ALKHAFAJI, Al-Hakim Foundation (Iraq) >> view transcript

- MS. ANNIE MATUNDU-MBAMBI, Women’s Int’l League for Peace & Freedom (DRC) >> view transcript

- MS. MARIA PIA DEVOTO, Asociación para Políticas Públicas (Argentina)

>> view EastWest Institute page

October 24, 2008

Co-sponsored by NGOCDPS