UN Disarmament Fellows visit Pakistan

Islamabad: A group of UN Disarmament Fellows comprising of officers from 24 countries including , Algeria, Angola, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Cambodia, Egypt, France, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iran, Libya, Montenegro, Pakistan, Palau, Poland, Saint Kits & Nevis, Togo, United States of America, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yemen are on a visit to Pakistan from 8-10 October 2022 as part of their international study tour under the auspices of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNoDA).

The tour officially commenced with a visit of the Fellows to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where they received a briefing on Pakistan’s perspective on Arms Control, Disarmament, and nuclear Non-Proliferation as well as the imperative of unhindered access to dual-use technologies for peaceful socio-economic applications.

During the tour, the Fellows will also be visiting Pakistan Centre of Excellence on Nuclear Security (PCENS), Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science &Technology (PINSTECH), National Institute of Health (NIH), Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), Defence Science & Technology Organization (DESTO) and Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) to witness the application of nuclear and space technologies in the area of public health, industry, agriculture, food security, power generation etc.

At PCENS and PNRA, Fellows will receive briefings on Pakistan nuclear safety & security architecture, regulatory mechanisms and safeguards introduced by the Government of Pakistan in line with global standardswhich have been internationally recognized and acknowledged by the IAEA. The Fellows will also be visiting different laboratories, globally acknowledged reference libraries and state-of-the-art facilities at DESTO and NIH.

At SUPARCO, the participants will get acquainted with Pakistan’s space programme and its utility for the socio-economic development of the country.

The UN Programme of Fellowships on Disarmament was launched by the General Assembly at its First Special Session devoted to Disarmament in 1978. It is for the first time that Pakistan is hosting such an international study tour for UN Disarmament Fellows.