General E-News Advisories
2004

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Subscribe to the Reaching Critical Will General E-News Advisories:
send an email to the Project Associate, subject line "subscribe e-news"

December 9

     1) RCW analysis of the report of the High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change

December 1

     1) Invitation to participate in an NGO Strategy E-Discussion on the NPT Review Conference
     2) NGO Presentations
     3) Countdown to the NPT Calendar
     4) Vertical proliferation wins and losses
     5) IAEA-Iran update

November 22

     1) First Committee Monitor: Final Edition
     2) Countdown to the NPT Calendar
     3) Happy holidays to RCW
     4) The IAEA on Nuclear Terrorism  

October 22

     1) Action Alert: Support the New Agenda Coalition!
     2) First Committee Resources

October 14

     1) Action Alert: NGO participation at the First Committee
          i. ALERT NGOs!
          ii. Sample Letter
          iii. Suggested list of experts (unconfirmed)
     2) First Committee Monitor, No. 1: October 4-8, 2004

September 23

     1) Disarmament Index Now Online
     2) NPT Strategy Session, October 8
     3) "Nuclear Disarmament: What NOW?" - an updated educational booklet from RCW
     4) Contextualizing Past, Present and Future Challenges to the NPT
     5) Excerpts on Disarmament and Nonproliferation from the Secretary-General Report to the General Assembly
     6) Statement by the New Agenda Coalition on Disarmament and Nonproliferation

September 15

     1) Conference on Disarmament 2004 Session Closes
     2) General Debate Disarmament Index
     3) General Assembly First Committee
     4) Update on Security Council Resolution 1540
     5) Event: Reaching Critical Will is Honored in New York City
     6) Abolition Now! Campaign

August 20

     1) General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security update and info for NGOs
     2) Invitation to participate in the NGO Working Group on the First Committee
     3) Resources on missiles, missile defense, and the prevention of an arms race in outer space

August 4

     1) US announces policy on FMCT
     2) Invitation to NGOs to participate in UN General Assembly First Committee working group
     3) Cardoso Panel Report: tools for NGOs
     4) Biological Weapons Convention Second Meeting of Experts Adjourns
     5) New resource on gender and disarmament

July 14

     1) New look for the RCW website!
     2) New FMCT resource page
     3) Updated CD resources
     4) Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention
     5) SALW Week of Action
     6) Nuclear Summer

June 14

     1) G-8 Action Plan on Non-Proliferation
     2) PSI's one year anniversary
     3) United States and Russia unveil new nonproliferation initiative

May 20

     1) NPT Resources at RCW
          - statements
          - reports and working papers
          - NGO presentations
          - Post PrepCom Analysis
          - Summary of Issues under the NPT
          - News in Review Archive
     2) NGO Shadow Report: Accountability is Democracy, Transparency is Security
     3) Conference on Disarmament Second Session Begins
     4) Fundraising Update
     5)"A Higher Wager"- excerpt from Final Edition of the News in Review

April 21

     1) NGO Registration
     2) NGO Orientation
     3) NGO Presentations
     4) NGO Resource Center
     5) NGO Shadow Report
     6) WILPF Events

April 7

     1) The United Nations Disarmament Commission Postpones 2004 Session
     2) NGOs and the Security Council Draft Resolution on Non-Proliferation
     3) New Conference on Disarmament resource from Reaching Critical Will
     4) "Contextualizing the NPT," a Report for Non-Nuclear Weapon States Party to the NPT
     5) NGO Morning Strategy Sessions at the NPT Rescheduled

March 24

     1) NPT Checklist
     2) CD First Session Ends
     3) UNDC Scheduled to Begin
     4) This is What Reporting Looks Like
     5) Mr. ElBaradei Goes to Washington

March 2: NPT Update #2

     1) Registration for the PrepCom is now open
     2) Office Space for NGOs participating in the PrepCom
     3) News in Review submissions
     4) Calendar of NGO events
     5) Housing for NGO representatives at the PrepCom
     6) Nuclear Testing: Then and Now

February 13: NPT Update #1

     1) Invitation to the 2004 NPT PrepCom
     2) NGO Registration
     3) What can we hope to achieve?
     4) NGO Statements to the delegates
     5) Housing Options for NGO representatives
     6) News in Review: the daily NGO newsletter
     7) What can I do if I can't go to New York?
     8) Women's Caucus at the NPT
     9) Links for more information  

January 29

     1) Reaching Critical Finances: a call for donations and a benefit concert
     2) News in Review subscriptions
     3) The Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission commences work

 *****************************************************************

December 9

Dear Reaching Critical Will friends and advisors,

Please find below a short analysis of the nuclear disarmament assessments and recommendations contained in the report from the Secretary-General's High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change. The analysis has been prepared to provide some background to the recommendations and offer support and critique where appropriate.

This assessment can also be viewed on our website here: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/highlevelpanel.html. You can download a printable version of the report at: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/highlevel.pdf. The original report, "A More Secure World: Our shared responsibility," is available here: http://www.un.org/secureworld/.

Best wishes,

Rhianna Tyson
Project Manager

December 1

Dear Reaching Critical Will friends and advisors,

The first of December signifies a lot: colder weather is now upon us (in the northern hemisphere), there are holiday gifts to get, families to visit, New Year's plans to make and, most importantly, only five months left of preparation for the Seventh Review Conference of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty!!

This is the first in a series of NPT-focused updates from Reaching Critical Will. Over the coming months, more important information regarding your participation at the Review Conference will be disseminated through this subscription service, including information on housing, registration, accreditation, side events and other opportunities for you and your organization to get your views across.

Of course, there are other events outside of the NPT framework to look out for, so we included a few other news items at the bottom.

In this advisory:

1. Invitation to participate in an NGO Strategy E-Discussion on the NPT Review Conference
2. NGO Presentations
3. Countdown to the NPT Calendar
4. Vertical proliferation wins and losses
5. IAEA-Iran update

Also, tomorrow the General Assembly will begin to take action on the resolutions adopted by the First Committee. Be sure to check RCW's First Committee page to view the results of the GA voting.

As always, we welcome all comments, questions and concerns. We also welcome all tax-free donations made to the Reaching Critical Will project. The General E-News Service and the other services from Reaching Critical Will cannot continue without your support! Please consider a donation today and visit: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/about/donate.htm to make a secure on-line payment.

Best wishes,
Rhianna Tyson
Project Manager

1. Invitation to participate in an NGO Strategy E-Discussion on the NPT Review Conference

The achievements of the 2000 Review Conference have been ignored, undermined or, in some cases, even denied.
Nuclear proliferation, both vertical and horizontal, continues to threaten our global security.
The third Preparatory Committee of the NPT failed to agree on any recommendations for the Review Conference, ensuring a rough start to what will surely be a difficult month of negotiations next May.

With all of this in mind, all NGOs concerned with disarmament and nonproliferation must come to the Seventh Review Conference with a solid, effective and coherent strategy in mind.

