Page 10 - DIVA_1_2008_No.32

nterview with Patricia Lewis,

Director of the United Nations Institute
for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)

She is a nuclear physicist scientific movement. We put There have been occasions
and a specialist on arms -- together a lot of factual issues, when ... I think every woman
quite an unusual back- briefing sheets for the peace can recognize the feeling of
ground for a woman many movement and for politicians. being invisible to a lot of peo-
would say. She is a highly We gave evidence in ple in a meeting room. Every
respected expert and can Parliamentary hearings. So, that woman could tell you about
tell you all that you need to was how I became involved. ideas that they have had that
know about disarmament - nobody will take any notice of,
- either its technical or Then I thought I was going to until a man, five minutes later,
more "human" side. There become a journalist-- a science will take up the same idea.
is no doubt that Patricia journalist -- so I went back to Then everyone will say: "That
Lewis likes her work, and London and looked at that pos- is such a good idea!"
she has this gift of making sibility. It just happened to coin-
the most badly informed cide with the setting up of a I think that this could be said
person become interested new think-tank called VERTIC, by women in any field. For
in the issue. At least, we which is a verification research me, I have worked a lot with
came out after having met body in London. men in the science field, so I
with her with a completely can say that I'm bilingual: I
different perception of dis- VERTIC brought together speak male and female langua-
armament and all the rela- science and science policy to ge!
ted issues. So let the look at how to verify internatio-
expert talk and explain nal arms control treaties and Q: So there is a differen-
disarmament treaties. We have ce?
Q: You are an arms control to check that nobody cheats on
specialist and a nuclear them -- which was and still is a Oh yes! We speak differently,
physicist. Why did you go very big issue. VERTIC started and I'm quite comfortable in
into this field and what is off with the whole idea of ban- both. I'm quite happy to talk
so exciting about it? ning nuclear arms tests and about hardware and technicali-
whether such a ban could be ties, and I'm also happy to talk
I was trained in physics, and did properly monitored. That was about the relationships and the
a Ph.D. in nuclear structure the point that the debate had importance of symbolism, for
physics which, via India, took reached. example -- which is still consi-
me to New Zealand where I dered being soft!
worked at the University of Very soon, we expanded into
Auckland. I did a lot of my the intermediary range nuclear Having said that, there are a lot
research there, and also at the forces treaty, the whole issue of of women in our field. In fact
Australian National University missiles, conventional forces in in UNIDIR around three-quar-
in Canberra. That was in the Europe and so on. We even ters of the staff are women,
mid-1980s. It was at that time expanded it further to look at including at the senior level.
G) that there was a big debate in climate change and biodiversity Our gender balance is the
wrong way round. We have a
New Zealand about nuclear
-- this work is still going on.
weapons onboard visiting ships The organization still exists. It problem -- we are not able to
two and the general election in New is flourishing, and is still doing recruit enough qualified men;
Zealand was fought largely on
they are working in other insti-
the same kind of work.
the issue on nuclear weapons. tutes. Frankly, when I inter-
I became the first employee of view people and we take the
As a physicist at the University this organization. Later, I best-qualified person, often its
E of Auckland, I was often asked became the director, and from women. I think that is just
because there are so many very
to help people out, for example,
there I came here to Geneva. So
to test whether the water was I went from pure science, to good women in our field.
polluted with radioactive ele- applied science through science There has also been an ope-
ments or not, etc. policy, now to international ning up of new topics in our
relations policy. work, such as the issue of land-
Two colleagues of mine (Peter mines, small arms, cluster
Wills and Robert White) and I Q: Do you feel it's difficult ammunition issues, space
aim
set up Scientists Against being a woman in this kind security, bio-weapon issues.
0 Nuclear Arms (New Zealand), environment? These particular topics have
attracted a large number of
which was part of a global
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