On February 24, Dr. Ivana Nikolić Hughes, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, spoke at the webinar “Pace Disarmata e Disarmante:
Religione e Conversione Armi Nucleari in Energia di Sviluppo” (Disarmed and Disarming Peace: Religion and the Conversion of Nuclear Weapons into Energy for Development).
The seminar brought together religious leaders, nuclear experts, and civil society representatives at the Assisi Roundtable for Nuclear Peace. Organizers emphasized the urgency of renewed commitment to Article VI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the spirit of the New START Treaty, calling for cooperation rather than competition in addressing global nuclear risks.
Dr. Hughes participated in the afternoon dialogue session on the resumption of nuclear disarmament and the conversion of nuclear weapons into peaceful energy. The program highlighted the continued existence of approximately 13,000 nuclear weapons worldwide and underscored the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of their potential use.
A central theme of the seminar was the concept of “nuclear conversion,” including reference to the U.S.–Russian “Megatons to Megawatts” program, which transformed weapons-grade material into reactor fuel. Speakers examined how renewed dialogue, technological progress in civilian nuclear energy, and sustained public engagement could contribute to verifiable reductions in nuclear arsenals.
For the seminar program, please see HERE.
