Hevelyn Ghizzi was elected as an IPB Council member in October 2025 and is currently the Executive Director Dhesarme – Ação Brasileira pelo Desarmamento Humanitário (Brazilian Action for Humanitarian Disarmament).
Hevelyn is a Brazilian researcher and international relations professional working at the intersection of humanitarian disarmament, international law, peace and security, and regional cooperation. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in International Relations at the Federal University for Latin American Integration (UNILA) and a postgraduate specialization in Public International Law at the Center for International Law (CEDIN). She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Integration from UNILA.
Hevelyn is a Council Member of the International Peace Bureau (IPB), co-leads its Demilitarization Working Group, and co-leads its regional working group for Latin America and the Caribbean, contributing to international discussions and initiatives on disarmament, demilitarization, military spending, and emerging security challenges. She also serves as Executive Director of DHESARME – Brazilian Action for Humanitarian Disarmament and as Regional Organiser for Latin America and the Caribbean with the Stop Killer Robots campaign.
Her academic and advocacy work focuses particularly on humanitarian disarmament, International Humanitarian Law, autonomous weapons systems, human security, arms control, and the regulation of emerging technologies in warfare. Her master’s research examines the international process toward the regulation of autonomous weapons systems, with particular attention to humanitarian and legal challenges and ongoing negotiations within the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW).
Her broader experience includes international advocacy, research, project management, paradiplomacy, transborder cooperation, and engagement with civil society networks in Latin America and internationally.
Selected Publications
“International Law and Autonomous Weapons: Challenges in Limitation and Regulation” Original title: “Direito Internacional e as Armas Autônomas: Desafios dos Limites e Regulamentações”. Co-authored with Rafael Euclides Seidel Batista. Published in Direito Internacional em Expansão, Vol. XXVI, Chapter 23, pp. 403–416. Link: https://arraeseditores.com.br/direito-internacional-em-expansao-v-26/
“Humanitarian Disarmament as a Means of Promoting Peace in the Era of Technological Transition.” Published by Stop Killer Robots as part of the UN Disarmament Week series, 27 October 2023. Link: https://stopkillerrobots.medium.com/humanitarian-disarmament-as-a-means-of-promoting-peace-in-the-era-of-technological-transition-4d27d50e2e05
“Autonomous Weapons Systems, Inequality, and the Struggle for Human Dignity: A Youth Perspective from the Global South”. Published by Stop Killer Robots as part of the UN Disarmament Week series, 27 October 2025. Link: https://stopkillerrobots.medium.com/autonomous-weapons-systems-inequality-and-the-struggle-for-human-dignity-a-youth-perspective-b72d642bed98
“Transnational Organized Crime and the Challenges of Public Security in the Tri-Border Area (Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay)” Original title: “A Delinquência Organizada Transnacional e os Desafios da Segurança Pública na Tríplice Fronteira (Argentina, Brasil e Paraguai)”.Undergraduate thesis, Federal University for Latin American Integration (UNILA), 2024. Link: https://dspace.unila.edu.br/server/api/core/bitstreams/0e2358de-c304-465e-84ad-ced907d43eea/content
