On 6 November 2025, the second cohort of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs’ Youth Leader Fund for a World without Nuclear Weapons (YLF) gathered to celebrate the completion of their online training. Through the programme, funded by the Government of Japan, 100 selected participants from 62 countries learned about nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, UN disarmament machinery, and the unique impacts of nuclear weapons on diverse populations - building leadership skills to advance disarmament efforts.
During the closing event, participants heard from senior UNODA officials. The High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, opened the event with a video message congratulating the cohort for this achievement. “These experiences will enable you to connect your learning with real-world perspectives, and to further develop leadership and creative skills that will serve you well in the years ahead. The world needs your ideas, your compassion, and your leadership”.
The online training consisted of three self-paced modules, live webinars with experts, skills-building workshops including sessions on journalism and storytelling, and regional affinity groups. Participants also had the opportunity to connect through an online forum called the YLF Connect, a unique space developed by UNODA to chat freely about topics related to the programme and beyond.
This cohort, which was selected from a record 8,400 applications, demonstrated true commitment to the programme: together, the participants completed 87.6% of the modules, posted over 2,700 comments on the forum, and spent over 1,400 hours exploring the contents on the platform. “Your dedication is truly commendable; you have demonstrated the values of collaboration, respect and shared purpose – principles that lie at the heart of the United Nation’s work”, Ms. Nakamitsu noted in her video message.
During the event, participants reflected on their key takeaways from the programme, highlighting its emphasis on media and storytelling as a useful tool to rethink nuclear disarmament through human-centered and inclusive approaches. Ana Salgado, a participant from Mexico, shared that her biggest take-away from this programme is “the urgent need to make nuclear disarmament more accessible in terms of language, in terms of knowledge. We still have a long way to go, and we have a lot of challenges ahead. But I'm sure that thanks to the networking and friendships that we've made, we're going to achieve that”.
New for this cohort was also the creation of informal regional affinity groups, where participants discussed region-specific challenges in sessions led by UNODA’s regional centers and offices away from the HQ. “Nuclear disarmament is a huge issue that normal people seem removed from… Luckily, the YLF brought us a sense of empowerment and purpose - because when you bring us together, you bring 100 of the world’s best young leaders together, and you give them the ability to change things”, remarked participant Gabrielle Dwane Daquioag, from Philippines. Participant Behrooz Kiany from Iran summed up the hopes and dreams of the cohort: “I believe that someday in the future, we can tell our grandchildren that we were the ones who made nuclear disarmament the truth”.
Looking ahead
UNODA Director and Deputy to the High Representative Adedeji Ebo reminded participants that this milestone is just a starting point. “Remember that this final get-together is hardly the end. In fact, we see it more as a beginning: the beginning of a community you’ve built through YLF Connect and the channels you’ve created”.
Participants were also informed on other opportunities as part of the YLF, including the mentorship programme, a peer-to-peer connection with alumni from the YLF as well as other #Youth4Disarmament initiatives to advance their nuclear disarmament projects. The YLF Connect forum will also remain available beyond the online training as a channel to network with fellow participants.
The closing event also marked the beginning of the preparations for the five-day study visit to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, where 50 selected participants will exchange with Hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) to learn about the historical lessons of the atomic bombings, and organize a youth event with local and international students. “The ideas, the inspiration that we bring, are so incremental and so important. It's not like we're going to change the world overnight. We’re doing it slowly but surely. I think this cohort is definitely doing something tangible that will contribute to the overall agenda of disarmament”, remarked participant Kuda Chitapi, from Zimbabwe.
About the YLF
The Youth Leader Fund (YLF) is an innovative learning programme funded by the Government of Japan and managed by the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) aimed at equipping the leaders of the future with the knowledge, skills, and network to join global efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons The programme runs from 2023 to 2030 across four phases of two years each, consisting of an online component, fully-funded study tour, collaborative creation of impactful activities, and a mentorship programme.
To learn more about the YLF, visit: disarmamenteducation.org/ylf
