By Sofia Dominguez-Trejo | Intern at Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and Reverse The Trend
On 16 October 2025, during the 80th session of the UN General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF) and its Youth Initiative, Reverse The Trend (RTT), in conjunction with the Permanent Missions of Kiribati, Kazakhstan, and Malta, hosted a side event on gender and nuclear weapons. This event examined the relationship between Articles 6 and 7 of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and the gender dimensions of nuclear weapons as well as the importance of gender inclusivity in the field of international peace and security.
Christian N. Ciobanu, Director of Policy and Advocacy of NAPF and TPNW Advisor for Kiribati, moderated the event. Speakers included: Adedeji Ebo; Director and Deputy to the High Representative at the UN Office for Disarmament; Azamat Kairolda; Counsellor of Kazakhstan, Albert Ghigo; Counsellor of Malta; Veronique Christory; Senior Arms Control Advisor for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Delegation to the UN; Julia Roberto; NAPF and RTT youth activist, Kunihiko Shimada; Principal Director for Hiroshima Organization for Global Peace (HOPE), Dr. Ivana Nikolic Hughes; President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and a member of the TPNW Scientific Advisory Group; and Gizem Sucuoglu Special Assistant to the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs and member of the Gender Focal Team at the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA).
At the beginning of the event, Adedeji Ebo emphasized the importance of closing the gender gap between women and men in the field of nuclear policy. Ebo remarked on the importance of having “female perspectives” at the table when making critical policy and research decisions. He also proudly shared that UNODA has reached gender parity.
Following the Director’s remarks, Azamat Kairolda of Kazakhstan recalled the history of over 450 nuclear testing explosions in Kazakhstan and its widespread harms as the source for the country’s proud stance against nuclear weapons today.
Albert Ghigo of Malta then recalled his country’s appointment as the new Gender Focal Point for the TPNW and the importance of inclusive disarmament. Ghigo also recognized the international community’s milestones towards equality and acknowledged the significance of the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security.
Urging young people not to curb their efforts towards a nuclear-free world, Veronique Christory of the ICRC emphasized the importance of youth voices and participation in the effort to influence decision makers. Christory also noted the use of international humanitarian law as one of the most important tools that individuals in the field of disarmament should employ to achieve their goals.
“Why invest in young women?” was the question Julia Roberto, NAPF and RTT youth activist, sought to answer during her remarks. She highlighted women’s positive contributions to society in sectors that would otherwise suffer in their absence. For example, she mentioned that women have been central in documenting harm, advocating for reparations, and transforming suffering into policy action. Investing in women, therefore, is an investment in accountability, inclusion, and sustainable peace. Roberto shared her own personal experience of the Third Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW, where she met with a group of young women from affected communities, including Kiribati. She learned how entire communities, and especially women, continue to live with the physical and emotional consequences of nuclear testing. She also explained that through listening to their stories, she understood that women’s voices carry a vital dimension to disarmament she had not yet recognized—the pursuit of nuclear justice. She further learned that women in affected communities have been central in documenting harm, advocating for reparations, and transforming suffering into policy action. She concluded her statement by underscoring that investing in women, therefore, is an investment in accountability, inclusion, and sustainable peace.
Kunihiko Shimada of HOPE discussed the unique ways in which radiation and fallout from nuclear use and testing impact women and girls. He used anecdotes from Japan’s history to also demonstrate how women are socially affected by nuclear disasters, noting how women were ostracised from Japanese society after the fallout due to the fear of radiation contamination.
Dr. Ivana Nikolic Hughes of NAPF shared research highlighting the ways the usage of nuclear weapons disproportionately impacts women. Though examples of this phenomenon were raised, Dr. Hughes reiterated that because general research on the impacts of nuclear weapons has yet to be concluded, there may be more ways in which nuclear weapons impact women that are at present unknown. Moreover, when women negotiators are in a room where a peace agreement process is underway, the durability of the agreement drastically increases by 35 per cent, she noted.
Gizem Sucuoglu of UNODA drew from her experience in the field of nuclear disarmament, citing her early career, where she recalls the discussion being dominated by only a handful of poorly diverse perspectives. She noted that although international disarmament spaces have become more representative, there continues to be work that can be done to open the space to more equal participation. Sucuoglu concluded her statement by citing research on the disproportionate impacts of radiation on women’s health and the resulting need to improve research in this field.
See below for photos from the event.
