OSCE holds training course for young professionals on arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation

An OSCE-organized training course on arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation was held for 50 young professionals from the OSCE region and the Organization’s Partners for Co-operation from 12 to 16 February in Vienna. The course was held in the framework of the OSCE Scholarship for Peace and Security and jointly organized by the OSCE together with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs.

The training course aimed to contribute to a deeper understanding of key conceptual and analytical issues in the field of conflict prevention, arms control and confidence- and security-building measures with a specific focus on the OSCE and its relevant instruments. The course further had the goal to improve the knowledge of and increase women’s participation in policymaking, planning and implementation processes in the area of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation.

“This training course is also a confidence and security building measure that lays a foundation among the participants for trust and openness and future networking,” said Ana Pereira, a participant from Portugal, where she works as a legal counsellor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Throughout the week, participants learned about the different institutions active in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation, the technologies associated with it and the relationship between disarmament and development. Issues such as the concept of co-operative and indivisible security, political versus legal commitments, the importance of political will and illicit trafficking of conventional weapons, were also discussed. The participants also met with gender champions, engaged in debates on gender equality and learned about the different impact disarmament and non-proliferation activities have on women and men, as well as the role women play in the field.

“This course is expanding minds for peace and development”, said Gulpari Davlatova, a participant from Tajikistan.

The training course in Vienna will be followed by a seven-week online course, offering further insight into the interrelated areas of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation, taking into account a gender perspective in order to deepen the participants’ understanding of practices in the field and enable them to spread this understanding among their peers.