45th Anniversary
1967-2012
AGENCY FOR THE PROHIBITION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS
IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
Secretariat General
SG/05.2012
OPANAL’S REPORT
ON PEACE, NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT AND NON-PROLIFERATION
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
2010-2012
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.
Between 2010 and 2011, the Agency focused its
educational activities on promoting the importance of the Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Latin
America and the Caribbean and its contribution to regional peace and security; as well as on the
Agency’s new agenda regarding nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. To these ends, the
Secretary-General participated in activities carried out by Member States, inter alia: the
Conference on “Challenges of OPANAL in the Agenda of Disarmament and Non-Proliferation” at
the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations (COMEXI); the Seminar “Latin America and the
Caribbean facing Disarmament and Non-Proliferation: Challenges and Opportunities”, organized
by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay; the International Seminar on “Disarmament and
Non-Proliferation: Towards the elimination of Nuclear Weapons”, organized by the Nonproliferation for Global Security Foundation, in Buenos Aires-Argentina; the “VII Conference of
Forte de Copacabana International Security: A European-South American Dialogue” organized by
the Brazilian Centre for Foreign Affairs and Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS); the Seminar
“Peace, security and development in Latin America” organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of Peru; and the “Seminar on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass
Destruction” organized by the Committee on Hemispheric Security of the Organization of
American States and the Inter-American Defense College, in Washington D.C. In March 2012,
the Secretary General took part in Experts Workshops designed for OPANAL Member States on
the Universalization of International Legal Instruments on Nuclear Security; this was a propitious
opportunity for the Secretary-General to stress that the responsibility for Nuclear Security rests
entirely with each and every State, and that this obligation is attached to the principles of the
Treaty of Tlatelolco.
2.
OPANAL considers relevant to strengthen the relationship
with civil society. Therefore, it promotes and participates in various activities which seek to raise
awareness about the importance of nuclear disarmament. To this end, the Office of the
Secretary-General has helped to organize in the region lectures in educational institutions and
elsewhere, interviews and publications in the mass media, and events attended by the public.
Some of the highlights were: the anniversary commemoration of the victims of the atomic
bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, organized by the Government of Mexico City (2010); a
distinguished lecture on “The Contribution of the Treaty of Tlatelolco to the process of nuclear
disarmament and non-proliferation” at Universidad de las Americas, Puebla-Mexico (2012),
taking part 250 students from eight different universities in 4 different countries; a lecture on
“nuclear-weapon-free zones and their significance for nuclear disarmament” given during the
commemoration of the 54th Anniversary of the proclamation of the abolition of nuclear weapons
by the President of Soka Gakkai International (2011); and the lecture on “The contribution of
NWFZs to the course of disarmament”, delivered during the observance of the 44th anniversary
of the signing of the Treaty of Tlatelolco. At the next anniversary observance, Ambassador Sergio
Duarte, United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, delivered the distinguished
lecture on “The significance of NWFZs in the nuclear disarmament process”. In addition, there
were several interviews, publications in print media, television and radio; among them an article
entitled “La
agenda regional para el desarme nuclear” in the February 2011 issue of Diálogo Político
magazine of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Argentina; the production in English of the
documentary Let´s say no to nuclear weapons (2011) aimed at reaching a wider audience,
including the Caribbean States, International Organizations and Member States to other NWFZs;
and the redesign of the Agency’s web page so that it gives a better picture of its work and makes
the public realize about the importance of the NWFZs. (http://www.opanal.org)
3.
The relationship with academic sectors has been another
major work area. The Agency has collaborated with the Non-Proliferation for Global Security
Foundation in conducting a regional postgraduate course in Disarmament and Non-Proliferation
(2011 and 2012); it offers internship programmes for students from various universities. It also
signed a Cooperation Framework Agreement with the Latin American Institute for Educational
Communication (ILCE) – an autonomous international body comprising 14 Latin American and
Caribbean countries and devoted to education through the use of information and
communications technology. Thanks to this Agreement the documentary Let´s say no to nuclear
weapons and several educational interviews have been broadcast on free-to-air TV.
4.
Since 2009, the Agency has offered an online course in
Spanish on Nuclear Disarmament; 2012 is the first year to be delivered in English. The course’s
academic coordination is under the supervision of Mexican Eminent Ambassador Miguel Marin
Bosch. Moreover, since 2011 the Agency has been working with the United Nations Regional
Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UN-LIREC)
on an educational project that is expected to be completed in 2012, particularly on a course
proposal on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Education. At the global level, the Office of the
Secretary-General represented the NWFZ in Latin America and the Caribbean at the forum
convened by the IAEA Director-General (November 2011) to share experiences of possible
relevance to the creation of a NWFZ in the Middle East.
5.
On 14 and 15 February 2012, when the 45th Anniversary
of the signing of the Treaty of Tlatelolco was commemorated, it was a good occasion for the
Agency to organize a two-day International Seminar on “The experience of the NWFZ in Latin
America and the Caribbean and the perspective toward 2015 and beyond”; taking part 22
OPANAL Member States, NWS signatories to the Treaty of Tlatelolco, and Member States of
other NWFZs; as well as representatives of International Organizations related to nuclear
disarmament and non-proliferation (the United Nations High Representative for Disarmament
Affairs, the IAEA Director General, the Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission of the
CTBTO, the Secretary-General of ABACC and OPANAL Secretary-General). Delegates from NGOs
and other organizations from official sectors also attended the Seminar, inter alia: Majors for
Peace, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, Soka Gakkai
International, Peace Boat, Global Action to Prevent War, Non-Proliferation and Global Security
Foundation, Monterey Institute for International Studies, experts and academic staff of different
institutions and countries.
In five different panels, participants were able to reflect on the Agency’s vision for the
immediate future, and on the areas where NWFZs could work together with civil society. The last
panel was devoted to sharing experiences and considering how to help create other NWFZs in
the world, especially in the Middle East.
6.
The Agency is convinced that Nuclear Disarmament and
Non-Proliferation Education is part of a greater instruction: Education for Peace. In this regard,
the Office of the Secretary-General has contemplated to continue with the programmes already
implemented, with special emphasis on civil society-oriented education, in which Member States
would play an essential role. This initiative seeks to strengthen OPANAL’s participation in
regional and international educational programmes on nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation, and to promote a culture of peace.