№ 28, 2024. Ambassador Sergio Duarte: In Memoriam

MOSCOW. JULY 17, 2024. PIR PRESS. «Sergio Duarte, the president of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, an outstanding Brazilian expert in international security and nuclear nonproliferation, and a passionate follower of disarmament, passed away. Ambassador Duarte was a great friend of Russia; even if he criticized Russia, he always did so gently and positively. He did not tolerate it and did not remain silent when others tried to scold Russia. At PIR Center, he was a member of the Editorial Board of the Security Index Yearbook and PIR Center Advisory Board. Most importantly for me, he was my friend for twenty years. Brazil lost its great son this year, while all experts in the nuclear field lost a beam of wisdom. At PIR Center, we lost a friend who approached our time’s acute, disturbing issues with an ideal proportion of empathy, kindness, composure, and wit. We are grieving», – Dr. Vladimir Orlov, Founding Director of PIR Center, notes in his Telegram-Channel Sobesednik-na-Piru (in Russian).

In July 2024, Ambassador Sergio Duarte, President of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs and PIR Center Advisory Board member since 2022, passed away.

Sergio Duarte was a Brazilian career diplomat. In his early career, he held multiple positions in Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Head of Personnel, General Secretary for Financial Control, Inspector General, and Secretary General of the Foreign Service. He served as Second Secretary, First Secretary, and Counselor at the Brazilian Embassies in Rome and Buenos Aires, the Permanent Mission of Brazil in Geneva, and the Embassy in Washington. Ambassador Duarte also served as Minister-Counselor in the Office of the Brazilian Representative for Disarmament Affairs in Geneva. He was the Ambassador of Brazil to Nicaragua, Canada, China, and Austria.

Ambassador Duarte dedicated many years of his diplomatic career to the nonproliferation and disarmament issues. In particular, he served as Counselor to Brazilian Delegations to the sessions of the First Committee of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York (1966-1986), Delegate to the Eighteen Nation Committee on Disarmament (1966-1968) and Alternate Representative of Brazil to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva (1979-1985). He was the Representative of Brazil to the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)(1999-2002), the President of the IAEA Board of Governors (1999-2000), the President of the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (2005) and the High Representative of the UN for Disarmament Affairs (2007-2012).

Since 2017, he has been the President of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs. He is the author of many articles on nuclear disarmament, nonproliferation, and international relations, published in Brazil, the United States, and Europe.

In 2022, Ambassador Duarte became a PIR Center Advisory Board member. He actively participated in PIR Center’s activities, including openly sharing his expertise through commentaries and interviews, disseminating his observations during the International Timerbaev Nuclear Debates, and being a member of the Commission for the Preservation of Ambassador Roland Timerbaev Scientific and Creative Legacy. In 2023, Sergio Duarte joined the International editorial team of the Security Index Yearbook, which PIR Center and MGIMO University co-published recently.

“We met with Sergio Duarte long ago and have been close friends for the last 20 years – since 2004 when we celebrated his 70th anniversary on a business trip to Havana. Then, Sergio wisely presided over the 2005 NPT Review Conference. How often has he been my guest, or, conversely, I’ve been his guest … I am proud of being the one who once helped Sergio to learn more about his own country by suggesting the travel route through the Amazon on Tucano boat. I also remember the eyes of the Brazilian students when I spoke in front of them and mentioned the name of Sergio Duarte; they were radiating with joy, and the hall exploded with applause… That’s the respect you’ve earned from the younger generation, Sergio,” – Dr. Vladimir Orlov recalls.

“Diplomacy is a very complex concept that requires developing several skills. You need to be a reasonable observer and analyze everything around you; you need to study the culture and mentality of the countries, enhance personal contacts, and understand what you want to achieve through diplomacy. However, perhaps the most important advice I can give young diplomats is to read more – not only what your government says but also what other countries think,” – from an Open Collar interview (in Russian) with Sergio Duarte.

Sergio Duarte’s passing is a significant loss for the entire nonproliferation community. He was a wise, talented statesman and diplomat and a knowledgeable expert on nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament issues.

PIR Center expresses its sincere condolences to the family and friends of Ambassador Sergio Duarte.

Key words: Nuclear nonproliferation

EKS

F4/SOR – 24/07/17