News
Announcing the Hiroshima-ICAN Academy on Nuclear Weapons and Global Security 2026
Background and objectives
In April 2019, Hiroshima Prefecture and ICAN signed a memorandum of understanding on collaboration in the field of human resource development for the next generation toward nuclear weapons abolition. Both established an executive committee to launch the Hiroshima-ICAN Academy, a course that aims to nurture global leaders who can make concrete contributions towards a more peaceful and secure world. This year will mark the eighth time the course has been held.
See reports from previous academies here: 2025, 2024, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019
Message from the Organisers
Previous Participants:
Hiroshima Session Participants 176
Online Learning and Webinar Participants: 524
Participants’ countries/regions: 46
(Algeria, Argentine, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Fiji, France, Georgia, Germany, India, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Republic of Korea, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Nigeria, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Russia, Rwanda, South Africa, Taiwan, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, the United States of America, Uzbekistan, Zambia)
Program Overview
The Academy 2026 is planned to be held in three parts: online learning and webinars, an in-person Hiroshima session, and an online reflection session.
This year’s overall theme is “Bridging divides to advance nuclear disarmament.”
As our world continues to change rapidly, divides are growing in myriad aspects of society, from the global to the personal. Countries break from longstanding allies, international agreements are discarded, and digital algorithms further tribalism. Borders between states, between “us” and “them,” between humanity and technology are being redrawn. These divides are more than apparent in the field of nuclear weapons and global security. And, with 80 years now lying between us and the dawn of the nuclear age, we may feel increasingly distanced from our own nuclear history too. The Hiroshima-ICAN Academy invites you to take a step toward bridging these divides through this year’s program, together with inquisitive, conscientious, and defiantly hopeful individuals from around the world.
Dates
・Online learning and webinars: Roughly five to six webinars scheduled between June to July 2026 (exact dates to be announced)
・Hiroshima session: November 3 (Tue), 2026 to November 7 (Sat), 2026
・Online reflection session: December 11, 2026 (Fri)
Language: The program will be conducted in English.
Tuition: Free
Program Features and Themes
・Understand the reality of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the inhumanity of nuclear weapons, and health effects of radiation through testimonies by survivors and their supporters.
・Understand the social, economic, and environmental impacts of nuclear weapons around the world.
・Learn about current trends and emerging risks related to nuclear weapons and global security, including sustainable security, through exchange with experts.
・Acquire skills and mindsets for contributing in the global arena towards realizing a peaceful, sustainable world.
・Engage with and learn from survivors, UN officials, diplomats, NGO members, and activists.
Further Details
The deadline for applications is May 10, 2026.
Enquiries
Hiroshima-ICAN Academy Executive Committee
Tel: +81-82-209-1234
Email: hope@hiroshimaforpeace.com
Address: 10-52, Motomachi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima City, 730-8511, Japan