International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons & The Japan Times & Lourdes Verges / FundiPau – 2015-05-21 00:38:04
Special to Environmentalists Against Waar
Read the Humanitarian Pledge here →
Report on the Final Week of the NPT Conference
Beatrice Fihn / International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons
(May 18, 2015) — On Friday, the latest draft text came out. You can find it here. This draft is much weaker than the first one that came out a week earlier. Many of the strong paragraphs on the humanitarian impact, the risk and the need to fully implement article 6 are gone, and the reflections of the three conferences, the joint statement and the Austrian pledge are significantly weaker.
We’re seeing a strong push by the nuclear weapon states and some of their allies to block what the majority of states want. Since the NPT adopts its outcome documents by consensus, it is unlikely that we will get an outcome document that calls for negotiations of a treaty banning nuclear weapons. It will instead center around the lowest common denominator, with vague formulations that allow nuclear-armed states to stall for another five years.
However, this does not need to be a problem for us, rather the opposite. It has become clear throughout the first three weeks that if you are waiting for nuclear-armed states to disarm, you’re going to be waiting for a long time. This review conference has shown that negotiating a ban on nuclear weapons, even without the nuclear weapon states on board, might be the most realistic and achievable opportunity for making progress on this issue.
As mentioned last week, ICAN will not carry out a coordinated advocacy effort to influence this outcome document in the final stages. We should instead focus on getting governments to endorse the pledge and to hold strong closing statements on Friday, saying that they are ready to ban nuclear weapons.
Right now, we have about 91 states that have committed to work to fill the legal gap for the prohibition of nuclear weapons.
At the Review Conference, “some” states have argued that the outcome document should not welcome the Austrian Pledge, as it does not enjoy the support of the majority of NPT states parties. Well, we’re only a few states away (5!) from a majority of NPT states parties, so if your government still isn’t on, (check the list here and read it below), give them a call and tell them they should endorse it before the end of the Review Conference.
It would be really amazing to get over 100 states on the Pledge by Friday, and would send a powerful signal to the nuclear-armed estates and their allies. We’re still missing a lot of countries in Africa and the Asian region (and Europe of course, but I’m not sure we can change that by Friday…) , so for all our campaigners in those regions, please check if your government (and perhaps your neighbouring countries) are onboard and start making some phone calls!
This week in New York will consist of mostly closed meetings and intensive negotiations, so not too much to attend for those there. But if you are in NY, check out the calendar on RCWs website for the latest info on meetings and side events. And we’ll make sure to keep you updated on any developments from New York!
The Humanitarian Pledge
Affirming that it is in the interest of the very survival of humanity that nuclear weapons are never used again, under any circumstances, Reiterating the crucial role that international organizations, relevant UN entities, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, elected representatives, academia and civil society play for advancing the shared objective of a nuclear weapon free world,
We regard it as our responsibility and consequently pledge to present the facts-based discussions, findings and compelling evidence of the Vienna Conference, which builds upon the previous conferences in Oslo and Nayarit, to all relevant fora, in particular the NPT Review Conference 2015 and in the UN framework, as they should be at the centre of all deliberations, obligations and commitments with regard to nuclear disarmament,
We pledge to follow the imperative of human security for all and to promote the protection of civilians against risks stemming from nuclear weapons,
We call on all states parties to the NPT to renew their commitment to the urgent and full implementation of existing obligations under Article VI, and to this end, to identify and pursue effective measures to fill the legal gap for the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons and we pledge to cooperate with all stakeholders to achieve this goal,
We Call on all nuclear weapons possessor states to take concrete interim measures to reduce the risk of nuclear weapon detonations, including reducing the operational status of nuclear weapons and moving nuclear weapons away from deployment into storage, diminishing the role of nuclear weapons in military doctrines and rapid reductions of all types of nuclear weapons,
We pledge to cooperate with all relevant stakeholders, States, international organizations, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movements,
parliamentarians and civil society, in efforts to stigmatize, prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons in light of their unacceptable humanitarian consequences and associated risks.
