UN Under-Secretary-General Izumi Nakamitsu Visits SIIS

2024/09/11

On September 6, 2024, Dr. Li Kaisheng, Vice President of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS), met with Izumi Nakamitsu, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, during her visit to SIIS. She was accompanied by Mr. Deepayan Basu Ray, Director of the UN Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific.

 

Dr. Li Kaisheng extended a warm welcome to Under-Secretary-General Nakamitsu and her delegation. He emphasized that advancing disarmament and arms control objectives contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. He highlighted that China’s Global Security Initiative is committed to fostering a new security approach based on dialogue over confrontation, partnership without alliance, and win-win cooperation instead of zero-sum games. He stressed that think tanks should strengthen communication and cooperation with international organizations to build a foundation for peace and create a prosperous future together.

 

In her keynote speech, Ms. Nakamitsu noted that nuclear weapons continue to pose a major threat to humanity, and the rising geopolitical tensions have exacerbated nuclear risks. She also pointed out that the rapid development of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies presents increasingly severe challenges to existing legal systems, humanitarian and moral norms, non-proliferation mechanisms, international stability, and peace and security. She underscored that the UN highly appreciates China's valuable contributions to addressing global security challenges and acknowledges China's indispensable role in tackling a wide range of security issues.

 

The meeting featured thematic presentations by experts including Dr. Xia Liping, Professor from School of Political Science & International Relations, Tongji University; Dr. Jiang Tianjiao, Associate Professor of the Development Institute, Fudan University; Dr. Zhao Long, Deputy Director of the Institute for Global Governance at SIIS; Mao Ruipeng, Secretary-General of the Center for Studies on Theories and Practices of Major-country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics at SIIS; and Dr. Feng Shuai, Assistant Director of the Institute for International Strategic and Security Studies at SIIS. Several young researchers from SIIS also attended the meeting and participated in the discussions.