On 1 August 2023, UNU will host “Leadership and Agency in Nuclear Disarmament: Lessons Learned from the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons”, a conversation with Ambassador Elayne Whyte, Professor of Practice at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and former Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations. This event starts at 18:30 in the 2F Reception Hall at UNU Headquarters in Tokyo.
The international system is often viewed through a narrow lens focusing on hard power dynamics. However, this often overlooks the significance of existing normative frameworks in maintaining global peace and security, and the important role played by middle powers and small nations in upholding that peace and security.
Ambassador Whyte will join UNU Rector Tshilidzi Marwala for a conversation exploring the lessons learned from the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. What are the dynamics of a multiplex world when creating a new international system? What is the role of middle nations and smaller powers in shaping this system? What future is there for global peace and security given our present-day crises?
The UNU Conversation Series aims to foster audience participation; you are encouraged to engage with the speakers during the conversation and at the reception that will follow, where all event attendees are invited to enjoy hors d’oeuvres and drinks while exchanging ideas and making new contacts.
Please note that this event will be in English. Advance registration (by 31 July) is required. Please click on the REGISTER button above to access the online registration page.
Please also note that entry into the venue will not be allowed after 18:45. Additionally, please be prepared to present identification at check-in.
About the speaker
Elayne G. Whyte is a diplomat and academic from Costa Rica. She served as the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica from 2000 to 2002, becoming the first and woman to hold this position, as well as the first person of African descent. From 2014 to 2020, she held the role of Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva.
In 2017, Elayne G. Whyte served as the President of the United Nations Conference that negotiated and adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Her leadership has extended to several global negotiation processes in the areas of human rights and global health. Elayne G. Whyte has also made significant contributions to academia. She served as an Adjunct Professor at the United Nations-mandated University for Peace, and she was a Fellow at Harvard University. Currently, she holds the position of Professor of Practice at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC.
