Pugwash
UK
MEETINGS
Please scroll down for information about other recent
meetings
Ambassador
Jayantha Dhanapala
former UN Under-Secretary General
“Connecting Inconvenient Truths:
The Urgency of Nuclear Disarmament
in a World of Pressing Problems”
Royal Society, Tuesday, 1 December 2009
6:00 pm ? 9:00 pm
 
The event was chaired by Baroness Williams of Crosby
A special advisor to the Prime Minister
With a welcome from Lord Rees of Ludlow
President of the Royal Society
Please click here for the
text of Jayantha's address.
Dhanapala linked the need to free resources for environmental and humanitarian
challenges
with the urgency of a nuclear-weapons-free world. He discussed the need
to build dialogue across
political, economic and religious divides as preconditions for creating
a more peaceful and
prosperous world community.
The event was sponsored by the President of the Royal Society
and Trustees of the Polden-Puckham Charitable Foundation,
with the support of the Association of Charitable Foundations
 
Bevis Gillett, Polden Puckham Charitable
Foundation and John Finney, British Pugwash
(With special thanks to Richard Guthrie for the photos.)
VERTIC and British Pugwash joint event
"Securing Fissile Materials"
A new British Pugwash Report on
The Management of Separated Plutonium in the UK
was launched at this event
26 November 2009
(Christopher
Watson, Ian Crossland, Roger Cowley, Hugh Beach, John Finney)
For
more information about the report,
please click here.
For
Dr Christopher Watson's PowerPoint presentation, please clikc here.
British Pugwash President Robert Hinde
"Ending War"
18 November
A CCAD Event
Click here
for more information.
Pugwash President Jayantha Dhanapala
‘The Military-Industrial Complex, the Bottom Billion and the UN’
St. John's College, Cambridge University
12 November 2009
(Rebecca Johnson, Jayantha Dhanapala, Katie Taylor, Glen Rangwala)
In this talk, co-sponsored by Cambridge Student Pugwash and British Pugwash, Jayantha discussed the linkage between human security and national security, exploring the resources behind the military-industrial complex and the failure to meet the Millennium Development Goals. This relationship between development and disarmament has been made by the UN and other agencies. Dr Rebecca Johnson, Director of the Acronym Institute and Dr Glen Rangwala, Trinity College, Cambridge served as discussants. Katie Taylor, Cambridge Student Pugwash President chaired the meeting.
Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala’s distinguished career has spanned the private sector, government, the United Nations and academia. He was the acclaimed President of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review and Extension Conference in 1995. In the UN, he has served as Director of the Institute for Disarmament Research and as Under Secretary General to re-establish the Department of Disarmament. He is a member of international groups including the International Weapons of Mass Destruction Committee, the Governing Board of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces. In 2007, Ambassador Dhanapala was unanimously elected President of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs.
For a copy of Jayantha's PowerPoint presentation, please click here.
A report of the event "Choosing between Breakfast and a Gun: The links between development and the Arms Trade",
written by Nicci Shall for the Humanitarian Centre, is available here.
(Click here for the poster and here for the flyer)
Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon Delivers Annual Rotblat Lecture
at the Guardian Hay Literary Festival
"Ashdown's Third Law"
On 25 May, Paddy Ashdown, leading British politician and international diplomat, delivered this year's Rotblat Lecture
to a packed audience at the Hay Literary Festival. Ashdown served as leader of the Liberal Democrats (1988-1999) and
international High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina (2002-2006), among his many important roles..
"If we want a more ordered world at a time of great instability,
we are going to have to provide a space at the top tables for nations that do not share
our culture, our history, our world view or even our values."
British Pugwash and the WMD Awareness Programme co-sponsored this talk.
It was chaired by journalist Rosie Boycott, and introduced by BPG Chair John Finney.
A summary of the talk is available on the Guardian Comment is Free website. Click here.
The full text is available on the WMD Awareness Programme site here.
An article about the talk, "Paddy?s plan for better Parliament ? cull MPs and elect the Lords"
from WalesOnline, 26 May 2009, is available here.
  
Prospects for Dialogue in the Middle East
On 30 April 2009, British Pugwash sponsored a discussion meeting featuring:
Paolo Cotta-Ramusino, Pugwash Secretary General; Andreas Persbo, Senior Researcher, VERTIC;
Nomi Bar-Yaacov, Middle East Expert; and Rosemary Hollis, Director, Olive Tree Programme. Paolo and Andreas discussed,
"Improving Relations between Iran and the West: recent Pugwash experience." and
Nomi and Rosemary addressed, "Prospects for Peace in the Middle East, post-Gaza and the Israeli election."
(Download a PDF flyer here)
Andreas Persbo, "Safeguards in Iran: Prospects and Challenges." For a PDF file of the presentation, please click here.
JOSEPH ROTBLAT CENTENTARY
The Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs and the British Pugwash Pugwash Group
hosted in London on 9 December 2008 the European premiere of
The Strangest Dream
a new film about Jo Rotblat, Pugwash, and nuclear weapons, produced by the National Film Board of Canada.
The film was followed by a Q&A with director Eric Bednarski, producer Kent Martin, and Pugwash president Jayantha Dhanapala.
Special thanks to the National Film Board of Canada. Organised in cooperation with the WMD Awareness Programme.
For more information about the film, click here.
    
