On 4 June 2025, Open Nuclear Network (ONN) was honoured to host Margot Wallström, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, for a full day of events in Vienna.
The day began with a roundtable discussion on the role of inclusive leadership in rethinking global security, with a particular focus on nuclear risk reduction, co-organised with Österreichisches Institut für Internationale Politik. This wasn’t just about adding more voices at the table - it was about transforming the very nature of the conversation. In a candid and forward-looking exchange among diplomats, representatives of international organisations, scholars and civil society experts, we reflected on how traditional security paradigms, centred on fear, force, and deterrence, have led us to the brink, but failed to deliver sustainable peace. Participants discussed human-centred, inclusive and preventive approaches to security. Discussions ranged from the gendered impacts of nuclear conflict to the urgent need for more transparent and deliberately inclusive nuclear policymaking. Participants highlighted the role of feminist approaches to foreign policy and the importance of questioning deeply embedded assumptions within the security field.
Key discussion points included:
- Reframing traditional security to broader, human-focused definitions. Human security is not an alternative - it’s the complete security.
- Addressing the systemic exclusion of women and other underrepresneted voices in peace negotiations and nuclear policy processes and pushing for meaningful representation.
- Recognising the gendered consequences of nuclear weapons use and testing.
- Reclaiming the narrative around gender, diversity and equity in the face of growing resistance.
We’re grateful to the Austrian Institute for International Affairs (OIIP) team, and especially OIIP Research Fellow Loïc Simonet, for co-organising and hosting the roundtable at their Vienna premises. A heartfelt thank-you as well to Christine Muttonen, Vice President of Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy (AIES) and ONN Advisory Council Member, for moderating the discussion with clarity, care and purpose. We look forward to continuing this important dialogue - and to building further partnerships grounded in inclusive leadership, honest reflection and a shared commitment to peace.
