Schedule
This schedule will reflect the detailed conference agenda including the Opening and Closing sessions and the roundtables, and the list of speakers and their biographies.
Representatives of Non-Governmental Organizations and civil society attending the 62nd Annual Conference will have the opportunity to attend all the sessions and acquaint themselves with the latest developments and thinking on issues of nuclear disarmament and conventional weapons. It is hoped that the discussions and exchanges will offer attendees insights and ideas, which they can turn into actionable projects upon their return from the Conference.
WEDNESDAY, 9 SEPTEMBER 2009
10:00 A.M. - Opening Ceremony - Ex Convento San Hipólito
United Nations Welcome
Kiyo Akasaka
Under Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information
Host Country Welcome
Patricia Espinosa Cantellano
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Address
Ban Ki-moon
Secretary-General, United Nations
Welcoming Address
Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann
President of the 63rd session of the General Assembly (video message)
Keynote Addresses
Miguel Marin Bosch
Mexican Diplomat and collaborator with Nobel Laureate Ambassador Alfonso Garcia Robles.
Jody Williams
Nobel Peace Prize laureate and founder of the International Campaign to Ban Land Mines
NGO Welcome
Charles Hitchcock, Peace Action International
Chair, 62nd Annual DPI/NGO Conference
1:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M. Lunch
3:30 P.M. – 5:00 P.M. Afternoon Workshops - Various Sites
5:30 P.M. – 7:00 P.M. Roundtable I - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Roundtable I: Zero Nuclear Weapons, Zero Weapons of Mass Destruction: Why, How, When?
The case for nuclear disarmament is compelling. The massive production and stockpiling of nuclear weapons by a handful of countries is dangerous, costly and wastes precious economic resources. The process also damages health, the environment, psychological well-being, and human rights. To succeed in ridding the world of this weapon of mass destruction, the engagement of public opinion and broad civil society will be crucial. This Panel is expected to discuss the next major steps in the fight to attain global disarmament, particularly strengthening of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, in preparation for the next review conference which will takes place 3-28 May 2010. Other related issues that will be dealt with include the regulation of missiles, anti-missile systems, space-based weapons, and the relation of nuclear weapons to major conventional weapons.
Moderator:
Olga Pellicer, Professor of International Studies at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM)
Speakers:
Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director, Western States Legal Foundation
Waheguru Pal Singh Sidhu, Vice President of Programs, EastWest Institute
Alexander Pikayev, World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), Moscow
THURSDAY, 10 SEPTEMBER 2009
10:00A.M. – 11:30A.M. Roundtable II - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Roundtable II: Removing the Tools of Armed Violence
Armed violence destroys lives and livelihoods, breeds insecurity, fear and terror, and has a profoundly negative impact on human development, imposing enormous costs on states, communities and individuals. It directly and indirectly kills hundreds of thousands of people each year and injures countless more, often with lifelong consequences. Living free from the threat of armed violence is a basic human need and a precondition for human development, dignity and well-being. Roundtable II will analyze the elements of conflict that are present in all human societies, especially where there is conflict for resources. Bearing in mind that the prevention of conflict is made far more difficult if weapons are easily available, the Panel will examine how governments and civil society can work together to reduce the availability of arms. Speakers will discuss regulating the supply of arms; reducing the demand for arms; managing existing stocks of weapons; removing weapons from circulation and defending human rights. The Panel will also examine the role of NGOs in promoting peace and development.
Moderator:
Pablo Macedo, Director General, United Nations Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, and Chairperson-designate for the Fourth Biennial Meeting of States (BMS4) to Consider the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects.
Speakers:
Alexander Galvez, co-founder and Executive Director, Transitions Foundation of Guatemala
Alfredo Ferrariz Lubang, Regional Representative, Nonviolence International Southeast Asia
Christiane Agboton Johnson, Deputy Director, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research
12:00 P.M. – 1:30 P.M. Breakout Sessions
A Strong and Effective Arms Trade Treaty: A Tool for Improving Human Rights, IHL and Preventing Organized Crime
After years of global campaigning, civil society and governments have succeeded at getting the UN to discuss a global, legally-binding treaty to regulate international trade in conventional weapons. This session will examine the need for an immediate start of negotiations of such a treaty that will help to protect human rights and international humanitarian law as well as help in poverty reduction and preventing organized crime.