Photos (left to right): Pugwash President Jayantha Dhanapala with Dr Patricia Lindop, former Assistant Secretary General of Pugwash.
Eric Bednarski, Director of The Strangest Dream. Kent Martin, Producer of The Strangest Dream, Jayantha Dhanapala, Eric Bednarski, and British Pugwash
Chair John Finney. Pugwash Executive Director Jeffrey Boutwell. Pugwash Secretary General Paolo Cotta-Ramusino.
Please click here for more photos.
With special thanks to Dr Abbas Al-Hussaini for some of these photos.
JOSEPH ROTBLAT CENTENARY
Progressing the nuclear disarmament agenda
Policy, diplomacy and science
10 December 2008
This seminar explored concrete suggestions for creating and developing the political and technical environments
conducive to the eventual attainment of a nuclear weapons free world. As achieving this end was the major focus of
Professor Joseph Rotblat?s life?s work, this workshop was a highly appropriate way in which to honour the centenary of his birth.
Click here for agenda and presentations
NATO Advanced Research Workshop
The Role of Independent Scientists
in WMD Threat Assessment
13 – 16 November 2008
Zagreb, Croatia
Final Agenda
Co-Directors Prof. John Finney (London) & Prof. Ivo Slaus (Zagreb)
Organized in cooperation with British Pugwash, Croatian Pugwash,
and the Institute for International Relations (IMO)
Sessions Addressed:
- Scientists and Policy Formation on CBRN Weapons: Current Structures
- How Threat Assessment Affects Policy (with recent examples)
- Chemical Weapons
- Biological Weapons
- Nuclear Threats
- Ballistic Missiles
- The Relevance of WMD Threat Assessment for South-Eastern Europe and the Caucasus
- The Way Forward: Breaking the Threat-Counter Threat Cycle
Principal Speakers Included:
- Mile Aleksoski, Balkan Security Forum
- Kirill Babievsky, Russian Academy of Sciences
- Noha Bakr, American University in Cairo
- Don Clagett, US Department of State, former OPCW
- Avner Cohen, Former Senior Fellow, United States Institute of Peace
- Michael Crowley, Bradford University, Non-Lethal Weapons Research Project
- Annegrete Falter, Federation of German Scientists
- John Finney, Professor of Physics, University College London
- Geoffrey Forden, MIT, Science, Technology and Society Program
- David Friedman, (Col, ret.) Institute for National Security Studies, Tel Aviv
- Richard Garwin, IBM Fellow Emeritus, consultant to the U.S. government on military technology and arms control (audio presentation)
- Srdjan Gligorijevic, International and Security Affairs Center, Serbia
- Sir Brian Heap, European Academies Science Advisory Council; Royal Society
- Jo Husbands, Senior Project Director, National Academy of Sciences
- Venance Journe, National Scientific Research Council, Paris
- Gabriele Kraatz-Wadsack, Chief, WMD Branch, UN Office of Disarmament Affairs
- Robert Lovsin, Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex
- Zvonimir Mahecic, (Col, ret.) Security and Defence Analyst, IMO
- Jiri Matousek, Former Chairman, OPCW Scientific Advisory Panel
- Götz Neuneck, Project Leader, Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy
- Mohamed Kadry Said, (Maj Gen, ret) Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies
- Ivo Slaus, Emeritus Professor, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, former Member of Parliament
- Geoffrey L. Smith, Chair, Dept of Virology, Imperial College London; Royal Society
- Mladen Stanicic, Director, Institute for International Relations
- Ralf Trapp, Independent Consultant, former OPCW
- Col. Tomislav Vibovec, RACVIAC Center for Security Cooperation
- Houston G. Wood III, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Virginia
The Importance: There are many levels on which the scientific advice given to decision makers influences not just military and defence strategies and force postures,
but also affects broader foreign policy. Yet many countries do not appear to take full advantage of the independent scientific expertise available on these topics.
It is crucial to ensure structures are in place to foster a sound scientific basis for policy formation.
The Need: This ARW explored ways in which to ensure that NATO, Partner, and Mediterranean Dialogue countries are maximising the scientific resources available to them,
and highlighted ways in which they can take better advantage of the role of independent scientists in threat assessment. Participants in the ARW were leading scientists
representing a broad geographical balance, who shared their insights and perspectives in advising governments in various capacities.
Please contact us at pugwash@mac.com if you would like more information.
Evidence-based policy or policy-based evidence?
Nuclear weapons decision-making in Europe
Euroscience Open Forum, Barcelona, July 19, 14:30 - 18:00
Organisers:
John Finney, University College London / British Pugwash Group
Carol Naughton, WMD Awareness Programme
Georges Parisot, French Pugwash
Panelists:
Sir David King (Chair), Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, UK
Ana Maria Gomes, European Parliament, Belgium, (PDF of presentation available)
Bruno Tertrais, Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique, France, (PDF of presentation available)
Steve Fetter, University of Maryland, United States, (PDF of presentation available)
James Acton, King's College London, UK (PDF of presentation available)
The session discussed the way in which scientific and technical considerations are used in nuclear weapons decision-making in Europe, and contrasted it with the situation in the US. It explored ways of improving the openness of nuclear weapons decision making processes to ensure they are healthy and robust, and not biased by narrower commercial or political considerations. Speakers reviewed (a) the processes involved in making the recent UK decision to renew its Trident nuclear weapons system, (b) French plans to modernise its nuclear weapons systems, (c) US planning to develop a new warhead, and (d) thoughts on the ways in which these very different national approaches interact on an international level in the wider European context, especially during times of policy formation.
One important topic discussed, prompted by a question posed by BPG Chair John Finney, was the need for JASON type advisory bodies in the UK and France.
This panel was featured in "No Need for U.S. Nukes In Europe, Observers Say," by Chris Schneidmiller
Global Security Newswire, 21 July 2008
A full transcript of the panel will be available soon.
For more information see the ESOF 2008 website.
Special Keynote Address and Reception
The Urgency of Disarmament
Pugwash President Jayantha Dhanapala
Monday 13 June, 5.15 pm, co-sponsored by the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy, SOAS
and British Pugwash, Brunei Gallery, SOAS
Please see the SOAS website for a transcript of the talk.
A Middle East Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone
SOAS/British Pugwash Public Conference, Tuesday, 17th June, 9:30 - 1:00, SOAS.
Speakers included:
HE Dr Hussain Al-Shahristani, Minister for Oil, State of Iraq
HE Wael Al-Assad, Director of Disarmament and Multilateral Affairs, League of Arab States
HE Dr Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the IAEA
HE Dr Sami Khiyami, Ambassador of Syria to the Court of St James
Mr Simon Manley, Director of Defence and Strategic Threats, UK FCO
Dr Wolfgang Rudischhauser, Office of the EU Special Representative on Non-Proliferation
Professor Paolo Cotta-Ramusino (Secretary General, Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs)
Sara Eriksen (Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI)
Please see the follwing article for a summary of the June London events:
"Pugwash President Jayantha Dhanapala Visits London, British Pugwash and SOAS Co-Host Public Events
on Disarmament and a Possible WMDFZ in the Middle East," Report by Poul-Erik Christiansen, CISD, SOAS and
Sandra Ionno Butcher, London Pugwash Office
  
