Centre for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, Australian National University
The Centre for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (CNND) at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University’s College of Asia & the Pacific, contributes to worldwide efforts to minimise the risk of nuclear weapons use, stop their spread and ultimately achieve their complete elimination.
The launch of CNND in May 2011 was a response to a major recommendation of the final report of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament.
The Centre undertakes research and, in March 2013, published its inaugural ‘state of play’ report on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. The report (Nuclear Weapons: The State of Play) describes the progress – or lack of it – on the commitments and recommendations of the 2010 NPT Review Conference, the 2010 and 2012 Nuclear Security Summits, and the ICNND report itself as at December 2012. The report, and its proposed successor reports, are intended to provide an informative and authoritative advocacy tool for governments, organizations and individuals committed to a safer and saner nuclear-weapon-free world.
The Centre is headed by former UN Assistant-Secretary General, Professor Ramesh Thakur, who works with an advisory group led by ANU Chancellor Professor Gareth Evans.
The Centre is funded by the Australian Government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the ANU, with financial support also from the government of Switzerland and The Simons Foundation. It works in partnership with the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
The Centre also functions as the Secretariat for the Asia Pacific Leadership Network for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (APLN), which brings together more than thirty former political, diplomatic and military leaders from fourteen Asia-Pacific countries, including five former prime ministers and ten former foreign and defence ministers. The APLN’s objective is to inform and energize public opinion to take seriously the very real threats posed by nuclear weapons, and do everything possible to achieve a world in which they are contained, diminished and ultimately eliminated. APLN is supported by funding from the Washington-based Nuclear Threat Initiative.
Jennifer Allen Simons, C.M., Ph.D., LL.D., Founder and President of The Simons Foundation, is a member of the International Advisory Board of the Centre for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament. The Hon. Gareth Evans, A.C., Q.C., is the Board's Chair and Chancellor of the Australian National University, and one of The Simons Foundation's Peace Leaders.