Columbia GS student Rinor Jani has received a 2023 Projects for Peace Grant. Administered by Middlebury College in memory and with the support of philanthropist Kathryn W. Davis, Projects for Peace provides funding for grassroots, student-led innovations addressing the globe’s most pressing problems.
Jani, a first-generation student majoring in human rights, also serves as a program coordinator for nuclear disarmament advocacy and research and a United Nations representative for Pathways to Peace. He shares the motivation and shape of his nuclear disarmament-focused proposed project.
What motivates your ongoing interest in nuclear disarmament?
My motivation from the beginning of my work has been greatly inspired by the atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, along with other survivors that have endured the humanitarian impacts of nuclear testing. Their testimonies have given me a better understanding of the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons and their lasting impact within different civilizations. Their relentless strength and ongoing work for peace and nuclear disarmament is a constant reminder that humanity has to continue working towards the same goals.
How did you learn about Projects for Peace, and what was your reaction to receiving the grant?
I first learned about Projects For Peace through my research and from other people who were previous winners and have done peace projects around the world. The application process was a wonderful opportunity to think creatively about how to advance peace throughout the world. After learning that I was selected for this award, I was very humbled and grateful for this honor. I was primarily thankful because it would allow me to continue my peacebuilding and nuclear disarmament work. I am appreciative that they believed in me based upon my consistent work for a world free of nuclear weapons.
Tell us about your proposed project. What will go into completing it, and what are its goals?
For the peace project, I am partnering with Bunk’Art 1 Museum to hold a high-level regional conference on nuclear disarmament. The museum is a former nuclear bunker with five underground floors and 106 rooms. It also has an assembly hall that has been turned into a history and art center. Having the conference in the museum is a powerful way to send a message to various regional governments and civil society organizations that nuclear weapons are still a major issue, and they must take action for nuclear disarmament through the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
How do your nuclear disarmament advocacy and your Columbia GS experience connect to one another?
As a working professional and a student, I have recognized that the combination of scholarship and activism allows for greater impact within my work. The research that I have done within my classes and with the Columbia K=1 Project Center for Nuclear Studies has better informed me of the historical and current context of human rights and nuclear disarmament. It has allowed me to better understand its humanitarian, scientific, cultural, and economic aspects and how they are interconnected.
