Selected by the Young Diplomats of Canada in February to represent Canada as a young delegate, recent York political science grad Alykhan Visram (MA ’13) attended the Nuclear Knowledge Summit in Amsterdam March 21 and 22.
The main objective of the summit, which runs in conjunction with the Nuclear Security Summit, is to encourage cooperation and information sharing among academics, politicians and policymakers on issues of nuclear strategy. As such, the summit also discussed the issue of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons globally.
Alykhan Visram (second from right)
The summit was a platform for dialogue among the 250 attendees from around the world, including the United States, Canada, Russia, the Netherlands, England, India and Pakistan. It heard from experts from every corner of the globe – the US, the Middle East, Asia and Europe.
As a member of the Canadian delegation, Visram had the opportunity to meet with the European and Dutch delegations to present and explain his interpretation of Canada’s stance on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons based on its traditional foreign policy standing of peace and cooperation.
From left, James Lambert, ambassador of Canada to the Netherlands, and Alykhan Visram
The Canadian delegation also had the opportunity to travel to the Canadian Embassy in The Hague and meet with the current ambassador to the Netherlands, James Lambert. This encounter gave the team an in-depth look at Canadian perspectives on current nuclear security issues, contemporary Canadian-Dutch relations, with a view to the future.
Visram is currently working for the province of Ontario modernizing the disability support strategy in the Ontario Public Service. He thanks Professor Ananya Mukherjee-Reed, chair of York’s Department of Political Science, for her support and encouragement.