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The fourth edition of the Annual Disarmament and International Security Fellowship Programme was organised by the Ministry of External Affairs, to make young diplomats aware of contemporary disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control.
The programme was organised at the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service January 22 to February 9. The three-week fellowship programme featured talks, presentations and simulation exercises by leading experts on a range of subjects, such as the global security environment, weapons of mass destruction, certain conventional weapons, space security, security of cyberspace, export controls, and emerging technologies, the MEA said in the release. It included field visits to the facilities of the Department of Atomic Energy of India and Indian Space Research Organization so that fellows could have exposure to India's civil nuclear and civil space programmes. The participants also visited other institutions such as Election Commission of India, National Institute of Solar Energy, the International Solar Alliance Secretariat, and Information Fusion Centre - Indian Ocean Region. According to the MEA, the fellowship programme aims at equipping participants with knowledge and perspectives on issues related to contemporary disarmament, non-proliferation, arms control and international security affairs, and familiarizing them with India and aspects of India's foreign policy. It also fulfils the mandate of UN General Assembly resolution "United Nations study on disarmament and non-proliferation education". Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra addressed the young diplomats from 24 countries from across the world who participated in the fellowship programme at the valedictory ceremony held on Friday. UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu delivered inaugural remarks via a recorded video message during inauguration ceremony on January 22. On February 5, the participants called on External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, the statement added. Meanwhile, the first, second and third editions of the programme were held in January 2019, 2020 and 2023 respectively. (ANI)
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