Sponsors:
CLAVE, IANSA and Arms Trade Treaty Steering Committee of NGOs (ATTSC)
Speakers:
María Pía Devoto, APP, Argentina
Ana Yancy Espinoza, Arias Foundation, Costa Rica
César Marín, IANSA, Venezuela
1:30 P.M. – 3:00 P.M. Lunch
3:30 P.M. – 5:00 P.M. Afternoon Workshops - Various Sites
5:30 P.M. – 7:00 P.M. Roundtable III - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Roundtable III: Human Development is Global Security
In this Roundtable, experts will speak about the need to redefine global security, taking account of the premise that basic human rights ensure true human security, which is the foundation of peace. Speakers will address economies of conflicts, geopolitics, security, terrorist acts and the effects of globalization, drug trafficking, and organized crime on human security. They will also consider what civil society, local communities and nation states can do to promote human needs over military spending, looking at the responsibilities of municipalities, labor, humanitarian organizations and development agencies. The significant role played by public opinion, in particular the views of young people, on nonviolence, peace education and conflict resolution will also be considered.
Moderator:
Carmen Rosa de León-Escribano, Executive Director, Instituto de Enseñanza para el Desarrollo Sostenible (IEPADES)
Speakers:
Rosa Anaya, General Coordinator, “Colectivo de Dechos Humanos Herbert Anaya” CDH-HAS
Frida Berrigan, Senior Program Associate, Arms and Security Initiative
Juan Ramon de la Fuente, President of the International Association of Universities (IAU) and Member of the Board of the United Nations University
FRIDAY , 11 SEPTEMBER 2009
9:00 A.M. Executive Committee Presentation - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
10:00 A.M. – 11:30 A.M. Roundtable IV - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Roundtable IV: New Challenges and Perspectives for Global Development and Security for the 21st Century
Civil society is confronted by new challenges and needs as a consequence of social, cultural, economic, technological and environmental changes, which call for a new agenda for peace. The global economic crisis is simultaneously affecting the ability of people in many regions of the world to enjoy decent lives and has given rise to new global conflicts. Panelists will explore the need for a multidimensional approach to security which takes account of social perspectives. They will also address nuclear disarmament as well as the need to prevent or reduce arms trafficking, food crises, and the negative effects of climate change and natural disasters. Other issues that will be considered during this Roundtable will be the use of technology for violent purposes, violations of human, civil and political, economic and social rights especially among migrants, women, children and indigenous communities, and the lack of sustainable economic growth.
Moderator:
Adalberto Savinon, Director of the Centro de Información e Investigación Lindavista
Speakers:
Kuniko Inoguchi, Member of the House of Representatives of Japan and the Science Council of Japan
Mokhtar Lamanai, Waterloo University, Canada
Carolina Owens, Chief of Office & Special Assistant to the USG, Office of Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
12:00P.M. – 1:30 P.M. Breakout Sessions - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Zero Nuclear Weapons: How to Get There
The UN Secretary-General, the presidents of Russia and the United States, and other high-level leaders have declared support for a nuclear weapons-free world, yet old and new states continue to rely on their nuclear arsenals. This session will discuss how civil society can overcome obstacles and seize opportunities to advance nuclear disarmament.
Moderator:
John Burroughs, Executive Director, Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy (US)
Speakers:
Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director, Western States Legal Foundation (US )
Dr. Waheguru Pal Singh Sidhu, Vice President of Programs, EastWest Institute (India/US)
Kevin Martin, Executive Director, Peace Action (US)
Alexander Pikayev, World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), Moscow (Russia)
1:30 P.M. – 3:00 P.M. Lunch
3:30 P.M. – 5:00 P.M. Afternoon Workshops - Various Sites
5:30 P.M. – Closing Ceremony - Ex Convento San Hipólito
Moderator
Kiyo Akasaka
Under Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information
Keynote Address
Roberto Zamora
Lawyer and member of Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict
Concluding Overview
Sergio Duarte
United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs
Call to Action
Tadatoshi Akiba
Mayor of Hiroshima
NGO Closing Remarks and Presentation of Conference Declaration
Charles Hitchcock, Peace Action International
Chair, 62nd Annual DPI/NGO Conference