RCW will be launching an E-Discussion for NGOs to strategize around the seventh Review Conference. This e-forum will be moderated by RCW and will run from January 10th until April 1st, 2005. We invite all NGOs to participate in this discussion.

In this E-Discussion, we will be framing our discussion around specific questions such as:
- What are our demands and expectations from the Conference?
- What types of proposals will be coming from our governmental allies and how do we best support them?
- What will be the Nuclear Five's strategy and how do we best counter it?
- What is our media strategy?
- What kind of side events (panels, workshops, seminars) do we want to convene?
- How can civil society best amplify their messages so that they are heard by our representatives?

Over the next few months, NGOs and governments will be holding an array of preparatory meetings around the world. (See Item 4. below) Others will be engaging in a grassroots campaign with students and other peace and justice groups to try to bring their attention to the Review Conference. We encourage participants to the E-Discussion to offer the various findings, questions, conclusions and salient points that were raised at these meetings and events.

At the end of each week, participants will receive a summary of the main points raised and discussed.

This forum is for the purposes of strategizing only. It is not to be used as a news-list nor to hold two- or three-way conversations.

Join the discussion today by sending an email to: NPTstrategy-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

2. NGO Presentations

Each year, NGOs are allowed one, three-hour long session to present their views to the delegates at the Review Conference. You can read last year's presentations at: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/npt/prepcom04/NGOpres.html

Some NGOs are already thinking about this year's crop of NGO presentations. In previous years, Reaching Critical Will has coordinated the presentations process. First, ideas for presentations were brainstormed, debated, and finally selected over conference calls, meetings, email listserves, and web-based information. Then, several NGOs volunteered to comprise each presentation’s drafting committee, headed up by one convenor, who was responsible for writing the drafts. Each of the drafts was submitted to the group at large, whereby every NGO was invited to comment, critique, and edit. After months of international conference calls, wrangling on-line and in person, the drafts were finalized and the presenters were chosen from a wide group of experts.

This year, some NGOs are exploring alternative ways of getting our message of disarmament across. Some of these ideas include:

• A "speech competition". All civil society participants would be invited to submit a 5-8 minute long statement to a "high-level" panel of expert writers, poets and journalists. The winning 10 speeches would be selected by this committee.
• A "radio play". In this scenario, all or part of the three hours designated to NGO presentations would be delivered in a dramatic, play-reading style. The "play" would incorporate the issues and points that the NGO community wants to make, but in a more exciting, entertaining and media-grabbing way.
• Mayors for Peace would deliver some or all of the presentations.
  Statements would be drawn up in the same way as they were in the past, but read out loud by celebrities, youth, or other big-name peace advocates.
• Inviting youth from around the world to deliver their own messages.
• Utilizing the same process as the years past but forgoing the usual themes of health risks, missile proliferation and the like, focusing instead on a more grassroots message so as to alert the world's governments of the growing popular movement against nuclear weapons.

Regardless of the approach that we take this year, we must go to great lengths to ensure the broadest possible range of participants. We invite all interested NGOs to participate in a global conference call Tuesday, December 14th, at 12 PM EST (9 AM west coast, 5 PM London, 6 PM Paris, 6 AM {Wednesday}Wellington and so forth.) All participants must cover their own cost for the phone call.

Call in#: +1 (641) 497-7200
Access code: 382902#

Please RSVP to Rhianna if you will be able to join the call. A reminder to all RSVPed participants will go out a few days prior to the call.

3. Countdown to the NPT Calendar

Groups, governments and grassroots coalitions are meeting in dozens of places at dozens of times throughout these next few months, all for the singular purpose of maximizing progress at the Review Conference.

In order to keep track of it all, RCW has created a "Countdown to the NPT Calendar", now available at: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/npt/NPTcal.html.

If you or your organization is holding its own NPT-focused event, contact us today and have your event posted on the calendar. Be sure to include the event title, description, location and contact information.

4. Vertical proliferation wins and losses

While NGOs are scurrying with their NPT preparations, some governments are busying with their own proliferation plans.

This week, Russia successfully conducted a successful test of an "anti-missile missile" at the Sary-Shagaz testing grounds in Kazakhstan. This missile test comes just weeks after President Putin boasted of Russia's plans to develop "next-generation nuclear missile", believed to be a modified Topol-M.

Meanwhile on the other side of the northern hemisphere, the US Congress slashed funding for its own vertical proliferation programs. The FY05 Omnibus Appropriations bill deleted all funds for the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP) and for the "Advanced Concepts Initiative" on new low-yield nuclear weapons. These cuts are, as Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) called, "a consequential victory for those of us who believe the United States sends a wrong signal to the rest of the world by reopening the nuclear door and beginning testing and development of a new generation of nuclear weapons."

But, as some in the peace and security community have pointed out, the fight in the US is far from over. The Washington Times ran an editorial, "Nuke Rep. Hobson's bill," saying "[t]his wrong decision needs to be reversed promptly..."
(See http://www.washingtontimes.com/functions/print.php?StoryID=20041126-085502-5675r)

These cuts can still be reserved in the supplemental appropriations bill, expected to be submitted with the regular budget on February 7.

Read more about Russia's vertical proliferation here:
http://www.mosnews.com/news/2004/11/29/antimissile.shtml
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/11/17/russia.putin/index.html

and about the US budget cut here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5554-2004Nov22.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/23/politics/23nuke.html?adxnnl=1&oref=login&adxnnlx=1101243099-asx3COCu1WfZgvvu/AcGeg

Read more about what all of the Nuclear Five are and are not doing to live up to the agreements reached at the 2000 Review Conference of the NPT here: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/npt/shadowreport/13steps.pdf

5. IAEA-Iran Update

On Nov 28, the IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei received a letter from Iran, declaring its intention to place 20 sets of centrifuge components under IAEA surveillance. These 20 sets had been the one exception to the Agency's surveillance capability over the Iranian nuclear programs. This agreement was the product of the negotiations between Iran, France, Germany and the UK (with support from the High Representative of the EU) reached on November 7, whereby Iran agreed to freeze its uranium enrichment program. This agreement is now contained in document INFCIRC 637.

On Monday, November 29th, the IAEA Board of Governors passed a resolution which, inter alia, emphasizes that Iran's suspension of its enrichment and reprocessing facilities "is a voluntary, non-legally-binding, confidence building measure, to be verified by the Agency". On Tuesday, Iran's top nuclear official, Hassan Rowhani, remarked that Iran's concession did not signify an abandonment of its enrichment and reprocessing facilities, but only a suspension of them for “several months”.

Mr. Rowhani also stated that "(t)he suspension (of enrichment activities) will be limited to the negotiation period with Europe and not beyond. In case negotiations cease or are unsuccessful, there will not be any sort of suspension."

In a statement on Monday, ElBaradei said that "should the suspension not be fully sustained, or should the Agency be prevented from verifying all elements of the suspension," the Director-General will notify the Board for possible further action, which could include action by the Security Council.

