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  • HMS Vanguard at Faslane naval base

    British Pugwash

    We use the best scientific expertise, including from Pugwash’s international network, to inform the government and the public about issues relating to weapons of mass destruction – especially nuclear weapons – issues of war and peace, the environment and the social responsibility of scientists.

  • RAF Reaper at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan

    British Pugwash

    We use the best scientific expertise, including from Pugwash’s international network, to inform the government and the public about issues relating to weapons of mass destruction – especially nuclear weapons – issues of war and peace, the environment and the social responsibility of scientists.

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Our Patrons

We are proud to have the support of six Patrons, all of whom are eminent figures from the worlds of science and academia.

Our Patrons are:
• Lord Martin Rees OM FRS
• Sir Colin Blakemore FMedSci FRS
• Dame Athene Donald DBE FRS
• Sir Timothy Gowers FRS
• Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith FRS
• General Sir Nick Parker KCB CBE
• Sir Hew Strachan DL FRSE FRHistS FBA

Our Activities

Our activities include studies of science and policy issues, regular public discussion and education meetings, and engagement with politicians and government officials.

Our publications include in-depth scientific and policy research, as well as newsletters, our Annual Reports and reports from conferences and events.

Our youth wing, SYP UK, is also extremely active and publishes updates on news and events here

Our Projects

Current projects include research on the ethics of armed robotic systems, the potential impact of emerging technologies on nuclear weapon systems, the climate-nuclear nexus and continued work on future energy options for the UK.

Recent projects include the WMD Awareness public education campaign and efforts to establish a British Disarmament Institute.

Membership

The British Pugwash Group is a membership organisation that brings together scientists and others concerned with international affairs and disarmament.

We are led by our Executive Committee and receive the support of six Patrons.

Latest publications, events and news
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isyp fun

SYP UK Annual Meeting & Strategy Day – 2nd May

Published on 10th March 2020 in Events, Forthcoming events, Student Young Pugwash Upcoming Events

On afternoon of May 2, Student Young Pugwash (SYP) UK will
be hosting an Annual Meeting and Strategy Day in London.

We will be discussing our work for the coming year,
including:

  • A conference on ethical science
  • Media training events for SYP UK members
  • Next year’s SYP UK Annual Conference
  • Partnerships with other NGOs, campaigns and
    concerned scientists

Please RSVP to syp@britishpugwash.org…

Lord Martin Rees

British Pugwash welcomes new Patrons from science and academia

Published on 14th January 2020 in Uncategorised

The British Pugwash Group is delighted to announce the appointment of six Patrons, all of whom are leading figures from the worlds of science or academia.

Our Patrons are public supporters and advocates for the work of British Pugwash, which seeks to apply independent, scientifically-informed analysis to some of the most challenging issues in international security, arms control and environmental sustainability.…

Help a Young Pugwashite get to Doha 2020!

Published on 2nd December 2019 in Uncategorised

Student/Young Pugwash (SYP) UK is raising money to support one of its members to represent SYP UK at the next International SYP Conference, in Doha (Qatar) in early 2020.

The 11th International SYP Conference (here) will bring together young scholars and professionals from around the word to discuss their ideas for the future of disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation. …

ISODARCO 2019

Arms Control Winter Course, Italy – International School on Disarmament and Research on Conflicts (ISODARCO) – Jan 2020

Published on 11th September 2019 in Events, Forthcoming events, Student Young Pugwash Upcoming Events

Details have now been released of the fantastic ISODARCO Winter Course, organised by Italian Pugwash.

Full details and registration is online here: www.isodarco.it

———

59th Winter Course of the International School on Disarmament and Research on Conflicts (ISODARCO)

Subject: Emerging Technologies, Evolving Nuclear Postures, and Deteriorating Norms: is the Global Nuclear Order Eroding?…

Pugwash news in June: Iran visit, Prof Finney on killer robots, President on NPT

Published on 17th July 2019 in Current projects – feed, Newsletters, Publications, Recently published

Item 1: Iran visit – International Pugwash visited Tehran (Iran) for a two-day meeting to discuss the JCPOA (the ‘Iran Deal’) – Meeting notes and photos here

Item 2: Killer robots – Professor John Finney, of the British Pugwash Trust, has written for Responsible Science about the risks of ‘killer robots’ and the UN’s COMEST Commissions work on the issue – here

Item 3: NPT update – International Pugwash President Sergio Duarte published a commentary about the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty – here…

Pugwash at APPG on drones: ‘Drones, swarming and the future of warfare’

Published on 12th July 2019 in British Pugwash projects, Current projects – feed, Emerging Technologies and the Impact on Anti-Submarine Warfare, Events, Forthcoming events, Recent events, Remote Control Weaponry

Our Executive Committee member, Sebastian Brixey-Williams, spoke about some of his recent research on marine drones to a meeting organised by three different All Party Parliamentary Groups.

