CNS Newly Opened Vienna Center Gets Executive Director, Hosts Meetings on Nuclear Security

21 April 2011 • 
Event
April has been an eventful first month for the newly opened Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, including appointment of a new executive director.
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CNS Director Dr. William Potter and VCDNP Executive Director Elena Sokova
CNS Director Dr. William Potter and VCDNP Executive Director Elena Sokova
CNS Director Dr. William Potter and VCDNP Executive Director Elena Sokova

Elena Sokova Appointed VCDNP Executive Director

CNS is pleased to announce the appointment of Elena K. Sokova to the position of Executive Director of the new Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP). She will move to Vienna in mid-May to take up her post.

Sokova joined CNS in 2000 and held a number of research and senior management positions, including most recently CNS Assistant Director.

She is a graduate of Moscow State University's Law School and earned a master's degree from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Sokova is an expert on nuclear security issues, nuclear energy and nonproliferation, illicit trafficking, and nonproliferation education and training.

She is the author and co-author of numerous book chapters and articles on these issues, and has participated in and organized many international conferences, seminars, and training programs on WMD nonproliferation and security.


VCDNP Offices and Facilities

VCDNP office hallway

The new VCDNP offices are located in the Andromeda Tower next to the Vienna International Center, which houses many international organizations including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO).

Within a week of opening its doors in early April, the Center hosted a group of about 20 experts for discussions on potential options the international community could take in moving forward efforts aimed at strengthening nuclear security.

This meeting was held in the VCDNP's new conference room, a facility that will be regularly used for seminars and training programs, and will help the Center fulfill its mission of serving as an international hub for discussing the major challenges facing disarmament and nonproliferation.


"Next Generation Nuclear Security: Measuring Progress and Charting the Way Forward"

The small group meeting on nuclear security at the Center was followed by a larger event at the Japanese Mission in Vienna on April 13, 2011. This conference, entitled "Next Generation Nuclear Security: Measuring Progress and Charting the Way Forward," was organized by the VCDNP and the Fissile Materials Working Group.

Over 100 experts and government officials participated in this event, which was held on the first anniversary of the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C..

The April 13 event reviewed the progress made by countries on their commitments from the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit, Eurasian regional nuclear security efforts, status of international education and training in nuclear security, and the role the IAEA is playing in advancing nuclear security. The event also looked ahead to the next Nuclear Security Summit scheduled for 2012 in South Korea.

The discussions at the conference provided numerous ideas and recommendations for moving the nuclear security agenda forward, ensuring sustainable implementation of national commitments made at the 2010 Summit, and setting goals for the 2012 Summit and beyond.


More Photos

A number of Aspen Institute Congressional Program participants visited the VCDNP on April 27, 2011
A number of Aspen Institute Congressional Program participants visited the VCDNP on April 27, 2011
VCDNP conference room, April 21, 2011
VCDNP conference room, April 21, 2011
CNS Director Dr. William Potter, VCDNP Executive Director Elena Sokova, and Carl Robichaud, Carnegie Corporation of New York, April 21, 2011
CNS Director Dr. William Potter, VCDNP Executive Director Elena Sokova, and Carl Robichaud, Carnegie Corporation of New York, April 21, 2011
Dr. William Potter, April 21, 2011
Dr. William Potter, April 21, 2011
Ken Luongo, Amb. Tsutomu Osawa, and Elena Sokova at the opening of the "Next Generation Nuclear Security: Measuring Progress and Charting the Way Forward" conference, April 21, 2011
Ken Luongo, Amb. Tsutomu Osawa, and Elena Sokova at the opening of the "Next Generation Nuclear Security: Measuring Progress and Charting the Way Forward" conference, April 21, 2011
Wyn Bowen (King's College), Dr. William Potter, Yusuke Naoki (JAEA), and Roger Howseley (WINS) discussing the role of nuclear security and nonproliferation education and training
Wyn Bowen (King's College), Dr. William Potter, Yusuke Naoki (JAEA), and Roger Howseley (WINS) discussing the role of nuclear security and nonproliferation education and training

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