Nuclear threat tackled by new initiatives

Worldwide efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and eventually eliminate them have been boosted by the launch of a new centre at The Australian National University. The Centre for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (CNND) will be headed by former UN Assistant-Secretary General Professor Ramesh Thakur who will work with a small advisory group led by ANU Chancellor Professor Gareth Evans. The centre has been funded for its first two years of operation by the Australian Government and ANU, with support from the governments of Switzerland and Slovenia. The centre will produce a regular 'state of play' report card on worldwide efforts to minimise the risk of nuclear weapons use, stop their spread and ultimately achieve their complete elimination. The creation of a centre such as CNND was a major recommendation of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament. Professor Evans says the 'state of play' reports CNND will produce will go a long way towards dealing with one of the world's most significant and persistent challenges. 'Reducing the risk of nuclear weapons being used ' by design, miscalculation or accident - is one of the world's most urgent and important policy problems.