Stefan Löfven, Chair of the SIPRI Governing Board and former Prime Minister of Sweden, participated in a panel discussion in Oslo, Norway, at the Nobel Peace Conference on 6 August 2025 that examined current nuclear risks and pathways to avoid a renewed arms race.
The panel, titled ‘The Nuclear Threat Anno 2025—Can We Avoid a New Nuclear Arms Race?’, brought together policymakers, Nobel laureates and civil-society activists to reflect on nuclear dangers in a time of elevated international tension and measures to strengthen norms and institutions that prevent nuclear use. A representative from Nihon Hidankyo—the Japanese organization that received the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize—gave opening remarks.
Löfven joined Eivind Vad Petersson, State Secretary to the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and others in a conversation that explored both the humanitarian context provided by survivors’ testimonies and practical policy options to reduce the risk of escalation and renewed arms competition. The session formed part of the Nobel Peace Conference programme marking the 80th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Löfven also attended the memorial in Nagasaki, Japan, on 9 August. The conference was livestreamed, and the session recording is available on YouTube.
Löfven’s participation underscores SIPRI’s ongoing engagement with debates on arms control, disarmament and the institutions that sustain international peace and security. SIPRI continues to convene evidence-based analysis and dialogue aimed at reducing the risks posed by nuclear and other weapons.
Click here to read more about the conference.
Click here to watch the session on YouTube.
Click here to read more about SIPRI’s work on nuclear weapons.