Clarity in a time of change

How can NATO effectively deter Russian nuclear coercion in the High North? 

Earlier this month, we convened Nordic states and the UK to address a critical security challenge: Russia’s evolving doctrine for the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons. 

The dialogue focused on three urgent questions: 

1. Does NATO have what it needs to alter Russian calculations around nuclear weapon use today and in the future? 

1. What is the task for NATO nuclear weapons in a future regional conflict with Russia? 

1. What levers would be most effective in targeting Russian strategy for nuclear use in a regional conflict? 

Thanks to all who joined us for this dialogue, including UK Ambassador to Sweden, Samantha Job, and our partners British Embassy Stockholm and FOI. 

You can watch video interviews from the event below:

“I was honoured to be at the Vatican when history was made.” 

Our senior programme director Alison Hilliard met with Pope Leo XIV and King Charles III last week after their historic moment of prayer, to present her work on interfaith dialogue on climate change. 

In her blog, she describes why the meeting was personal and deeply symbolic for her as someone who grew up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, and why uniting around a common cause is key to tackling the climate crisis. 

Click here to read the full blog.

Upcoming events

The future of development finance 

The UK’s relationship with emerging markets and developing economies is transitioning to one of investment and partnership, with a focus on economic development. Against this backdrop, development finance has an important role to play in supporting transformative growth. 

This event will convene development finance thought leaders to discuss the key trends and opportunities for innovation. It will provide a forum for taking forward UK ambitions on scaling investment in climate and deepening its partnerships in frontier markets. 

In partnership with British International Investment, the UK’s development finance institution, and the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office. 

The future of development finance – Wilton Park 

Promoting empathy in adolescence 

Promoting empathy in adolescence: creating engaged global citizens and enabling more peaceful, inclusive societies 

Empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, is a key skill for adolescent development, driving social connectedness, promoting wellbeing, employability and educational attainment. 

However, recent evidence, shows that the rates of empathic response among young people globally may be declining. Worldwide, ideological polarisation and social tensions are apparent with a marked increase in hate speech, violence, and intolerance alongside a growth in polarised societies and extremism. 

Promoting empathy as a core skill and behaviour is increasingly put forward as a practical antidote to such problems, reducing the level of bullying, hatred and intolerance. This global conversation will focus on strategies to promote empathy in order to create engaged global citizens and more peaceful societies alongside improved well-being and mental health with young people more ready to forge paths through adulthood, in work, life attainment, and as active agents of social justice in their communities. 

Promoting empathy in adolescence: creating engaged global citizens and enabling more peaceful, inclusive societies – Wilton Park

Space Security 2025: shaping norms in a contested domain 

This will explore evolving threat dynamics in the space domain and the risks to strategic stability and international security. 

Participants will consider how to collectively advance space security amid geopolitical tension, increasing weaponisation, and growing threats to space systems and the increasing emphasis on defence and deterrence to achieve national and collective security goals.  

They will reflect on progress in promoting norms and principles of responsible space behaviour over the last five years, and how to move forward in an increasingly contested world with competing visions for global space governance. 

Nuclear Dialogue Africa: ensuring resilience and diversity of supply in nuclear power 

The conference aims to enhance engagement with emerging nuclear countries in Africa by demonstrating the value of a diversified, resilient nuclear supply chain and strengthening the capacity of key officials and policymakers to engage effectively with nuclear suppliers.  

By catalysing long-term collaboration, it seeks to contribute to a more inclusive and sustainable nuclear supply chain in Africa with better-informed emerging nuclear countries and relevant policymakers.

NPT Diplomacy Towards the 2026 Review Conference 

Wilton Park’s annual NPT diplomacy conference, a fixture in the international non-proliferation calendar since 1996, will assess challenges and opportunities at this stage of the current Review cycle. 

The meeting will address key issues across the NPT’s three pillars: increasing nuclear salience and the future proliferation landscape; nuclear modernisation and the future for arms control; nuclear safety, security and safeguards; disarmament diplomacy initiatives and the NPT-TPNW relationship; and the evolution of peaceful uses and nuclear security commitments. 

The event will draw participation from the NPT Bureau, Nuclear Weapons States, key groupings (NPDI, NAC, NAM), IAEA, UNODA, and global NGO experts to chart pathways towards a successful 2026 Review Conference. 

Establishing a UK–LatAm critical minerals and battery innovation hub 

Building on a March 2025 dialogue, this dialogue will bring together policymakers, researchers, industry partners and research institutes to develop a blueprint for UK-Latin America scientific collaboration on critical minerals. 

As the UK diversifies its critical mineral supplies, it is opening its world-class science and technology ecosystem to leading institutions from Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. These partners bring expertise in extracting, processing, and exporting critical minerals, while learning from the UK’s experience in battery innovation and industrialisation. 

This strategic partnership can deliver innovation-driven growth while reducing both sides’ exposure to global market volatility and geopolitical pressures.  

UK-Korea High Level Forum

Building on the UK-Republic of Korea Global Strategic Partnership established in 2023, Wilton Park and the British Embassy Seoul, in partnership with Hyundai Motor Company, Rolls Royce and Hanwha Group, will convene the inaugural UK-Korea High Level Forum in Seoul in December 2025.

This high-level track two dialogue will bring together senior figures from British and Korean business, parliament, media, and academia to explore the full breadth of the bilateral relationship and shape informed, future-oriented policymaking.

Call to strengthen UK supply chains 

The Critical Supply Group (CSG) will meet next week, bringing together senior representatives from business, industry associations and government to strengthen the resilience and security of UK and international supply chains. Wilton Park is increasingly focused on bringing together partners to boost UK growth and resilience. That’s why we’re pleased to be supporting the CSG and are facilitating vital work in this area. 

Read the press release:  

Call to strengthen UK supply chains: Leading companies convene during Critical Infrastructure Security Month