The year 2025 marks 80 years since the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings – the first and only use of nuclear weapons in the world – and the 50th anniversary of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). In 2021, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons entered into force, cementing a categorial ban on nuclear weapons.

Based in the symbolic city of Hiroshima, UNITAR Division for Prosperity has an inherent interest in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Since 2015, we have been training government officials from Asian countries who are on the front-line of nuclear disarmament negotiations.

The UNITAR programme gives participants a deep understanding of the latest nuclear arms control debate. Participants learn about the protocols and procedures of disarmament and non-proliferation conferences, such as the NPT Review Conference, and build communication and negotiation skills.

All the conflicts in the world ended not by war, but by negotiation. I believe that peace can be achieved without any war and without any weapons.” — Aiyarat Kosakul, Thai diplomat and UNITAR alumnus.

This programme is made possible by the generous support of the Prefectural Government of Hiroshima and the City of Hiroshima.

Since 2015, over 150 government officials from ministries of foreign affairs and defence in Asia and Pacific countries have completed the UNITAR programme. The 2024 participants hailed from 13 countries, and 52% of the participants were women. Ninety-four percent of the 2024 participants said that the programme content was relevant to their professional roles and 89% said they intended to use their new knowledge.