The presentation touched on some of his Pugwash-funded research on how trends in unmanned underwater vehicles might impact submarine-based nuclear weapons systems.…

Video: Student Pugwash at UK PONI Conference on British nuclear policy!

Published on 26th June 2019 in Events, Student Young Pugwash Past Events, Student Young Pugwash Upcoming Events

Jana Wattenberg, the Student/Young Pugwash representative at Aberystwyth University, spoke at this year’s UK PONI Conference, the premier national forum for emerging experts in the nuclear policy community.

Her talk, on ‘The UK and the Ban Treaty’ was included in Session One on ‘UK Nuclear Policy and Practice’ (programme here)

Video below – Starts at 18:00 mins

…

pugwash banner

Student/Young Pugwash UK – Strategy Day!

Published on 8th April 2019 in Current projects – feed, Events, Forthcoming events, Student Young Pugwash Past Events, Student Young Pugwash Upcoming Events

Student/Young Pugwash (SYP) UK brings together students, researchers, practitioners and campaigners interested in international security and the interface between politics and science. We are a part of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, which uses the best social and natural science expertise to inform governments and the public about issues relating to Weapons of Mass Destruction – especially nuclear weapons – issues of war and peace, the environment and the social responsibility of scientists.…

British Pugwash Newsletter March 2019

Published on 27th March 2019 in Current projects – feed, Newsletters, Recently published

Topics covered in the British Pugwash Spring 2019 Newsletter include:

  • Delegation to Moscow to discuss arms control
  • Hypersonic missiles and strategic stability – new research
  • British Pugwash Annual General Meeting + Public Lecture
  • Student/Young Pugwash UK – Conference Report
  • Rotblat Memorial Lecture – A review
  • ‘Capturing Technology.

…

British Pugwash at ‘Capturing Technology. Rethinking Arms Control’ in Germany

Published on 20th March 2019 in British Pugwash projects, Events, Publications, Recent events, Recently published

On 15th March 2019, a conference was held at the German Federal Foreign Office titled ‘Capturing Technology. Rethinking Arms Control’.

The aim of the Conference was to promote a well-informed international dialogue on the nature and implications of the current technological trends and to discuss whether new solutions are needed to ensure that the global arms control architecture can effectively capture new technologies.…

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Pugwash Peace & Disarmament Conference 2019 – multimedia report!

Published on 11th March 2019 in British Pugwash projects, Events, Recent events, Recently published, Student Young Pugwash Past Events, Student Young Pugwash Upcoming Events

Student / Young Pugwash UK held its fourth Annual Conference in February 2019, titled ‘Pugwash Peace & Disarmament Conference‘. It explored the prospects for arms control and disarmament over the coming years, with focuses on nuclear weapons and emerging technologies.…

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Student Pugwashites attended arms control winter course in Italy (ISODARCO 2019)

Published on 23rd January 2019 in Current projects – feed, Recent events, Student Young Pugwash Past Events

Three members of Student/Young Pugwash UK attended the prestigious International School on Disarmament and Research on Conflicts (ISODARCO), held in Trento, Italy from 6th to 13th January 2019.

ISODARCO is an annual, intensive course for scholars and practitioners, featuring high-profile lecturers from around the world.…

Warwick meeting: 24/01/19 – ‘The Death of the Iran Deal and Nuclear Instability’

Published on 14th January 2019 in British Pugwash projects, Events, Recent events, Student Young Pugwash Past Events, Student Young Pugwash Upcoming Events

Blurb by Warwick Student/Young Pugwash:

A nuclear storm gathers over the Middle East.

Reckless American foreign policy has almost certainly doomed the Iran Nuclear Deal, the only instrument standing between Iran and the acquisition of the deadliest device to have ever existed.…

Become a member of British Pugwash Group

Published on 23rd October 2018 in Current projects – feed

British Pugwash (BP) is a membership organisation for scientists, social scientists, practitioners and others interested in peace, disarmament and other issues with scientific or technical aspects. Benefits of membership include:

  • Invitations throughout the year to events on cutting-edge issues
  • A regular newsletter
  • Opportunities to network with and instigate research projects with other members, including in our international Pugwash community
  • Free admission to SYP UK conferences

For background on BP activity, read:

British Pugwash Annual Report 2017

The fee for senior members of British Pugwash is £25 per year but this has been reduced to £5 per year for people under 30 years old.…