List of states that have pledged to fill the legal gap for the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons
(See the Austrian pledge and the list of signers here: http://www.icanw.org/pledge/)
1. Afghanistan
2. Andorra
3. Angola
4. Antigua and Barbuda
5. Argentina
6. Austria
7. Bahamas
8. Barbados
9. Belize
10. Benin
11. Bolivia
12. Brazil
13. Cabo Verde
14. Central African Republic
15. Chile
16. Colombia
17. Cook Islands
18. Costa Rica
19. Côte d’Ivoire
20. Cuba
21. Cyprus
22. Dominica
23. Dominican Republic
24. Ecuador
25. Egypt
26. El Salvador
27. Eritrea
28. Ethiopia
29. Fiji
30. Gabon
31. Grenada
32. Guatemala
33. Guinea-Bissau
34. Guyana
35. Haiti
36. Honduras
37. Iran
38. Iraq
39. Ireland
40. Jamaica
41. Jordan
42. Kenya
43. Kiribati
44. Kuwait
45. Lebanon
46. Lesotho
47. Libya
48. Liechtenstein
49. Macedonia
50. Madagascar
51. Malawi
52. Malta
53. Marshall Islands
54. Mexico
55. Nicaragua
56. Nigeria
57. Niue
58. Palau
59. Palestine
60. Panama
61. Papua New Guinea
62. Paraguay
63. Peru
64. Philippines
65. Qatar
66. St. Kitts and Nevis
67. St. Lucia
68. St. Vincent and the Grenadines
69. Samoa
70. São Tomé and PrÃncipe
71. San Marino
72. Saudi Arabia
73. Serbia
74. Seychelles
75. Somalia
76. South Africa
77. Sri Lanka
78. Suriname
79. Swaziland
80. Timor-Leste
81. Togo
82. Trinidad and Tobago
83. Tunisia
84. Tuvalu
85. United Arab Emirates
86. Uruguay
87. Vanuatu
88. Venezuela
89. Yemen
90. Zambia
91. Zimbabwe
An Update on the Final Week of the NPT Deliberations
Dimity Hawkins / ICAM Australia
(May 18, 2015) — As the final week of the NPT kicks off we thought we would quickly write to tell you how things have been going from the Australian side. For those newer to the campaign, ICAN Australia was initiated by MAPW, the Australian affiliate of IPPNW, which secured the initial funding for the campaign to be launched internationally in April 2007.
While the Australian government is somewhat notorious in it’s role as a nuclear weapon state enabler, we maintain a consistent pressure on them to engage more usefully in the international processes and to change the domestic defence and foreign policy reliance on extended nuclear deterrence.
ICAN Australia last week sent letters to our Foreign Minister urging Australia to ‘get on the right side of history’ and join the Austrian Pledge. We have been working to contact regional Ministry offices too to ask that they consider again the Austrian Pledge.
As Tim noted earlier, we have been working to encourage the current main Australian opposition party, the ALP, to ensure their national platform policies better support a ban, and we remain heavily engaged in this in the lead up to their July Conference here in Melbourne where the draft platform wording will be confirmed.
In addition, we plan to work closely with other Parliamentarians to follow up on the NPT by asking questions through Parliamentary processes about Australia’s role at the NPT and it’s support (or lack thereof to date) of the Austrian Pledge.
Individuals on our team have been vigorously proliferating social media messages from ICAN partners across the world, and thank you for so many inspiring stories. We have been promoting the Pledge page through Facebook also, and look forward to being able to participate in the latest Twittter campaign along with the rest of the Pacific.
For those interested who may have missed these, two local initiatives worth checking out are:
The Black Mist booklet, which outlines some of the ways Australia has been impacted by the bomb and Australians’ lived experience with nuclear testing, uranium mining and the battle against nuclear waste dumping.
The Pacific Report which details more on the impact the Pacific has borne over the history of nuclear weapons, including the legacy of the hundreds of nuclear tests in our region.
ICAN Australia will continue to work hard to promote the ban from here, to hold our government/s to account on nuclear disarmament and to strengthen voices in our region on the issues. We send you our best regards and we look forward to whatever is coming next as we build to a ban.
Calling for a Northeast Asia Free of All Nuclear Weapons
Hiromichi Umebayashi / Special To The Japan Times
TOKYO (May 15, 2015) -The 2015 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review Conference started April 27 and runs through May 22. The last review conference in 2010 reached an agreement on a final document that included 64 action plans. Action 1 was: “all States parties commit to pursue policies that are fully compatible with the Treaty and the objective of achieving a world without nuclear weapons.”
