What does it mean to make the world a safer place?
For many, security is often measured through military capability, deterrence, and armament. Yet for many communities affected by conflict and nuclear testing, security is understood differently: the ability to live without fear, to build futures without the threat of mass destruction, and to exist without the shadow of nuclear weapons.
This question sat at the centre of the “Envisioning a World Free from Nuclear Weapons” Youth Arts Exhibition, presented at United Nations Headquarters during the Eleventh Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
The exhibition was organized by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs’ (UNODA), Asia-Pacific Regional Centre (UNRCPD), together with the Governments of Thailand and Kiribati. The exhibition was implemented as part of the Youth Leader Fund for a World without Nuclear Weapons, generously funded by the Government of Japan. It was held from 27 April to 8 May 2026 at UN Headquarters in New York. The exhibition brought youth perspectives on nuclear disarmament into one of the world’s principal multilateral forums on non-proliferation and disarmament.
A visitor at the “Envisioning a World Free from Nuclear Weapons” Youth Arts Exhibition.
The exhibition featured 22 artworks exploring youth perspectives on nuclear weapons, and their legacy, peace, and security. These included 17 winning artworks from the Youth Multimedia Arts Competition organized in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (Bangkok Treaty), as well as curated artworks from Kiribati and a selected work by Japanese artist Kei Ito.
The exhibition grew out of the Youth Leader Fund’s Youth Multimedia Arts Competition, held from October to November 2025. The competition invited young people across Southeast Asia to express, through photography, traditional art, digital art, and short film/animation, what a world free from nuclear weapons means to them.
Hundreds of submissions were received from the ASEAN region, reflecting diverse regional perspectives on peace and disarmament. The winning artworks were first recognized and exhibited in Bangkok in December 2025 during the regional commemoration of the Bangkok Treaty’s 30th anniversary, before later being showcased at United Nations Headquarters during the NPT Review Conference.
Art has long accompanied humanity’s reflections on war, peace, and collective memory. From anti-war murals to documentary photography capturing the impacts of nuclear testing in the Pacific, creative expression has often done what formal diplomacy struggles to: it makes the distant immediate, and the political personal.
Displayed within the context of the Review Conference, the artworks offered delegates and visitors a rare counterpoint to the technical deliberations of the conference floor — a glimpse, through visual storytelling and creative interpretation, into how young people envision peace, security, and a world free from nuclear weapons.
An opening reception held on 29 April 2026 brought together diplomats, delegates, UN officials, youth representatives and partners participating in the Review Conference.
Opening remarks were delivered by Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs; H.E. Mr. Cherdchai Chaivaivid, Permanent Representative of Thailand to the United Nations; Ms. Josephine Moote, Chargé d’affaires of the Permanent Mission of Kiribati to the United Nations; and H.E. Mr. Do Hung Viet, Permanent Representative of Viet Nam to the United Nations and President of the 11th Review Conference.
Pictured clockwise: H.E. Mr. Cherdchai Chaivaivid, Ms. Josephine Moote, Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, and H.E. Mr. Do Hung Viet during the exhibition opening reception.
Speakers reflected on the importance of maintaining attention on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons and the value of engaging younger generations in disarmament discussions.
Ms. Moote, Chargé d’affaires of the Permanent Mission of Kiribati to the United Nations, highlighted the significance of the artworks from Kiribati and the Pacific experience of nuclear testing. She also drew attention to Kei Ito’s work and its connection to the legacy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki through Ito’s grandmother, who is Hibakusha — the Japanese term for survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings. These curated artworks highlighted the continuing and intergenerational impacts of nuclear weapons and nuclear testing on affected communities.
Muhammad Faid Arsyad delivering his speech at the opening reception.
Youth artist Muhammad Faid Arsyad from Brunei Darussalam, a finalist in the AI art category, also addressed participants during the reception. Reflecting on the role of young people in disarmament spaces, he stated: “Many of us aren’t in the rooms where formal negotiations happen. But we are here. Our art is here. And I want every official in this building to know: the youth have a voice, and we deserve to have a say in shaping the world we will live in.”
His remarks captured one of the central messages of the exhibition: that nuclear disarmament is not only a technical or political issue, but a deeply human one that will shape the futures younger generations inherit.
Artworks on display at the “Envisioning a World Free from Nuclear Weapons” Youth Arts Exhibition.
The stakes of these conversations were also reflected in the remarks of H.E. Mr. Do Hung Viet, who underscored the responsibility of States Parties to ensure that the world continues to uphold the past 80 years without the use of nuclear weapons.
The exhibition was also designed to extend beyond its physical space. Postcards featuring selected artworks were distributed to delegates, diplomats, and visitors, while an interactive activity invited participants to share their reflections on the question: “What does a world free from nuclear weapons mean to you?”
In offering these works of art as something to be carried rather than merely viewed, the initiative helped extend youth perspectives beyond the exhibition space and into the wider conversations taking place throughout the Review Conference.
Visitors at the “Envisioning a World Free from Nuclear Weapons” Youth Arts Exhibition.
The momentum generated by initiatives such as the YLF Youth Multimedia Arts Competition points to the importance of continued investment in youth-led platforms and the meaningful inclusion of young voices in decision-making processes that will shape their futures.
In the words of Under-Secretary General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu noted during the reception, “security is strengthened not by the possession of nuclear weapons, but by their absence.”
For more information, contact unrcpd-info@un.org.
