3 DECEMBER 2009
What is Britain's role in moving towards global nuclear zero?
Left to right: Baroness Williams, Mariot Leslie (Director-General, Defence and Intelligence, FCO) and Professor Malcolm Chalmers (Royal United Services Institute)
Towards Zero - a major one-day conference held in London on 3 December 2009 and organised by UNA-UK, RUSI and BASIC - saw leading experts from across the policy and political spectrum debate Britain's role in furthering nuclear non-proliferation and multilateral approaches to disarmament.
Baroness Williams, who is Advisor to the UK Prime Minister on Nuclear Proliferation, called for participants to engage with the 'now and here' politics of the issue. She underscored the importance of cross-party support, saying that firm public commitments ahead of the UK general election next year were vital for action. She also urged her colleagues in the recently-formed Top Level Group of UK Parliamentarians for Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation to ensure that their message is heard at the highest levels in Britain.
A full report of the conference will be available in January 2010. While the Q&A sessions were 'off the record', you can listen to the speaker presentations by clicking on the sessions below.
For media enquiries and to arrange interviews with Lord Hannay of Chiswick, contact Natalie Samarasinghe on samarasinghe (a) una.org.uk or 020 7766 3451.
CONFERENCE AGENDA
Session 1: What is Britain's role? >> click here to listen to this session >>
Introduction - Professor Michael Clarke, Director, Royal United Services Institute
Chair: Lord Hannay of Chiswick, Chair, United Nations Association of the UK
James Arbuthnot MP, Chair, Defence Select Committee
Mike Gapes MP, Chair, Foreign Affairs Select Committee
Session 2: The international context >> click here to listen to this session >>
Chair: Professor Malcolm Chalmers, Royal United Services Institute
Mariot Leslie, Director-General, Defence and Intelligence, FCO
Baroness Williams of Crosby,Advisor to the Prime Minister on Nuclear Proliferation
Session 3: A US perspective (coming shortly)
Chair: Paul Ingram, Executive Director, British American Security Information Council
Ambassador Stephen Bosworth, US Special Representative for North Korea Policy
Mark Fitzpatrick, Senior Fellow, International Institute for Strategic Studies
Session 4: Building trust and confidence >> click here to listen to this session >>
Chair: Professor Nick Wheeler, University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Professor John Simpson, Director, Mountbatten Centre for International Studies
Ambassador Alyson Bailes, Visiting Professor, University of Iceland
Closing remarks - Lord Hannay of Chiswick, Chair, United Nations Association of the UK
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| Substantially reducing the nuclear arsenals of all nuclear-weapon states Easing Cold War nuclear postures and agreeing negative security assurances Universal ratification and entry into force of the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty Agreeing a treaty to end verifiably the production of fissile material for weapons Creating a mechanism that guarantees access to nuclear fuel for civil purposes and avoids the further proliferation of uranium enrichment and reprocessing technology Strengthening mechanisms and increasing resources for verifying compliance with nuclear commitments |
UK parliamentary activity
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UN activity |
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