On 28 August–2 September, SIPRI and the Alva Myrdal Centre for Nuclear Disarmament at Uppsala University, in cooperation with the Odessa Center for Nonproliferation (ODCNP), hosted the 2022 Armament and Disarmament Summer School.
Held in Stockholm and Uppsala, the summer school hosted 24 Swedish and international participants to support and reinvigorate disarmament education. This pilot course was also a networking opportunity for the next generation of academics, researchers, opinion leaders and policymakers in the field of disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control. Izumi Nakamitsu, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs; Rolf Ekéus, SIPRI Distinguished Associate Fellow; and Polina Sinovets, Head of ODCNP, delivered welcoming remarks for the programme. Participants were trained by leading experts in the field, including experts from SIPRI’s armament and disarmament, and conflict, peace and security research areas, and from the Alva Myrdal Centre.
Participants engaged in a week-long programme of lectures, seminars and training workshops on armament and disarmament matters that aimed to develop knowledge and skills and motivate and empower them to further expand their expertise in these critical issues and beyond. The summer school adopted a regional approach and focused on trends, challenges and shifting security dynamics in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Among the topics covered were the changing nature of conflict in the 21st century with a particular focus on the nuclear domain; the role of international arms transfers in relation to international security, national foreign and defence policies, and inter-state relations with a focus on MENA; the dimensions of export control for arms and for dual-use items; the scope and goals of SIPRI’s military expenditure project, from the data collection process to data analysis; the impact of technological developments on arms control and disarmament; using open-source intelligence (OSINT) to collect data on global nuclear arsenals; the role and outcomes of international negotiations on nuclear disarmament; and more. The programme also included a visit to the Disarmament and Non-proliferation Department at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.