The "Advancing Disarmament in a New Age of Insecurity" workshop was held in Vancouver on April 11-12, 2025 and brought together scholars and activists from around the world to address the growing dangers of nuclear escalation and make the case for active disarmament as a response—not through increased militarization, but by building arguments and strategies for peace. It focused on the role of higher education institutions in advancing disarmament education and exploring effective ways to advocate for change.  

Prepared for The Simons Foundation Canada by Paul Meyer, Adjunct Professor of International Studies and Fellow in International Security at Simon Fraser University and Alireza Mamdouhi, Ph.D. candidate at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University.
January 2024

The Simons Foundation Canada and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) co-convened the "Parliamentarians for the TPNW" Conference at the United Nations in New York during the Third Meeting of the States Parties to the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Parliamentarians from around the world gathered in New York alongside states parties, civil society representatives, and experts for a dedicated conference and reaffirmed the crucial role of legislators in advancing the treaty’s objectives and strengthening international efforts toward nuclear disarmament.

The Simons Chair in Peace, Disarmament and Human Security at Simon Fraser University's School for International Studies (formerly the Simons Chair in International Law and Human Security), endowed by The Simons Foundation Canada, focuses on research and teaching through the promotion of, and the relationships between, disarmament, demilitarization, peace, human rights and human security.

The Simons Foundation Award for Distinguished Global Leadership in the Service of Peace and Disarmament was presented to Ambassador Alexander Kmentt on November 29, 2021 for his role as an architect and engineer of both the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons which “dramatically reshaped diplomatic discussions on nuclear disarmament” and the subsequent Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). He has demonstrated that he is a true Shaper of a safer world, that he is committed to save humanity from one of the most critical dangers we face.
The 2018 Conference and Forum on "Repairing the U.S.-NATO-Russia Relationship and Reducing the Risks of the Use of Nuclear Weapons" was convened by The Simons Foundation Canada and Simon Fraser University’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, under the auspices of the Simons Distinguished Visiting Fellow in International Law and Human Security at Simon Fraser University, in September 2018.

In 2014, The Simons Foundation Canada combined endowments previously established to support the Simons Directorship in Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Research, the Simons Professorship in Peace and Disarmament, and the Simons Professorship in Human Security to create the new Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security at The University of British Columbia's School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. 

The Simons Forum on the Responsibility to Protect: Re-Energizing the Key Players was convened by The Simons Foundation under the auspices of the Simons Visiting Chair in International Law and Human Security at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, 22-24 March 2017.

Prepared by Ernie Regehr, O.C., Senior Fellow in Defence Policy and Arctic Security, The Simons Foundation and Michelle Jackett, M.A.

Updated: June 2016

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Occasional briefing papers focussing on military policies and practices in the Arctic region by Ernie Regehr, O.C., Senior Fellow in Arctic Security and Defence at The Simons Foundation.