On 17 October, the United Nations Youth4Disarmament Forum concluded with a youth-led Side Event titled “The Future Won’t Wait: Youth Policy Pathways on Nuclear Weapons and Emerging Technology.” The event brought together youth participants, experts, and diplomats to mark the culmination of the first-ever United Nations Youth4Disarmament Forum, made possible by the strong political and generous financial support from the Government of the Republic of Korea.
This side event gave an opportunity for the youth participants to present a draft of their outcome document, an outline of challenges and recommendations on the nexus between nuclear weapons and emerging technologies to a wide array of multi-stakeholders including diplomats and technical experts. Once finalized, the outcome document will be circulated with the UN General Assembly First Committee delegations in December 2025 and for public viewing on UNODA’s website.
The session was entirely youth-led and moderated by Mr. Katlego Koza, UN Youth Delegate of Canada, and Ms. Victoria Van Souza Guimarães, alumna of the Youth Leader Fund for a World Without Nuclear Weapons, UNODA. Together, they guided participants and panelists through the key findings and recommendations of the outcome document.
Opening remarks were delivered by Mr. Adedeji Ebo, Director and Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, who congratulated the participants on their progress and leadership throughout the Forum, stating:
“I have watched you take the driver’s seat – from designing the Forum’s sessions to drafting the recommendations in the outcome document. You have led the design, organization, and roll-out of the Forum, and you should be proud of the tremendous impact you have had on shaping this initiative.”
Following the opening remarks, Mr. Ulysse Richard, alumnus of the Youth Leader Fund for a World Without Nuclear Weapons, and Ms. Alyeen Roy, Co-Lead at Youth Fusion, presented the key findings of the draft outcome document. They identified major challenges, including the lack of governance around artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies, as well as the need to strengthen youth inclusion in disarmament policymaking. The draft outcome document gave recommendations ranging from establishing multilateral pledges not to integrate AI into critical nuclear functions to institutionalizing youth participation and capacity-building initiatives in disarmament.
Diplomatic and technical panelists reflected these recommendations. H.E. Maritza Chan, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations, highlighted how exclusion in disarmament discussions can lead to dangerous blind spots and urged greater involvement of youth and women in peace and security. Ms. Pawinrat Mahaguna, Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Thailand to the United Nations, emphasized the dual nature of emerging technologies where she warned of their risks, but also their potential to promote equitable access to innovation.
Mr. Bryan Tomlinson, Second Secretary for Disarmament, Peace and Security at the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations, underscored the importance of inclusivity and noted persistent challenges in regional dialogue on disarmament. Mr. Amr Essam, Counsellor and Senior Political Officer at the Permanent Mission of Egypt to the United Nations, praised the participants’ work and reaffirmed the importance of excluding AI from nuclear command, control, and communications systems.
Technical experts also shared their perspectives. Mr. Nuno Luzio, Deputy Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency Liaison Office, commended the participants and noted that while AI cannot replace human expertise, it can support inspectors and improve open-source analysis. Mr. Charles Abechi Oko, Senior Liaison Officer at the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, encouraged mentorship programmes to advance women’s participation in the disarmament field. Mr. Olamide Samuel, Network Specialist at Open Nuclear Network, stressed the importance of platforms that enable real-time dialogue on emerging technologies and security.
Panelists collectively offered recommendations and feedback to inform both the final draft of the outcome document and the future pathways of the youth participants. They called for the establishment of regional and international youth networks, leadership development programmes, and the strategic use of social media to amplify disarmament messaging and momentum.
The Forum participants are now working on integrating this feedback into the Forum outcome document to be finalized for publication by December 2025. Once finalized, the outcome document will be published on the UNODA websites and social media channels and circulated to the delegations of the United Nations First Committee on Disarmament and International Security.
After the side event ended, closing remarks were delivered by diplomats and participants to culminate the Forum’s end at the closing ceremony. H.E. Si-Jin Song, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the Conference on Disarmament, commended the participants for their contributions and reaffirmed his country’s support for youth engagement in global disarmament efforts. He underscored the significance of the Forum and the outcome document as steps toward building a global network of young disarmament advocates. To close the Forum, he left the participants with the message to remain determined to build a brighter future.
