The International Security Forum’s Director, Dr Yiorghos Leventis, participated in person, for the fourteenth consecutive year, in the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Conference. The 14th Disarmament Conference was held in Brussels on the 10th and 11th of November 2025. The ISF, established in Lefkosia (Nicosia) in 2009, is the only Cypriot think tank that has been steadfastly involved in the consultations of the European Network of Independent Think Tanks on Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Studies. The latter initiated its activities with a kick-off meeting in Brussels in 2011. Dr. Yiorghos Leventis took part in this inaugural historic session.
The 2025 EU Non-Proliferation & Disarmament Conference was organised by the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) of Rome. Remarkably, this year, the IAI celebrates its 60th anniversary of existence. The Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), an important think tank in Italy focused on international affairs, receives funding primarily from the Italian government through various budgetary allocations. As of 2025, its annual funding from the Italian state is approximately €4.2 million.
In sharp contrast, the International Security Forum Cyprus has, in the seventeen years of its operation, received zero funding from the Cypriot government. Nevertheless, ISF raises the security and foreign policy-oriented research flag of the Republic of Cyprus where there is no presence otherwise.
The Brussels EU Disarmament Conference is the annual flagship event that brings together experts from governments, international organizations and research institutions worldwide to discuss all aspects of the EU’s non-proliferation and disarmament agenda. Invariably, this agenda, includes arms control, chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, space security and emerging technologies. Over two days, participants engaged in open and substantive discussions aimed at advancing global non-proliferation and disarmament objectives. The Conference also seeks to support the implementation of the EU Strategic Compass. It formulates policy recommendations to strengthen the EU’s role in these fields.