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Belize Ratifies the TPNW!The entry into force countdown continues with only 13 more ratifications needed for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) to become international law. Despite the global lockdown, on Tuesday, May 19th, Belize became the 37th country to ratify the TPNW. This ratification marks the seventh CARICOM nation to become a States party to the Treaty.
As we steadily approach 50 ratifications, we encourage you to continue to educate your government leaders on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons and urge them to sign and/or ratify the TPNW as soon as possible.
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In light of the current pandemic, the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, originally scheduled to take place April-May 2020, has been postponed to early 2021. In response to the delayed Review Conference, more than 80 civil society organizations, including IPPNW, have endorsed a joint statement to the states parties of the NPT. IPPNW Latin American Regional Vice President, Dr. Carlos Umaña, contributed to the joint statement.
One of the many lessons to be learned from this global crisis is that science must not be ignored under the guise of “national security” policies that put profit before people and privilege the most powerful...The civil society organisations endorsing this statement put forward the following three key messages to NPT states parties:
1. Global support for the NPT is strong, but its long-term viability cannot be taken for granted.
2. The grave state of global affairs and the rising risk of nuclear conflict and arms racing requires new and bolder leadership from responsible states.
3. Those that resist change also say the “environment” is not right for further progress, but responsible actors everywhere are rising to the challenge.
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Online World Conference 2020 and Youth AssemblyOn April 25th, 2020, the Online World Conference 2020: Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Resist and Reverse Climate Change, For Social and Economic Justice took place with over 2,000 Zoom participants and individuals viewing the livestream. A full recording of the World Conference can be found here. The two hour long event connected the issues of nuclear weapons, the climate crisis, and social and economic justice in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. IPPNW’s very own Dr. Carlos Umaña, Regional Vice President for Latin America, was the first speaker of the event, highlighting the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons and how this crisis connects with COVID-19. Additional speakers ranged from Xiye Bastida (Fridays for Future, Mexico) to United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu.
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On May 2, 2020, one week after the Online World Conference, the first World Conference: Youth Assembly event took place with over 370 Zoom participants from 50+ countries around the world, including the United States, Japan, Nepal, the United Kingdom, Kenya, and Germany. A full recording of the Youth Assembly can be found here.
The event was moderated by the co-chairs of the Planning Committee, Molly McGinty, Program Associate at IPPNW and Emily Rubino, Director of Policy and Outreach at Peace Action New York State. We featured seven main panelists touching on different aspects of our main issue areas of nuclear abolition, climate change, social and racial justice. Among the panelists were Franca Bruggen and Kelvin Kibet, IPPNW Medical Student Representatives, who spoke to the medical aspect of COVID-19 and how that is impacting the world around us, tying this back to the threat of nuclear weapons. A full report of the Youth Assembly can be found here.
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On Saturday, May 16th we hosted Regional Breakout Sessions, which served as a follow-up to the Youth Assembly to allow participants to be even more engaged and help us build a joint movement bridging our priorities together. The Regional Breakout Sessions brought 80+ youth participants together from around the world to discuss the issues which will impact our future the most. Participants left this event with concrete action steps to work towards a safer and more sustainable future for all. To stay up to date and to get involved with the global action steps, follow the Youth Assembly’s Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, or contact Molly McGinty at mmcginty@ippnw.org.
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New Articles and Publications
IPPNW just released our latest Vital Signs, our biannual newsletter. It features IPPNW affiliate matters around the world, our response to the COVID-19 crisis, the 75th anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and countless other topics. Check out the entire newsletter here.
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IPPNW leaders Dr. Ruth Mitchell and Dr. Ira Helfand were interviewed by Jon Letman in Responsible Statecraft, exploring 'What the coronavirus can teach us about nuclear weapons”. While connecting the COVID-19 pandemic to nuclear weapons, Dr. Mitchell explains;
“‘It’s not the Olympics to see who can suffer the most or what would be the worst scenario,’ she said, but noted that the devastation, disconnection, and disruption to daily life during the pandemic offers a glimpse of what we can expect after a nuclear weapon is used.
‘It should sober us into action on what is an incredibly preventable cause of loss of life and livelihood...What we’re seeing with the coronavirus is just the tip of the iceberg of the amount of sick and dying and dead people that we would see in a nuclear war.’”
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On May 4th, IPPNW Co-President Dr. Ira Helfand and former United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Sergio Duarte published the article, “The Novel Coronavirus and Nuclear Weapons”. The two connect the current pandemic with the threat posed by nuclear weapons, but unlike COVID-19, we have the tool to abolish nuclear weapons, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). They state, “Just as the threat of the new coronavirus must be met by cooperation, common-sense and solidarity among peoples and nations, so must the danger of a nuclear war.”
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IPPNW leader and member of the German affiliate, Dr. Lars Pohlmeier, published an inspiring article in IPPNW’s Peace and Health Blog outlining his experiences growing up in West Germany post-World War II, truly embracing being a global citizen, and his vision of peace.
“The good news is everything can also change for the better. With all my experience of peace work representing IPPNW—the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War—on numerous occasions at Russian, US, British, and French ministries, at NATO, or even in North Korea, I remain convinced that with the right political will we can make this world a better place.
One of the key messages for me is that peace and security are not topics that can be left to politicians, diplomats, and the military. To preserve the “good” in our society, the members of society must actively engage and defend its values.”
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As the world continues to respond to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, IPPNW Co-President Dr. Tilman Ruff writes on Croakey.org about the ways in which the current pandemic exposes the fragility of our social and political infrastructures. He warns all about the preventable threat of nuclear weapons, which could lead to the "final epidemic".
That is why we have to act now to protect our Earth from rampant heating and the abrupt ice age that would follow the radioactive incineration of nuclear war; as if our lives depended on it, because they do.
We can’t stop all new epidemics. And we don’t yet know if we can eradicate the COVID-19 virus.
But we can and must end nuclear weapons before they end us. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons provides the best available path forward. We should heed the lessons of COVID and take that path while we still can.
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Road to Mombasa
IPPNW’s 23rd World Congress in Mombasa, Kenya, previously scheduled to convene in May, has been postponed due to COVID-19. Nevertheless, we will use our “newfound time” to hold a series of webinars and virtual regional meetings to advance the topics, interests, and initiatives that were planned for our May Congress, to make our discussions even more productive when we convene in Mombasa next year. Stay tuned for more information!
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