For more on the IAEA-Iran Update, see: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/29/world/main646227.shtml
Full coverage from the IAEA: http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Focus/IaeaIran/index.shtml
The IAEA Board Resolution: http://www.iaea.org/Publications/Documents/Board/2004/gov2004-90_derestrict.pdf
The Director-General statement: http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Statements/2004/ebsp2004n017.html

************************************************

November 22

Dear Reaching Critical Will friends and advisors,

Now that the General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security has come to a close, it is now time to set our sights on the big prize ahead: the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Seventh Review Conference, to be held in New York, May 2-27, 2005. RCW and the entire global disarmament community have big plans in the works- be sure to keep checking RCW for all updates pertaining to this all-important conference.

In this advisory:
1) First Committee Monitor: Final Edition
2) Countdown to the NPT Calendar
3) Happy holidays to RCW
4) The IAEA on Nuclear Terrorism

As always, we welcome all comments, questions or concerns you may have regarding the General E-News service or any other service provided by Reaching Critical Will. Send all comments to: info@reachingcriticalwill.org. WILPF strongly supports the wide dissemination of all of RCW's news services. A copy of this message, and all other General E-News Advisories, can be found on our site at: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/action/Advisories04.html

Best wishes,
Rhianna Tyson
Project Manager

1) First Committee Monitor: Final Edition

You can now find on our website all five editions of the First Committee Monitor, the weekly newsletter published by Reaching Critical Will in collaboration with the NGO Working Group on the First Committee. The Monitor offers independent views on over a dozen of the most salient issues facing the First Committee, including nuclear disarmament, small arms and light weapons, verification, the New Agenda, missiles and more.

The Monitor was produced every Sunday night throughout the five weeks of the General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security. Over 800 subscribers around the world received either the HTML or PDF version of the weekly report, and each delegate to the Committee received a copy on Monday.

All archived editions of the Monitor are available at: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/1com/FCM.html.

We urge all readers of the Monitor to fill out the easy-to-use questionnaire, and let us know how you used the Monitor in your own work: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/1com/questionnaire.htm

Click here to read the editorial Introduction from the final edition of the Monitor, No. 5. Or check out the Final Edition in its entirety, with articles on issues such as:

• Missiles
• Nuclear Disarmament
• Fissile Materials
• Terrorism
• Chemical and Biological Weapons
• Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space
• Disarmament and Development
• Conventional Weapons
• A New Agenda
• Negative Security Assurances
• Verification
• Disarmament Education
• Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
• Regional Issues
• Landmines

2) Countdown to the NPT Calendar

It seems that NGOs, think tanks, activists and governments are plotting a thousand events over the next few months in order to make the Seventh Review Conference of the NPT as successful as possible.

In the next few weeks, RCW will be tracking all of these events and posting them on our new Countdown to the NPT Calendar. If you or your organization will be hosting an NPT-related event, we urge you to send us information ASAP. Be sure to include:

• the title of your event
• a brief description of your event
• contact information and website
• location of your event.

This Countdown Calendar will be up and running by the start of the December holidays- just in time for you to make your travel arrangements for the upcoming year.

3) Happy holidays to RCW

There are only six weeks left in 2004- only six weeks remaining for you to give a much-needed, immeasurably appreciated, tax-free donation to Reaching Critical Will.

WILPF created the Reaching Critical Will project to serve YOU- the global community of disarmament experts, analysts and activists. Only you understand how crucial the RCW project is to our community, and now it is up to you- and only you- to save RCW and ensure our continued services throughout the next important months.

Give yourself a holiday gift by considering a donation to Reaching Critical Will today. A gift in the amount of $100, $500 or $1000 will ensure that RCW can follow through with our NPT plans, which include:

- hosting an NPT Strategy Summit, February 2005
- facilitating an online NPT strategy discussion forum
- daily reporting in the News in Review
- publishing "Nuclear Disarmament: What Now?!"
- publishing an NPT Challenges Resource Guide
- publishing the 2005 edition of the NGO Shadow Report: Accountability is Democracy, Transparency is Security
- coordinating the NGO presentations
- facilitating side events at the Conference
- organizing an NGO orientation session at the start of the Review
- holding daily briefings between NGOs and government delegations

and much, much more.

But none of this can happen without your vital support!! A donation to Reaching Critical Will is an easy, powerful way to give support to the entire international disarmament community as we prepare to head in to the seventh Review Conference of the NPT.

We now have an easy-to-use PayPal account available on our site, to make your credit card payment easier and safer. Just visit: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/about/donate.htm
Or, if you prefer, we also welcome checks made out to:

Jane Addams Peace Association
777 UN Plaza, 6th floor
New York, NY 10017

(Be sure to put RCW in the memo line of the check!)

As a Reaching Critical Will friend and advisor, we also encourage you to introduce us and our work to other colleagues who might be interested in becoming an RCW Friend and Advisor as well. After all, they'd be in good company.

4) The IAEA on Nuclear Terrorism

Earlier this month, the International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei called for strengthened measures to keep nuclear materials out of the hands of terrorists.

Below is an article from the UN News Service reporting on Mr. ElBaradei's statement to the Asia-Pacific Conference on Nuclear Safeguards and Security meeting in Sydney, Australia.

UN WATCHDOG URGES BETTER STEPS TO KEEP NUCLEAR MATERIAL OUT OF TERRORIST HANDS
New York, Nov. 8 2004. 3:00PM
Declaring that the "threat of nuclear terrorism is real and current," the head of the United Nations atomic watchdog today called for urgent international measures to prevent radioactive matter from falling into the hands of terrorists, citing increased trafficking of nuclear or other radioactive materials as a "disturbing" sign.

"The security of nuclear and other radioactive material has taken on dramatically heightened significance in recent years," International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei told the Asia-Pacific Conference on Nuclear Safeguards and Security meeting in Sydney, Australia.

"The events of September 2001 (terrorist attack on the United States) propelled the rapid and dramatic re-evaluation of the risks of terrorism in all its forms, whether related to the security of urban centres, sports arenas, industrial complexes, harbours and waterways, oil refineries, air and rail travel, or nuclear and radiological activities," he said. "Nuclear security should be urgently strengthened, without waiting for a 'watershed' nuclear security event to provide the impetus for needed security upgrades."

Mr. ElBaradei said that "perhaps the most disturbing lesson to emerge" from IAEA probes into recent nuclear programmes in Iran and Libya was the existence of an extensive illicit market for the supply of nuclear items which clearly thrived on demand. "The relative ease with which a multinational illicit network could be set up and operated demonstrates clearly the inadequacy of the present export control system," he added, noting that 60 incidents of trafficking were reported in 2003 and the total for this year will be even higher.

While the majority of these incidents did not involve nuclear material and most radioactive sources involved were of limited concern, the number showed that measures to control and secure nuclear and other radioactive materials need to be improved. "They also show that measures to detect and respond to illicit trafficking are essential," Mr. ElBaradei said.

