“The History, Success, and Challenges of Nuclear Disarmament Education” was held at United Nations headquarters in New York City on March 5. Cosponsored by the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs and Permanent Mission of the Kyrgyz Republic, the event commemorated International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness.

PACS domestic affiliate Vincent Intondi moderated the roundtable, featuring four speakers and 28 nuclear disarmament experts and educators. Participants strategized ways to inspire and educate students—especially in schools with less access to disarmament education—and addressed the breakdown between those who create educational resources and teachers and administrators responsible for curriculum decisions. Participants also discussed how siloing the physical sciences and humanities makes comprehensive disarmament education more challenging.

“The UN event is one step in Reppy's long-term disarmament education project,” said Intondi. “We're encouraged by the reception of those attending and the number of UN member states that participated. The event clearly showed a need.” Read UN coverage.

Working Group on Nuclear Disarmament Education

PACS director Rebecca Slayton received a 2024 Einaudi Center seed grant to work toward establishing an international network on nuclear disarmament education—including scholars, policymakers, and civil society representatives—based at the Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, part of the Einaudi Center at Cornell. 

Slayton and co-investigator Agnieszka Nimark, PACS visiting scholar since 2014, got the project off the ground last summer by launching a working group. The group pulls together PACS researchers like Intondi and more than 30 nuclear disarmament experts and educators from around the world. Group members are currently benchmarking existing initiatives in the field and identifying education stakeholders as the groundwork for an assessment report. An important aim is amplifying the voices of communities affected by nuclear weapons.

“The working group plans submit our independent report with recommendations on disarmament education to the UN secretary-general in 2026,” said Nimark. 

PACS continues to build its nuclear disarmament education network. Nimark invites researchers, educators, and other stakeholders to email to share information on disarmament educational resources and initiatives or to discuss working group activities. 

Video: March 5 Panel