 
Cambridge Student Pugwash Garden Party for Jayantha Dhanapala, 12 June 2008
Back Row: Chris Taylor (webmaster), Jonathan Edge (treasurer), unidentified, Michael Hoffmann (chair 2006-7), Jayantha Dhanapala (Pugwash President),
Robert Hinde (advisor, deputy-chair British Pugwash), Mark Rosin (chair 2008-9). Front: Carl Scheffler,
Katie Taylor (committee 2007-8 and 2008-9), Kate Marvel (chair 2007-8), Sarah Hopkins (committee 2007-8 and 2008-9).
 
Annual Joseph Rotblat Memorial Lecture
Phillippe Sands, Professor of Law and Director of the Centre on International Courts and Tribunals, Faculty of Law, UCL, gave this year’s Joseph Rotblat memorial lecture at the Guardian Hay Festival on 1st June, co-sponsored by British Pugwash and the WMD Awareness Programme. Jon Snow chaired the session, and BPG Deputy ChairRobert Hinde introduced the lecture.
Special Double-Session Meeting
Launching the Joseph Rotblat Centenary Year
featuring
Prof. Sir John Sulston, Nobel Laureate ("Genetic Equity and Global Medicine," PDF of presentation available)
Prof. Alistair Hay, Chemical & Biological Weapons Expert ("Multiple Uses of Chemicals, What to Choose?" PDF of presentation available)
John Ainslie, Nuclear Weapons Expert ("Trident Replacement, the Practical Implications," PDF of presentation available, 5MB)
Tuesday 8 April 2008
University College London, Gower Street, WC1
Agenda:
12:45 – 13:45 – Special British Pugwash AGM (members only), commemorating the centenary of Jo Rotblat’s birth (Wilkins Garden Room, UCL)
14:00 – 16:30 ? Workshop: ?Trident Replacement: The Practical Implications?
John Ainslie Chair: Prof. John Finney (Chadwick Lecture Theatre, UCL)
16:30 – 17:00 – Tea break
17:00 – 19:00 ? ?The Responsible Application of Science? Chair: Prof. Robert Hinde (Chadwick Lecture Theatre, UCL)
?Genetic Equity and Global Medicine? Prof. Sir John Sulston, Welcome Trust Sanger Unit
‘Multiple Uses of Chemicals, What to Choose?’ Prof. Alistair Hay, OBE, Molecular Epidemiology Unit, Leeds For a copy of the full flyer in PDF format, please click here: British Pugwash Flyer, 8 April 2008.
Please click here for the meetings archive. |