He called for better control of the sensitive parts of the nuclear fuel cycle, namely the production of enriched uranium and the reprocessing of plutonium essential elements in producing nuclear weapons.

Who does possess indigenous capability for the full nuclear fuel cycle? Who has enriched uranium and where is it? How much do they have? How big are the existing plutonium stockpiles in the world? Find out the answers to these and other questions relating to nuclear terrorism in the NGO Shadow Report: Accountability is Democracy, Transparency is Security, available at: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/npt/shadowreport/ngoshadrepindex.html.

************************************************
Rhianna Tyson
Project Manager

October 22

1) A call to support the New Agenda Coalition resolution at the First Committee
The New Agenda Coalition (NAC), the group of seven States which are primarily responsible for the drafting and successful adoption of the 13 Practical Steps of the 2000 NPT Review Conference, has put forth a new draft resolution this year, 59/L.22, "Accelerating the implementation of nuclear disarmament commitments." You can also find the resolution in Spanish and French, as well as English, at www.lcnp.org.

All NGOs must contact your foreign ministries and missions in New York and urge them to vote "yes" on the New Agenda resolution, L.22. While all of the resolutions on disarmament deserve the fullest support of civil society and the governments that represent them, it is particularly important to amass as much support as possible for the NAC resolution, as this year's version has a significant chance of garnering support from key US allies, including NATO States.

The short, concise resolution is designed to obtain the maximum amount of support heading into the 2005 NPT Review Conference, a text that can unite the world's Non-Nuclear Weapon States in demanding progress on disarmament. It lists priority areas where steps can reasonably be taken by the Nuclear Weapon States prior to the Review Conference. It could encourage action prior to the Conference, and serve as a basis for assessment of compliance at the Review Conference. In general, it is aimed at providing a focused means to highlight and oppose the nuclear weapons states' flouting of the commitments they made in 2000.

Last year, with the exception of Canada, which voted yes, NATO countries, Japan, and Australia abstained. Civil society advocacy in capitals could make a difference this year. It's needed soon - the First Committee vote will likely come prior to November 2, and ministers may be making a decision on how to vote as early as this week. (See last year's voting results here: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/1com/1com03/voting/L40WHOLE.pdf)

Please call, fax and email your representatives today!

If you have further questions, contact John Burroughs at Lawyers' Committee on Nuclear Policy: johnburroughs@lcnp.org

2) Other First Committee resources

All draft resolutions are available at: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/1com/1com04/res/resindex.html
All statements delivered at the Committee are available at: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/1com/1com04/statements/statements.html
Archived First Committee Monitors, the weekly NGO publication on the First Committee, are available at: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/1com/FCM.html
Read press releases from the First Committee here: http://www.un.org/ga/59/first/press.shtml
Other non-papers and documentation are available here: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/1com/1com04/docs/docs.html

*************************************************

October 14

In this advisory:

1) Action Alert: NGO participation at the First Committee
     i. ALERT NGOs!
     ii. Sample Letter
     iii. Suggested list of experts (unconfirmed)
2) First Committee Monitor, No. 1: October 4-8, 2004

We encourage wide dissemination of this news advisory, especially the NGO Action Alert. As always, this and all other RCW General E-News Advisories can be found on our website, or by clicking on "News" on the top of our homepage. We welcome all comments and questions regarding this or any other service from Reaching Critical Will.

Best,
Rhianna

1) Action Alert: NGO participation at the First Committee

i. ALERT NGOs!!!

The issue of UN Reform is emerging as the hottest topic at this year’s session of the UN General Assembly. At the First Committee on Disarmament and International Security, a few proposals have been put forth on ways to improve the First Committee, including the United States, Argentina, China, Cuba, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Sierra Leone, Switzerland, the European Union and the Non-Aligned Movement.

The Chairman of the Committee, Ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba (Mexico), has also put forth his own informal proposal verbale, which would, among other things, invite NGOs to address the Committee during the thematic debate (beginning Monday October 18), according to their area of expertise. For instance, during the thematic debate on conventional weapons, NGOs would be allowed to make one short statement after the Member States have delivered their interventions. The statement would be short, concise, and provide a context for the various draft resolutions. Following the NGO statement, Member States would be invited to engage in a question and answer session with the NGO speaker.

The NGO statement, as well as the following Q&A session, would be held during the formal session, but kept off the record, so as to ensure a greater level of frank and productive interaction.

If this unprecedented proposal is to succeed, the Chairman must have the full support of as many Member States as possible. It is therefore up to civil society to push our governments to support this bold proposal, and to provide the Chairman with the names of local experts on the various issues facing the Committee.

We call upon all NGOs to contact their governments, both in their capitals as well as their Missions in New York, and urge their governments to support increased NGO participation at the First Committee. We recommend that copies of these letters be CCed to the Chairman. We have included below a sample letter to be faxed to your government.

We have also included a list of suggested NGO experts who could address the Committee during the thematic debate. This is simply a list of unconfirmed, suggested experts; feel free to add or delete other experts that you wish to put forward.

Your input at this time will be crucial. Increased NGO participation at the First Committee can have a positive effect on civil society participation within the entire United Nations system as a whole, as recommended by the recently concluded Secretary-General Panel of Eminent Persons on Civil Society and UN Relationships (the Cardoso report).

Whether or not these proposals are carried through this year, support from Member States today will help to ensure enhanced civil society participation at the UN in the future.

You can follow these developments and others as they arise within the First Committee by subscribing to the First Committee Monitor, the weekly newsletter published by the NGO Working Group on the First Committee.

Yours truly,

Rhianna Tyson
Editor, First Committee Monitor

ii. SAMPLE LETTER

Dear Ambassador/Minister ______________,[i]

As you know, the issue of reform has emerged as a major theme at this year’s General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security. We understand that a number of informal proposals have been put forth to the Committee, including one that would invite NGO experts to address the Committee off-record during the official Thematic Debate.

We urge you to support this proposal to increase non-governmental organizations’ (NGO) participation in the Committee.

Such interactivity with NGOs would enhance the work of the Committee, by increasing its transparency and by providing depth and context of the issues upon which all Member States will be voting soon.

The Secretary-General’s Panel of Eminent Persons on Civil Society and UN Relationships (A/58/817) recommends, inter alia, that:

“The General Assembly should permit the carefully planned
participation of actors besides central Governments in its
processes. In particular, the Assembly should regularly invite
contributions to its committees and special sessions by those
offering high-quality independent input.”

In the Secretary-General’s report on this panel (A/59/354), he concurred with this proposal, asserting that: “More effective engagement with NGOs… increases the likelihood that United Nations decisions will be better understood and supported by a broad and diverse public.”

We strongly encourage you to join the Chairman and the growing number of Member States who have already voiced appreciation for NGOs in the First Committee. Attached is a list of suggested experts that we believe will be able to enhance the discussions taking place at the First Committee.

