Give peace a chance

I’m sitting around a table with numerous Ambassadors discussing nuclear security.

But we’re not at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).  We’re at the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP).

And instead of sitting in one of the huge semi-circular conference chambers of the Vienna International Centre, we’re on the thirteenth floor of the interestingly-named Andromeda Tower – a modern office building.

One of the things that has struck me about starting work in Vienna has been the many highly regarded NGOs which are engaged on issues around peace and security. A few days after the VCDNP event I attended the “International Day of Peace”, this time in the Vienna International Centre, organised by the Universal Peace Federation and the Academic Council on the United Nations System.  I was there to welcome Hazel Richardson, a witness of the Second World War who lived through the bombing of London.  She was one of several witnesses to conflict who gave testimony to highlight the horrors of war.

Multilateral diplomacy is not famous for producing quick results. But it is the best method anyone has yet developed to make the world a safer place – including preventing military conflict.  The IAEA, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) and other Vienna-based organisations are an important part of the international infrastructure set up to maximise international peace and stability.

I look forward to continuing the UK’s efforts to contribute to that process over the months and years ahead.