Peace and Security: Dr. Simons and Paul Meyer

Jennifer Allen Simons is Founder and President of The Simons Foundation Canada, a private foundation committed to advancing positive change through education in peace, disarmament, international law and human security.

Dr. Simons pioneers research, advocacy and action in advancing nuclear disarmament, peace, human security and global co-operation, and regularly speaks on nuclear disarmament issues at international conferences and other events.

The Simons Foundation initiates and participates in major worldwide peace projects, convenes global leaders for high-level strategic and policy dialogues, sponsors important academic research through fellowships and chairs, acts as a major convenor of academic and public events and partners on policy-driven publications.

Connection to Dialogue: "I view myself as a thought leader or influencer as well as a participant in dialogue because my major engagement is speaking at meetings and conferences on the issue of nuclear disarmament and catastrophic consequences of nuclear war."

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Paul Meyer’s Fellowship in International Security aims at promoting conflict prevention and diplomatic problem solving in priority international security fields, in particular nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, outer space security and international cyber security. These are areas that either pose an existential threat to humanity (e.g. use of nuclear weapons) or concern vital, if vulnerable environments (e.g. outer space and cyberspace) on which global society is increasingly dependent, but which are threatened by “militarization”.

The program tries to generate ideas for cooperative security approaches and influence the debate in official and non-governmental circles towards these goals. As a former career diplomat, dialogue is a fundamental feature of Paul’s work, seeking to identify potential solutions to complex problems through engagement with an array of concerned stakeholders.

Paul Meyer’s work includes research and writing, participation in a wide variety of domestic and international conferences, advising civil society organizations engaged in international peace and security issues, arranging public events and contributing to relevant educational efforts.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament

Paul Meyer has written on the challenges facing the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the need for Canada to adopt a more positive position with respect to the new Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). He has publicized an approach towards this treaty which the Government of Canada (and other states that are nuclear-dependent allies) could pursue that would make it possible for this country to adhere to the TPNW after its entry into force on January 22, 2021.

Outer Space Security

Paul Meyer has been a founding member of the Outer Space Institute and has been an advocate of cooperative security arrangements in this fragile, if increasingly important environment. He has championed multilateral approaches to governance of outer space activity, especially in the exploration and exploitation of space resources. He has authored specific proposals for diplomatic initiatives which could help preserve outer space for peaceful purposes.

International Cyber Security

In the emerging area of international cyber security, Paul’s work has illuminated the magnitude of the threat represented by state-conducted offensive cyber operations. He has engaged in current diplomatic processes at the UN which are aiming at developing “norms of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace”. As a senior advisor to the NGO, ICT4Peace, Paul has authored two major proposals submitted to the UN Open Ended Working Group on cyber security and published several commentaries on the progress achieved in multilateral forums and what further measures could reinforce peaceful uses of cyberspace.