Increased NGO participation at the First Committee can have a positive effect on civil society participation within the entire United Nations system as a whole, which in turn will make the work of the United Nations more transparent, more useful, and more effective in the long term.

Thank you very much for your attention.

Sincerely,
Your Name Here.

[i] You can find the name of your Foreign Minister and Permanent Representative in New York, as well as the name of the Disarmament Counselor in charge of the First Committee through the Reaching Critical Will Government Database: www.reachingcriticalwill.org/resources/govcontacts/govindex.html. If writing to your mission in New York, we recommend CCing the Disarmament Counselor in the head of your letter.

Be sure to CC the Chairman:
Ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba
Permanent Mission of Mexico to the United Nations
Fax: (212) 688 8862

iii. SUGGESTED LIST OF EXPERTS
based on the Indicative Timetable for Structured Discussion of Specific Subjects on the Adopted Thematic Approach on Disarmament and International Security Agenda Items (A/C.1/59/CRP.2)

Nuclear weapons

1) Rebecca Johnson, Acronym Institute. rej@acronym.org.uk
2) Jackie Cabasso, Western States Legal Foundation, wslfweb@earthlink.net
3) Daryl Kimball, Arms Control Association. dkimball@armscontrol.org

Other weapons of mass destruction (BCWs)

1) Barbara Rosenberg, Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. brosenberg@armscontrolcenter.org
2) Mark Wheelis, Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. mwheelis@armscontrolcenter.org

Outer Space

1) Bruce Gagnon, Global Network against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space. globalnet@mindspring.com
2) Alice Slater, Global Resource Center on the Environment. aslater@gracelinks.org
3) Theresa Hitchens, Center for Defense Information. Thitchens@cdi.org

Conventional Weapons

1) Rebecca Peters, International Action Network on Small Arms. director@iansa.org
2) Randall Forsberg, Institute for Defense and Disarmament Studies. forsberg@idds.org
3) Ruslan Pukhov, Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, Russia. (+7-095) 135-13-78,
4) Otfried Nassauer, Berlin Information Center. Otfried.Nassauer@bits.de

Other disarmament measures and disarmament machinery

1) Rebecca Johnson, Acronym Institute. rej@acronym.org.uk
2) Rhianna Tyson, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. rhianna@reachingcriticalwill.org


Related matters of disarmament and international security, including nonproliferation education

1) Dr. Kathleen Sullivan, Educators for Social Responsibility. edna@bestweb.net
2) Jean duPreez, Center for Nonproliferation Studies. jean.dupreez@miis.edu

September 23

Dear Reaching Critical Will friends and advisors,

Although the General Assembly in full swing and the First Committee on Disarmament and International Security just around the corner, we must keep our eye on the big prize: the Seventh Review Conference of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

In this brief E-News Advisory, we wanted to bring your attention to both what is going on now at the United Nations, as well as some food-for-thought as you begin your own preparations for this historic Review Conference in May 2- 27, 2005.

In this E-News Advisory:
1. Disarmament Index Now Online
2. NPT Strategy Session, October 8
3. "Nuclear Disarmament: What NOW?" - an updated educational booklet from RCW
4. Contextualizing Past, Present and Future Challenges to the NPT
5. Excerpts on Disarmament and Nonproliferation from the Secretary-General Report to the General Assembly
6. Statement by the New Agenda Coalition on Disarmament and Nonproliferation

As always, this and all other News Advisories from RCW can be found by clicking on "News" at the top of our website. If you have any questions, comments, concerns or suggestions regarding any of the services from RCW, please never hesitate to contact us.

Best wishes,

Rhianna

1. Disarmament Index of the 2004 General Assembly

The Disarmament Index of the 2004 General Assembly is now online. This is an index of all references made to issues of disarmament, peace and security, made in the High-Level General Debate of the General Assembly. http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/1com/1com04/disarmindex.html

Included are all references made to arms control, arms expenditures, disarmament, multilateralism, nuclear energy, nuclear weapon free zones, security, proliferation, terrorism and weapons. Each entry also includes a link to the complete text of the statements.

This resource is a unique tool by which to gauge the issues to be detailed during the First Committee of the General Assembly, starting October 4, 2004.

With the help of RCW's newest interns, Renee O'Connor and Kerstin Bihlmaier, RCW is updating this Index every evening after the close of the day's statements. Be sure to check it daily!

Reminder: Do not forget to subscribe to the First Committee Monitor to receive all of the updates coming from the General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security!

2. NPT Strategy Session, October 8

On Friday, October 8, NGOs will be holding the another NPT Strategy Session in the lead-up to the 2005 Review Conference. Several groups- including the Japan-based Gensuikyo- will be in New York at this time, and all NGOs are encouraged to attend.

The meeting will be held in Conference Room B in the United Nations building. A UN badge is required. For more information, including how to obtain a day-pass at the UN, contact either Monika Szymurska, Abolition 2000 Coordinator, or Joseph Gerson, AFSC.

For a full listing of events taking place over the next two months, see the First Committee Calendar of Events.

3. "Nuclear Disarmament: What NOW?" - an updated educational booklet from RCW

It's been five years since Reaching Critical Will published its, "Nuclear Disarmament: What Next?" designed to teach activists, students and the media the basics of the NPT regime, and the implications of the historic 2000 Review Conference Final Document.

In the next six months we intend to do as much awareness-raising and outreach as possible. As part of that effort, we will be publishing a new edition of this booklet, one of our most successful teaching tools, now entitled- "Nuclear Disarmament: What NOW?" With the input from dozens of our colleagues around the world, this booklet will look back on the treaty, the promises of the 13 steps, our assessments of 2000 and prospects for the future.

You can read the 2000 version, "Nuclear Disarmament: What Next?" here: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/about/pubs/edkit.pdf.

4. "Contextualizing Past, Present and Future Challenges to the NPT," article by RCW's Rhianna Tyson in upcoming Disarmament Forum

The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) also has its sights set on the 2005 Review Conference. In the next issue of UNIDIR's quarterly journal Disarmament Forum focusing entirely on the NPT, RCW's Rhianna Tyson offers a piece on "Contextualizing Past, Present and Future Challenges to the NPT."

To order a hard copy of Disarmament Forum, check out UNIDIR's website. http://www.unidir.org.

Below is an excerpt from Rhianna's article, which is available in both English in French.

"In this age where crucial disarmament mechanisms remain blocked to the point of paralysis, it seems that actors throughout the international security community can scarcely agree on anything. Yet advocates across the spectrum—from counter-proliferation trumpeters to nuclear abolitionists—certainly agree on one truism: non-proliferation is facing one of its most formidable crises in the history of the nuclear age.
With only a few months remaining before the 2005 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference (RevCon), activists, analysts, experts and governmental representatives are seeking to understand what has gone wrong with the disarmament and non-proliferation regime, and how they can address the current challenges within the NPT system. Even as the oft-cited ‘cornerstone of disarmament’ has, for over thirty years, halted the proliferation of new nuclear-weapon states prophesized by United States President Kennedy, the current challenges are prompting the international community to scrutinize the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime, doubt its current efficacy and seek to understand where things went so wrong.