This means that not only nuclear weapon states but also non-nuclear weapon states such as Japan should pursue such security policies that do not depend on nuclear weapons.
Japan, as the only victim of nuclear bombings in wartime, has been a constant advocate for nuclear disarmament but at the same time has been dependent on the US “nuclear umbrella,” i.e. “extended nuclear deterrence.” This forms the so-called nuclear dilemma for Japan. We believe it is time for Japan to solve this dilemma and fulfill the promise made at the 2010 review conference.
Has Japan taken such an initiative?
On the contrary, Japan’s security policy appears to have grown more dependent on the nuclear umbrella due to the worsening security environment in Northeast Asia, in particular the increased nuclear weapon capability of North Korea.
To solve the nuclear dilemma and to improve the region’s security environment, the research Center for Nuclear Weapons abolition, Nagasaki University (RECNA) has recently published a study report titled “Proposal: a Comprehensive approach to a Northeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (NEANWFZ)”. The proposal, which is based
on excellent groundwork by dr. Morton Halperin, calls for immediate negotiation by the participants in the six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, aiming for a “Comprehensive Framework agreement for denuclearization of Northeast Asia” (CFA) to address not only nuclear weapons issues involving North Korea but regional security issues closely linked to them as well.
The CFA should contain the following four elements:
* Declare the official termination of the Korean War and provide for mutual nonaggression, friendship and equal sovereignty among CFA state parties.
* Assure equal rights to access all forms of energy, including nuclear energy.
* Agree on a treaty to establish a Northeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone in which Japan, South Korea and North Korea would be non-nuclear “Intrazonal States” and the US, Russia and China would be “Neighboring Nuclear Weapon States.” The three nuclear weapon states would be required to provide security assurances not to attack the zone with nuclear weapons or, hopefully, with conventional weapons (in other words a “negative security assurance”).
North Korea would also be obliged to dismantle its nuclear arsenal and related facilities within a generous time frame.
* Establish a permanent Northeast Asia Security Council whose primary objective would be to ensure the implementation of the CFA and to serve as a platform for discussions involving various Northeast Asian security issues.
If such a framework agreement is attained, the nuclear umbrella will no longer be necessary for Japan and South Korea. The NEA-NWFZ, in addition to general clauses included in other NWFZ treaties, should address unique issues in Northeast Asia, including the right of states for peaceful space exploration in accordance with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.
We understand the difficulties of concluding a CFA among the six countries amid the current security environment. But we believe such difficulties should not be the reason not to take the initiative. On the contrary, we believe pursuing a CFA, including a NEA-NWFZ, would provide a window of opportunity to improve the regional security environment.
This year is the 70th since the end of World War ii, the atomic bombings on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, and the division of the Korean Peninsula. The international community, and especially Northeast Asian nations, should make 2015 the year to begin working toward achieving a CFA.
The framework would form the foundation for easing tensions and normalizing relations in Northeast Asia and for moving toward a cooperative regional security system. Japan is in a perfect position to take the initiative to propose a CFA, possibly with South Korea. We hope that the final document of the 2015 NPT review Conference will include a sentence addressing the establishment of a NEA-NWFZ.
it is a time for Japan to solve its nuclear dilemma and thus contribute to achieving a world without nuclear weapons.
Hiromichi Umebayashi is a former director and visiting professor at the Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition, Nagasaki University (RECNA).
Council of Barcelona Supports Disarmament Pledge
Lourdes Verges / FundiPau (Fundacio per la Pau)
BARCELONA (May 18, 2015) — The Council of Barcelona passed an Institutional Declaration in support of nuclear disarmament. It was passed the 23rd March in the last meeting of the Council. All the political parties of the Council have supported it. They have passed on our proposal with the occasion of the NPT meeting. (We have done the translation into English to allow you to understand the content; it’s not an official one.)
Council of Barcelona
IN THE PLENARY OF THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL
(23 march 2015):
I. Next August it will do 70 years of the atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki were more than 240.000 people died, and uncountable more were injured and affected, and both cities were practically destroyed.
