Sixty years after convening its first meeting, Pugwash held its 62nd conference in Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan, from August 25-29, 2017. While IDN-INPS Editor-in-Chief and Director-General explains the significance of this landmark international gathering hosted by Kazakhstan, the video captures important milestones of the opening day with a film explaining the history of the nuclear age until today and one speaker after another stressing the compelling need for undertaking every effort to usher in a world free of nuclear weapons.

Recorded are the remarks, among others, of Former UN Under-Secertary-General Pugwash President Jayantha Dhanapala, Kazakh Parliament Senate Chairman Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu. CTBTO Executive Secretary Lassina Zerbo, Jennifer Allen Simons, President of The Simons Foundation Canada; Former UN Under-Secretary-General Sergio Duarte; Ambassador Elaine Whyte Gómez of Costa Rica, President of the UN Conference to negotiate a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading to their total elimination, and Christine Muttonen of Austria, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

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Pugwash conference on the 1st day held at Palace of Peace and Reconciliation
Disarmament Talk with CTBTO Executive Secretary Dr. Lassina Zerbo
Disarmament Talk with Alyn Ware, PNND Founder and Coordinator