Disarmament in Review
The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) kicked off an online “Disarmament4Educators” training course on 8 March, bringing together academic professors and educators from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines and Sri Lanka to participate in eight weeks of online training sessions on disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control.
The aim of the Disarmament4Educators project is to strengthen education on disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control across the Asia-Pacific region. The educational materials also address cross-cutting issues such as gender, youth and development.
The Disarmament4Educators online training course is designed to build capacity and promote dialogue among educators in South and Southeast Asia on topics related to disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control.
Under the first phase of the project, UNODA published and promoted a suite of disarmament education materials. Next, education professionals from across South and Southeast Asia engaged in discussions with experts as part of the project’s online Roundtable Series. In the final eight-week course, educators were expected to build on the knowledge and skills they obtained earlier, including through self-paced online training.
The training course is hosted on the revamped “Disarmament Education Dashboard”, where participants can learn and exchange ideas about a wide range of topics related to disarmament.
The educators had the opportunity to take part in eight thematic substantive sessions, receiving educational materials that they could use to develop and implement sustainable disarmament and non-proliferation education academic programmes at their respective educational centres and universities. To foster connections and further promote relevant dialogue, including on professional experiences and regional perspectives, the participating educators contributed to a virtual forum moderated by Mr. Valère Mantels, Chief of UNODA’s Vienna Office. The project was expected to conclude with a live webinar.
The project was made possible by generous donations from the Republic of Korea and the Buddhist organization Rissho Kosei-kai.
For more information about Disarmament4Educators and other disarmament learning resources, visit the revamped Disarmament Education Dashboard at www.disarmamenteducation.org