II. During the next years, there was a nuclear weapons race, with more than 2.000 tests and essays that caused, often with a complete lack of knowledge on the part of the population affected, health problems and considerable environmental impacts.
III. In spite of the end of the Cold War and of the nuclear disarmament agreements achieved, today there are more than 16.000 nuclear weapons in the world.
IV. Nuclear weapons are a real danger to the security of people and communities. It is urgent, as well as it has been done with other weapons of mass destruction (biological and chemical), that the world adopts a ban treaty of nuclear weapons.
In accordance with the established by articles 60.6, 65, 73.5 and 101.1 of the Organic Municipal Regulation, the Council of Barcelona wants to express its positioning and pass the following:
INSTITUTIONAL DECLARATION
FIRST — To express its solidarity with all the people and their families affected by the impact of nuclear weapons
SECOND — To claim that in the next Revision Conference of the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT), that starts in New Work the 28th April, assistants work to achieve a concrete and precise commitment for nuclear disarmament.
THIRD — To support the States that, together with the civil society campaign (ICAN), have initiated a diplomatic process to alert of the deep humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons and, accordingly, claim for the adoption of a global treaty to ban nuclear weapons.
FOURTH — Ask the Spanish government to stand among those States that today work actively for the end of nuclear weapons.
UN Nuclear Nonproliferation Conference Report
Peace and Planet
Nuclear abolition call is highlighted in the conference draft agreement!
With one week to go in the month-long deliberations of governments at the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in New York, Global Wave 2015 and the Peace and Planet on Friday May 15 organised a presentation at the United Nations to promote their call for governments to agree to a plan for the prohibition and complete elimination of nuclear weapons.
The UN event:
* highlighted the 7 million signatures on the nuclear abolition petition Peace and Planet presented to the President of the NPT Review Conference on April 26,
* discussed the connections between nuclear abolition and other core human security issues (such as climate change, poverty, unemployment, war and human rights),
* re-stated the importance of governments agreeing to a concrete plan to abolish nuclear weapons,
* reported on youth actions for nuclear abolition, and
* showed videos and photos from Global Wave actions around the world.
Previously, in the opening weeks of the NPT Conference, Peace and Planet presented to one of the main plenaries, tweeted photos and videos of Global Wave actions from countries as the foreign ministers or other representatives of those countries spoke, met informally with government representatives to advocate for nuclear abolition, and presented to a number of side events.
The majority of governments at the conference support the nuclear abolition call, and are promoting the abolition of nuclear weapons in the deliberations and in the disarmament section of the draft outcome document.
The draft disarmament section calls on nuclear weapon States to take immediate steps to reduce nuclear stockpiles (page 7, para 5), end modernisation of nuclear weapons (page 7, para 6), reduce the role of nuclear weapons (para 7), and remove of all nuclear weapons from high alert levels (para 9). The draft also calls on States to engage in an inclusive process within the United Nations to explore and develop the legal framework to achieve and maintain a nuclear weapon free world.
UNFOLD ZERO, a partner campaign to Peace and Planet, held a side-event on Thursday, outlining the ways in which the abolition of nuclear weapons can be, and is being, facilitated and supported through various UN bodies and initiatives.
These include promotion of a nuclear weapons convention by the UN General Assembly and the UN Secretary-General, putting legal pressure on the nuclear weapon States through the International Court of Justice, hosting deliberations and negotiations through a UN General Assembly process, deciding to hold a high-level conference on nuclear disarmament (similar to a UN Summit), criminalising nuclear weapons through the International Criminal Court, and building public engagement and support through the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.
There is still one week to go in the NPT Review Conference. The nuclear weapon States are already opposing some of the draft text. And even if the text is adopted, it does not mean that the nuclear weapon States will implement it quickly.
They have, for example, done very little to implement the more modest agreements from the 2010 NPT Review Conference – leading the Marshall Islands to launch cases in the International Court of Justice against the nuclear armed States challenging the lack of implementation of disarmament obligations.
However, civil society actions including Global Wave and Peace and Planet have definitely had a positive impact at this important international conference, challenging the nuclear weapons states and giving support to the non-nuclear States.
