What’s next in disarmament? A look ahead.

Just weeks after the conclusion of the 2026 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in New York, this Vienna Conversation Series event explored what lies ahead for multilateral disarmament in an evolving geopolitical context and at a time of rapid technological change. Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Izumi Nakamitsu joined George-Wilhelm Gallhofer, Director for Disarmament, Arms Control and Non-Proliferation at Austria's Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, and Gaukhar Mukhatzhanova, Director of the International Organizations and Non-Proliferation Program and Japan Chair for a World Without Nuclear Weapons at the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP), to reflect on what the High Representative called the "post-post-Cold War era": a paradigm shift that calls for a corresponding adjustment of disarmament instruments and of the UN itself. The panelists explored the impact of emerging technologies on international security, the humanitarian dimensions of the disarmament agenda, and the case for substantive - rather than symbolic - participation of young people from all regions in shaping the debates ahead. Throughout, the distinctive Vienna spirit of technical, evidence-based work was highlighted, as was Austria's upcoming non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council as an opportunity to carry that approach into the Council's deliberations. The event was moderated by Rebecca Jovin, Chief of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs in Vienna.