After a short assessment of the missteps that contributed to the situation we are faced with today, it is time to ask ‘what can we now do right?’ What alchemy was at work in 2000 that facilitated the Thirteen Steps of the 2000 RevCon Final Document? What opportunities lay ahead of us that could create more favorable conditions in the future?"

5. Excerpts on Disarmament and Nonproliferation from the Secretary-General Report to the General Assembly

The Secretary-General's Report to the General Assembly is now available online. In the section, "Achieving Peace and Security," the Secretary-General notes that "The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism remain issues of great concern." (page 3, 11)

The SG urges the Conference on Disarmament to "resume its role of negotiating new arms control agreements" while noting that the Conference has "benefited from focused high-level discussions during which foreign ministers voiced strong political support." (page 18, 68)

He notes "several issues" that "remain of great concern to the international community" including "the slow pace of disarmament, violations of non-proliferation commitments, evidence of a clandestine nuclear network and the threat of terrorism," noting that these "developments jeopardize international peace and security and may increase the risk of new instances of unilateral or pre-emptive use of force." (page 18, 69)

You can read the section on Disarmament on the RCW website at: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/SG2004.pdf.

6. Statement by the New Agenda Coalition on Disarmament and Nonproliferation
from the International Herald Tribune, Tuesday, September 21, 2004

Nuclear weapons, a legacy of the cold war, today give rise to dangerous new perspectives. Old and new threats converge, putting at risk the security of us all.

Seven years ago the foreign ministers of our countries - Brazil, Egypt, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa and Sweden - joined together in a New Agenda Coalition to work toward a security order where nuclear weapons would no longer be given a role. Today, we are more convinced than ever that nuclear disarmament is imperative for international peace and security.

We are faced with the perils of nuclear weapons finding their way into more military arsenals and the risk that these old tools of deterrence might become new tools of terrorists.

Nonproliferation is vital. But it is not sufficient. Nuclear nonproliferation and nuclear disarmament are two sides of the same coin and both must be energetically pursued. Otherwise we might soon enter a new nuclear arms race with new types, uses and rationales for such weapons and eventually also more warheads. And the primary tool for controlling nuclear weapons, the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, risks falling apart, with further proliferation as a consequence.

The nonproliferation treaty cannot be complied with à la carte. It is a legally binding agreement, which relies on a fine balance between the commitments of the five nuclear-weapon states - China, France, Russia, Britain and the United States - and those of the nonnuclear-weapon states. The heart of the treaty is that the latter will not develop nuclear weapons in return for which the nuclear powers will reduce and eventually eliminate their nuclear weapons.

In 1995 and 2000 this bargain was further refined. In 1995, the nonnuclear-weapon states agreed to the indefinite extension of the nonproliferation treaty, provided that the nuclear powers pursued nuclear disarmament and that all worked toward the entry into force of the comprehensive nuclear test-ban treaty.
In 2000, the nuclear powers made an unequivocal undertaking to eliminate their nuclear arsenals, and all parties adopted a practical plan for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament. Since then, however, very little progress has been made.

There are deeply disturbing signs pointing in the opposite direction. Instead of working toward the entry into force of the nuclear test-ban treaty, the United States, which was the first country to sign the treaty, has withdrawn its support. And China delays its ratification process year after year. Instead of eliminating nuclear weapons, some nuclear powers have plans to modernize or develop new kinds of nuclear weapons or new rationales for them.

Some even entertain the notion that nuclear weapons may be used pre-emptively against nonnuclear-weapon states. In Russia, nuclear weapons are increasingly seen as a possible defense against conventional weapons. Instead of destroying their nuclear warheads, the United States and Russia store them.

The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty is an important step in the right direction, but it does not require the destruction of these weapons, does not include tactical nuclear weapons and does not have any verification provisions. The process is neither irreversible, nor transparent.

If the nuclear-weapon states continue to treat nuclear weapons as a security enhancer, there is a real danger that other states will start pondering they should do the same. Recent developments show that this has already happened.

What, then, can be done?

First, all parties must comply with their commitments under the nonproliferation treaty, and the treaty should be made universal. All states should raise the guard against the further spread of nuclear weapons. And the nuclear-weapon states must comply with their commitments and pursue nuclear disarmament in good faith. Any plans to develop new nuclear weapons, new uses, roles or rationalizations for their use, must be shelved immediately.

Second, the entry into force of the nuclear test-ban treaty should be pursued as a matter of urgency.

Third, talks on a verifiable fissile material cutoff treaty should start immediately. The treaty would ban the production of key components of nuclear weapons, enriched uranium and plutonium, and form a cornerstone in the nuclear disarmament process.

It would impose restraints on India, Israel and Pakistan, the three states still outside the nonproliferation treaty. Together with the test-ban treaty, it would go a long way to uphold the nonproliferation treaty and strengthen the norm on nuclear nonproliferation and nuclear disarmament.

The future depends on our actions.

This article was signed by Foreign Ministers Celso Amorim of Brazil; Ahmed Ali Aboul Gheit of Egypt; Brian Cowen of Ireland; Luis Ernesto Derbez Bautista of Mexico; Phil Goff of New Zealand; Nkosazana Dlimini-Zuma of South Africa; and Laila Freivalds of Sweden.

************************************************
Rhianna Tyson
Project Manager

September 15

Yesterday, the 2003 Session of the General Assembly officially came to a close, and the incoming General Assembly President, Mr. Jean Ping, Foreign Minister of Gabon, opens the 2004 session today.

With the start of the new GA comes also the closing of the Conference on Disarmament 2004 session, the preparations for the GA First Committee on Disarmament and International Security and the start of a deluge of work from Reaching Critical Will and our NGO colleagues (and I hear the diplomats are busy as well).

In this General E-News Advisory:

1. Conference on Disarmament 2004 Session Closes
2. General Debate Disarmament Index
3. General Assembly First Committee
4. Update on Security Council Resolution 1540
5. Event: Reaching Critical Will is Honored in New York City
6. Abolition Now! Campaign

As always, we welcome all comments, questions, concerns and suggestions regarding RCW's News Services, website or other services. We look forward to hearing from you.

All the best,
Rhianna
**************************************************************************

1. Conference on Disarmament 2004 Session Closes
The 2004 session of the Conference on Disarmament has drawn to a close. The President of the Conference, Ambassador U Mya Than of Myanmar, will deliver a resolution based on the CD’s Final Report to the General Assembly First Committee in New York, October 2004.

Another year has passed, and still the Conference has failed to adopt a formal program of work or to officially establish (or re-establish) any mechanism to facilitate progress on any of its agenda items. While support for the Five Ambassadors Proposed Agenda (the A5) continues to mount, the Conference has yet to adopt a working plan of action for the 2005 session.