For more information see:
List of Global Wave 2015 actions around the world and links to photos of these;
Playlist of Global Wave 2015 videos;
World Map of Global Wave actions;
News stories of interesting actions.
Two Statements in the Course of the NPT Review
Peace & Planet and the Global Peace Wave
The first is posted online at http://www.baselpeaceoffice.org/article/global-wave-2015-and-peace-planet-un-nuclear-non-proliferation-conference and circulated to my Global Wave, Peace and Planet and Abolition 2000 contacts. It focuses on the Peace and Planet and Global Wave actions and the presentations we did of these to the UN.
It includes links to photos and videos of our actions. It also includes a little on how the NPT deliberations are going. This one can be circulated more widely to the movement.
The second was sent today to delegations of non-nuclear countries to the NPT Review encouraging them to keep strong in the face of opposition by the NWS to the nuclear disarmament language in the draft outcome document. This was the one we finalised today and is copied below. In this statement, also called on the governments to re-insert language that had been dropped calling on world leaders to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Today’s posting follows below.
Peace & Planet
Dear Ambassador [name],
With less than one week to go in the month-long deliberations of governments at the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in New York, Global Wave 2015 and Peace and Planet call on non-nuclear governments to stay strong on the nuclear disarmament language in the draft outcome document.
You have overwhelming support for this from civil society around the world – as was demonstrated by the Peace and Planet rally and conference in New York, the 7 million strong petition we presented to the President of the NPT Review Conference, and the Global Wave actions which took all around the world including in all of the nuclear-weapon States and many of the nuclear umbrella States. See Peace and Planet presentation to the NPT Review Conference, May 1, 2015.
As you know, the NPT 2015 draft disarmament section has some important language calling on nuclear weapon States to take immediate steps to reduce nuclear stockpiles (operative para 5), end modernisation of nuclear weapons (op 6), reducing or eliminating the role of nuclear weapons (op 7), and remove of all nuclear weapons from high alert levels (op 9).
The draft also calls on States to engage in an inclusive process within the United Nations to explore and develop the legal framework to achieve and maintain a nuclear weapon free world.
This language is already a compromise from the civil society call for States Parties to the NPT to agree to commence negotiations for the prohibition and complete elimination of nuclear weapons, supported by over 350 organisations in 45 countries. We hope that the draft does not get watered down any further, and that our global actions can help non-nuclear governments like yours to remain strong.
We also support the Mayors for Peace appeal to reinstate language calling on world leaders to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki to learn first-hand about the devastating humanitarian impact of the use of nuclear weapons.
Last Friday, Global Wave 2015 and the Peace and Planet organised a presentation at the United Nations to promote our nuclear abolition call to the NPT. At the event we showed videos and photos from Global Wave actions around the world.
In addition, during the opening days of the NPT conference we tweeted photos and videos of Global Wave actions from specific countries as the foreign ministers and other representatives of those countries spoke, demonstrating public opinion from their countries in favour of nuclear abolition.
There have been many other events and actions in support.
UNFOLD ZERO, a partner campaign to Peace and Planet, held a side-event last Thursday, outlining the ways in which the abolition of nuclear weapons can be, and is being, facilitated and supported through various UN bodies and initiatives.
These include promotion of a nuclear weapons convention by the UN General Assembly and the UN Secretary-General, putting legal pressure on the nuclear weapon States through the International Court of Justice, hosting deliberations and negotiations through a UN General Assembly process, deciding to hold a high-level conference on nuclear disarmament (similar to a UN Summit), criminalising nuclear weapons through the International Criminal Court, and building public engagement and support through the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.
All of the above gives support to the language in the NPT draft outcome document on using the United Nations system and other approaches to ensure the participation of all key countries (including nuclear-armed States) in a nuclear abolition process.
Global Wave and Peace and Planet will continue to be active beyond the 2015 NPT Review Conference to build civil society action for a nuclear-weapon-free world. We look forward to cooperation to facilitate this goal.
Yours sincerely
Alyn Ware
Rimma Velikanova
Global Wave Joint Coordinators
Jackie Cabasso
Joseph Gerson
Kevin Martin
Peace and Planet Joint Coordinators
www.peaceandplanet.org
www.globalwave2015.org
