“Can existing institutions, regimes and international law continue to provide a meaningful foundation for international peace and security?” The UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) Vienna Office and the Vienna Centre for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP) tackled this question at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich on 24 April 2026. As part of the UNODA-VCDNP Joint Engagement Project, generously supported by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and other partners, students were invited to join this exchange, co-organized by the Center for Security Studies (CSS) of ETH Zurich.
Arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament regimes have long contributed to international peace and security, providing frameworks for dialogue and trust- and confidence-building. However, an increasingly fragmented and polarized global landscape is placing these regimes under strain and exposing them to new and urgent challenges. To analyze key international frameworks and examine how to preserve and further advance norms, a panel of experts engaged in an interactive discussion with the students.
The event was opened with welcoming remarks by Mr. Reto Wollenmann, Deputy Head of the Arms Control and Disarmament Section (Swiss FDFA) and moderated by Ms. Névine Schepers (Team Head and Senior Researcher, ETH CSS). Offering an overview of disarmament, non-proliferation, and arms control regimes, with a focus on nuclear issues, Ms. Federica Dall’Arche (Senior Research Associate, VCDNP) kicked off the panel discussion. Ms. Nora Allgaier (Political Affairs Officer, UNODA Geneva) then presented humanitarian disarmament from a conventional weapons perspective, noting also the work carried out with regard to lethal autonomous weapons systems. Ms. Veerle Moyson (Project and Research Coordinator, UNODA Vienna) closed the panel discussion by giving an overview of emerging technologies and their potential implications on peace and security, alongside efforts made by the international community to mitigate those risks.
During the Q&A, the students were keen to learn more about each of the topics presented, as well as the role of youth and the changing role of international organisations in the global security environment. This active engagement continued during a brief career panel, in which the first panel’s presenters, joined by Mr. Eugenio Benincasa (Senior Cyberdefence Researcher, ETH CSS), provided students with early-career advice.
UNODA Vienna and VCDNP would like to thank the FDFA for their financial support making this project and the event possible, and the CSS at ETH Zurich for the excellent cooperation.