As is the tradition, key proposals and positions were offered towards the end of the annual session. On July 29, the United States announced the result of its long-awaited review of a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT). US Ambassador Jackie Sanders also proposed a ban on all "persistent" landmines, a much more narrow ban than the one enshrined in the Ottawa Convention. On August 26, China and Russia tabled two non-papers on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS). These non-papers, "Verification Aspects of PAROS" and "Existing International Legal Instruments and Prevention of the Weaponization of Outer Space" will be followed by a third non-paper on "Definitions in the Legal Instrument of PAROS." Canada has already offered some suggestions on PAROS definitions in its statement to the CD on August 26.

RCW has just updated a new version of the Reaching Critical Will Guide to the Conference on Disarmament, an advocacy and educational tool for activists, journalists and students. In it, you can find a history of the CD, learn about the items on its agenda, catch up with a summary of the major issues, and get an overview of the current political context and more.

We have also finished the 2004 edition of the CD Summary of Statements by Topic, a tool by which you can easily assess where the CD Member States stand on the important issues facing the Conference.

he 2005 session of the Conference on Disarmament will start on January 24, 2005.

2. General Debate Disarmament Index

On September 21, the General Debate of the General Assembly opens, wherein heads of state, foreign ministers or other high-level representatives have the opportunity to address the entire international community to express their State's concerns, priorities and opinions.

Reaching Critical Will compiles a Disarmament Index of all references to issues of disarmament and international security made during the General Debate, to be used to gauge the range of positions and increased concerns on disarmament and non-proliferation issues expected to be detailed during the First Committee, starting October 4, 2004.

See the 2003 Disarmament Index here.

NGOs from around the world share the concerns of many governments about the dangers posed by weapons of mass destruction, increased military expenditures and the trade in armaments. The ongoing conflicts in over 35 countries, as well as global concerns about terrorism, have made the work of the First Committee even more urgently relevant. NGOs will continue to offer analysis and constructive input while providing public education on the work of the United Nations General Assembly. We look forward to working closely with official governmental delegations, United Nations staff and the broad NGO community in this 59th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

3. General Assembly First Committee

The General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security opens on October 4, 2004.

(See past RCW News Advisories from August 4 and August 20 for previous important updates on the First Committee.)

Calendar of Events

RCW has arranged for a Conference Room in the UN to be used by NGOs throughout the First Committee. We have posted a First Committee Calendar of Events on our website, featuring the many workshops, briefings, strategy sessions- even a Disarmament Education course for diplomats!- taking place over the next few months.

If you or your organization would like to organize an educational, networking or advocacy event during the First Committee, contact the Project Manager today to reserve a room. These events will be held during the lunch session (normally 1-3 PM) so as to enable more delegates' participation.

NGO Working Group on the First Committee

Reaching Critical Will coordinates an NGO Working Group on the First Committee which shares the monitoring and reporting responsibilities in an attempt to make the work of the First Committee more transparent and useful for people not directly involved in the small New York disarmament community. The fruit of our collective labor is compiled and edited in the weekly newsletter, the First Committee Monitor, covering the broad range of issues discussed by the First Committee. The Monitor is distributed to all delegates of the First Committee, and is available on our site and through a free email-based subscription service in both PDF as well as HTML.
The first meeting of the working group will be held on Monday, September 20, at 3 PM, 8th floor of the UN Church Center (777 UN Plaza/44th street and 1st avenue). This is an open meeting and all NGOs are encouraged to attend. Please RSVP as soon as possible.

The Monitor has been hailed by diplomats, UN staffers and activists as one of the most useful resources produced during the General Assembly. The HTML versions include easy-to-use hyperlinks to all governmental statements, while the PDF versions include important announcements, calendars of events, resource spotlights, and more.

Stay updated with the First Committee by subscribing to the Monitor today. Be sure to indicate if you would prefer PDF, HTML or both formats.

4. Update on Security Council Resolution 1540

On April 28, 2004, the Security Council passed resolution 1540 on non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

On August 13, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (the 1540 Committee) adopted Terms of Reference and Guidelines for the Conduct of its Work. Both of these are available on the RCW website.

Tomorrow, September 16, the Chairman of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 will hold a briefing on the work of the Committee. For further information, contact Mr. Ionut Suseanu, Permanent Mission of Romania, or the Secretariat focal point, Mr. Jeremy Farrall: (212) 963-2475.

Continue to check RCW's page on the Security Council for all important updates regarding the Council's work on disarmament and nonproliferation.

5. Event: Reaching Critical Will is Honored in New York City

On Thursday, October 7, the Art Club will be honoring the work of Reaching Critical Will, the Lawyers' Committee on Nuclear Policy, United for Peace and Justice, Western States Legal Foundation and Women in Prison Project of the Correctional Association of New York.

All of RCW's friends and advisors are invited to mix and mingle at this informal gathering of art and feminism at the Tribeca Studio of Linda Stein, 100 Reade Street, between West Broadway & Church St., one block north of Chambers St.

There is no charge for this event, and refreshments will be served. You must, however, RSVP at (212) 964-6007, and tell the receptionist that Reaching Critical Will referred you. Or, you can email Linda@LindaStein.com.

For those who want the 15 minute art tour/talk about our host:

Victoria Watkins came to a recent Stein event and wrote: “Linda Stein, best known for her anti-war, feminist and androgynous art, showed us several rooms of her artwork spanning three decades of her career as a sculptor, painter and printmaker. Each studio room represents a period of her work, which parallels her personal evolution from emerging artist in the mid-1970s to feminist activist and established artist.

Her mood portraits of prominent women's rights leaders -- including Bella Abzug, Flo Kennedy, Billie Jean King, Margaret Sanger, Gloria Steinem, and Virginia Woolf-- are striking in the way moods are shown through dazzling patterns and colors.

In her anti-war sculpture, I like how Linda transformed steel machete blades from crude tools and weapons associated with violence to sensuous curvilinear sculptures that display beauty and strength as they seemingly float from the ceiling of her studio.

Her recent sculpture reflects the female shape combining embedded engraving plates, calligraphic glyphs, musical sounding forms, stone and other objects reminiscent of our past and present civilizations. What a lift when Linda encouraged us to touch her sculpture! I loved how she drew us into her art work beyond the visual experience.”

6. Abolition Now! Campaign

In the coming year, the Abolition 2000 Network, a network of over 2000 NGOs dedicated to the abolition of nuclear weapons, announce their new campaign, Abolition Now! Dare to Plan! Working with the Mayors for Peace Emergency Campaign to Ban Nuclear Weapons to create the political will, Abolition Now! calls for completing negotiations for a nuclear weapons free world by 2010 with the complete abolition of nuclear weapons by 2020.

In the lead-up to the NPT Review Conference at the UN in New York this May, Abolition Now! asks your support for the call for concrete plans for a nuclear free world during the 60th Anniversary Year of Remembrance and Action for a Nuclear Weapons Free World from August 6, 2004 to August 9, 2005.

