Oxford Student Pugwash

The Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs aim 'to bring together, from around the world, influential scholars and public figures concerned with reducing the danger of armed conflict and seeking cooperative solutions for global problems'. The first Pugwash meeting, inspired by a 1955 Manifesto by Bertrand Russell and Albert Einstein, was held in 1957 in Pugwash, Nova Scotia, Canada, the birthplace of the US philanthropist Cyrus Eaton, and was attended by 22 eminent scientists. From this meeting evolved a series of conferences at locations all over the world, which continue today. International Student/Young Pugwash was formed in 1978, starting in the US and Canada and spreading to a further 18 countries. International collaborations began in 1988, with the first IS/YP conference in the Netherlands. Each IS/YP group has an independent organisational structure. The IS/YP groups coordinate a series of activities including the publication of books, conferences, curriculum materials and electronic conferences.