Welcome to the website of International Student/Young Pugwash (ISYP), a global and interdisciplinary network of students and young professionals concerned with the interface of science, technology, society and ethics.

The membership of ISYP is broad-based, both in a geographical and disciplinary sense. Members of ISYP have interests spanning topics such as disarmament and non-proliferation, conflict resolution, regional cooperation, sustainable development, and the societal and ethical impacts of science and technology.

Although independent in its scope and policies, ISYP has a mutually reinforcing relationship with the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs that enables the two organizations to focus in parallel on both the root causes and the symptoms of global insecurity.

Our mission

International Student/Young Pugwash (ISYP) provides students and young professionals with opportunities to engage in cross-national dialogue and cooperation on issues at the nexus of science, ethics and security. ISYP takes an interdisciplinary approach to issues including nuclear weapons, climate change, and emerging technologies. 

In tandem, ISYP creates a space for its members to develop personal relationships and to understand “the other”—thereby nurturing common understanding. Later on, as these individuals gain influence, their cross-national relationships become crucial for policymaking that promotes peace. These goals are pursued in the spirit of the Pugwash network’s founding document, the 1955 Russell-Einstein Manifesto, which reads: “Remember your humanity and forget the rest.”

Our members

Broadly speaking, there are two types of members of ISYP:

• National Groups – namely, collectives of natural persons (individuals) accepted as Student/Young Pugwashites within a nation-state, and recognized as a National Student/Young Pugwash Group by other members of the Student/Young Pugwash community. Each National Group is responsible for admitting its members and, in general, there can be only one National Student/Young Pugwash Group within a nation-state. Examples of National Groups are Student Pugwash USA, Student/Young Pugwash UK, and Student/Young Pugwash Netherlands.
• Individuals – namely, people who have participated in activities organized by International Student/Young Pugwash in an individual capacity. In particular, those people who have attended one or several of the ISYP Conferences and/or workshops are considered members of our community.

Our work

Although the activities and projects of ISYP are based on the constant efforts of our members, the day to day administration of the organization is a task of the Leadership Team. Members of the Leadership Team have the responsibility to co-ordinate and expand the global network of Student/Young Pugwashites, to organize regional and international events such as the annual conference, as well as to keep in a good state ISYP’s relationship with the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs and other like-minded organizations.

Taking its cue from the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, ISYP remains committed to the spirit and ideals of the Russell-Einstein Manifesto in meeting the challenges that lie ahead. Within the context of a rapidly globalizing world, the warning expressed by the Russell-Einstein Manifesto remains as relevant as ever:

There lies before us, if we choose, continual progress in happiness, knowledge and wisdom. Shall we, instead, choose death, because we cannot forget our quarrels? We appeal as human beings to human beings: Remember your humanity and forget the rest.

Engaging a new generation for peace is imperative.