In a first of its kind its members were hosted by the Russian Federation’s Ministries of Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Moscow’s National Research Nuclear University MEPhi for a three day conference. The 18 – 20 October event at MEPhi (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute) introduced youth group members from countries including China, India, Israel, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, and the United States to their Russian youth group counterparts at MEPhi. T

he conference included discussions between members of the youth group representing global regions and debate for and against the rule that all nuclear technology holders must ratify the treaty before it becomes law. China, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan and the US, are the last to ratify.

There was also a tour of the Russian Federation national data centre, the first time foreign students have visited the centre at Dubna, north of Moscow. The conference provided a forum for prominent arms control figures, Grigory Berdennikov, Viktor Slipchenko, Konstantin Danilenko, Hans Blix, Susan le Jeune d’Allegeershecque, Sha Zukang and Ramamurti Rajaraman, to share with the youth group their views about entry into force of the Treaty.

View the conference report below or here or access the conference page here.