ACONA

The world is facing new global security threats. Great power and regional tensions are on the rise. The post-World War II security architecture is disintegrating. In this crucial moment in history, the Arms Control Negotiation Academy asks the next generation of arms control negotiators to meet the security challenges of our time.

Scholars are gravely concerned over the continuing disintegration of the global arms control architecture, including the recent collapse of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, the U.S. withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty, and the uncertain future of the New START agreement. Now more than ever scientists and civil society  must play a leading role in creating new spaces for open dialogue to overcome this crisis, otherwise we could soon face a world without a single strategic arms control agreement for the first time since the 1960s.

ACONA is a multi-institutional collaboration led by the Negotiation Task Force at Harvard University’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies and hosted by Höfði Reykjavík Peace Centre at the University of Iceland, in collaboration with the Woodrow Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program, the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University and the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt.

The Arms Control Negotiation Academy (ACONA) is a 12-month, high-level professional development program for a competitively selected cohort of rising international security experts and practitioners.The ambitious training curriculum addresses critical historical case studies, technological know-how, and advanced negotiation skills in the realm of arms control. Participants attend three negotiation boot camps, earn a Certificate in Arms Control Negotiation, and become part of the ACONA network of next-generation arms control negotiators.

Over the course of one year, ACONA Fellows acquire advanced negotiation skills and collaborate on international research projects to generate new ideas about the future of arms control.

ACONA Conference Reykjavík 2023

The 2023 ACONA Conference will take place in Reykjavik, Iceland on May 12. The program will be released soon. 

ACONA Conference Reykjavík 2022

The 2022 ACONA Conference took place in Reykjavik, Iceland on May 14. The program featured several panels of senior arms control and diplomacy experts addressing prescient topics in the field. 

Please find the full program and list of speakers here. We will update this page with information about next year's conference. To access a full video recording of the conference, please follow this link.