Yogyakarta, 10 May 2019–Several days ago, Indonesia was proud to serve as the President of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting. This meeting, which took place in New York, was led by Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, and batik was the dress code of this meeting.
Next to the room where the UNSC meeting was taking place, another meeting was held to prepare a draft recommendation the 2020 Review Conference concerning the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Yunizar Adiputera, a lecturer from the Department of International Relations, was one of the representatives that participated in this conference that was held from the 29th of April until the 10th of May 2019.
Yunizar attended this meeting as a representative of the Institute of International Studies (IIS), a partner of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). ICAN is a civil society organization that advocates the implementation of the NPT. He stated that the civil society plays a major role in achieving a nuclear weapon-free world. The civil society can provide expertise through the presence of experts that can share their expertise to state governments. Yunizar is a regional coordinator that conducts lobbies to state government in Southeast Asia and South Asia.
Advocating peace is not solely the exclusive agenda of government officials, academicians or major institutions. The involvement of the civil society in general is important in achieving world peace. Individuals, such as students, can contribute to this agenda through their own means, such as by raising awareness through social media.