Please check the new website www.abolitionnow.org to download the brochure and sign-on form, sign the Abolition Now! petition, and join efforts with the Mayors for Peace Campaign.

Please feel free to send comments and questions about the Abolition Now! campaign to mszymurska@gracelinks.org. Your efforts and feedback are greatly appreciated.

************************************************
Rhianna Tyson
Project Manager

August 20

1) General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security update and info for NGOs

The First Committee on Disarmament and International Security of the 59th session (2004) of the General Assembly will meet from October 4- November 5.

Mexico's Ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba will Chair the session. The Vice-Chairmen include Dziunik Aghajanian (Armenia), Alon Bar (Israel), and Sylvester Ekundayo Rowe (Sierra Leone). The Rapporteur is Mohamed Ali Saleh Alnajar (Yemen).

The Provisional Agenda can be downloaded here.

What Can NGOs Do Around the First Committee?
The First Committee is one of the best opportunities for outreach, education and advocacy efforts on disarmament and nonproliferation issues. Most of the disarmament-focused diplomats- normally based in Geneva- will be working in New York throughout the five weeks of the Committee, and much of the groundwork for the spring's NPT Review Conference will be laid out at this time.

1) Organize an event in New York

RCW will be able to provide your organization with a conference room at the United Nations for any educational, networking or advocacy event that you would like to hold during the First Committee. These events will be held during the lunch session (normally 1-3 PM) so as to enable more delegates' participation.

If you would like to organize an event, contact RCW immediately to book your event and have it posted on the First Committee Calendar.

2) Monitor the First Committee

Stay updated with what your country does or does not say on the important disarmament and international security issues facing us today. You can see what your head of state or foreign minister says at the General Debate through our Disarmament Index.

You can also stay updated with the First Committee by subscribing to the First Committee Monitor, a weekly publication reporting on a dozen of the most pressing, controversial issues discussed in the First Committee. Read archived issues and subscribe today.

3) Media Outreach

While decisions taken on matters of disarmament and nonproliferation are some of the most critical issues to the world, there remains a lack of adequate coverage of these issues by the mainstream media. Many mainstream media agencies are subsidiaries of military corporations. These agencies are never going to give positive media coverage to groups and messages that challenge their power.

Notice the correspondents in the print, radio and TV media covering nuclear or foreign policy matters. Build a data base of media contacts and keep a select group of journalists, or your entire list, informed of your activities and analysis of events and developments in this field.

CREATE YOUR OWN MEDIA: newsletters, radio shows, video documentaries, email lists, webpages. To find out how to get involved with local independent media near you, see: www.indymedia.org.

4) Organize an event at home

With the First Committee in session, it is a prime teachable moment to continue your own education, outreach and advocacy efforts at home. To find out what disarmament NGOs are working in your area, check our NGO contact database or contact Monika Szymurska, Global Coordinator for Abolition 2000, a network of over 2000 civil society groups dedicated to the abolition of nuclear weapons.

5) Reach out to your representatives

Contact your representatives in New York and in your capital. Fax or email them letters urging them to support disarmament-focused resolutions. Offer them resources for more information and demand a response. For more information on writing a letter, click here.

Organize a meeting with your representatives; listen to their opinion on nuclear issues- share yours.

Don't know who represents you? Find out at our database of governmental decision-makers.

2) Invitation to participate in the NGO Working Group on the First Committee

If you will be in New York during the First Committee, we encourage you to participate in the NGO Working Group. Since 2000, Reaching Critical Will has coordinated this diverse group of NGOs sharing the monitoring and reporting responsibilities in an attempt to make the work of the First Committee more transparent and useful for people not directly involved in the small New York disarmament community. The fruit of our collective labor is compiled and edited in the weekly newsletter, the First Committee Monitor, covering the broad range of issues discussed by the First Committee. The Monitor is distributed to all delegates of the First Committee, and is available on our site and through a free email-based subscription service in both PDF as well as HTML.

The first meeting of the working group will be held on Monday, September 20, at 3 PM, 8th floor of the UN Church Center (777 UN Plaza/44th street and 1st avenue). Please RSVP as soon as possible.

The Monitor has been hailed by diplomats, UN staffers and activists as one of the most useful resources produced during the General Assembly. The HTML versions include easy-to-use hyperlinks to all governmental statements, while the PDF versions include important announcements, calendars of events, resource spotlights, and more.

Your organization's participation will be an important contribution to the success of this year's reporting. Contact us today!

3) Resources on missiles, missile defense, and the prevention of an arms race in outer space

Rather than working to negotiate a strengthened, verifiable and effective ban on missiles, and refuting any attempts to begin serious work on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) in the CD, the United States has instead chosen to address the threat posed by missiles by developing and deploying an untested, unproven, wasteful and dangerous missile "defense" system.

This week, the US deployed the first of six ground-based interceptors at Fort Greely, Alaska, with another four planned for Vandenberg Air Force Base, California in the following weeks. The US plans on deploying 20 ground-based interceptors by the end of 2005.

And it doesn't stop there. According to President Bush's December 17, 2002 address, these deployments are just the first part of a multi-layered missile "defense" system, with interceptors deployed on land, sea and air. While still short of President Reagan's "Star Wars" fantasy, the first deployments of this multi-layered system spurs serious questions as to the preservation of space for peaceful purposes.

These first deployments are also a serious boon to the major defense contractors, Raytheon and Boeing, the latter of which stands to reap $3 billion this year in missile "defense" contracts alone.

For more information on missiles:
RCW's Missile page

For more information on missile defense:
"Ready or Not, Missile Defense," L.A. Times, August 16, 2004
"Beyond Missile Defense"- report from the Missile Ban Working Group of Abolition 2000
World Policy Institute Press Release
Gard, Ret. Lt. Gen. Robert G., "No-Value Missile Defense,"
"Technical Realities: An Analysis of the 2004 Deployment of a U.S. National Missile Defense System" Union of Concerned Scientists
"A Fresh Look at Vertical Proliferation - Ballistic Missiles, Missile Defenses, and Space Weaponization"- NGO presentation at the 2004 NPT PrepCom

For more information on War Profiteers such as Raytheon and Boeing:
RCW's Corporate Connections in the Military Industrial Complex
Arms Trade Resource Center

For more information on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space:
RCW PAROS page
Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
Project Ploughshares (Canada)
Western States Legal Foundation
Space News

************************************************
Rhianna Tyson
Project Manager

August 4

1) US announces policy on FMCT
Last week, at the start of the third and final session of the Conference on Disarmament (CD), the United States announced that it has concluded its policy review of a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT). Ambassador Jackie Sanders affirmed the US's commitment to negotiations on the long-awaited FMCT, but said that they doubt the treaty's verifiability.

An FMCT, like any disarmament or nonproliferation treaty, requires effective verification mechanisms in order for that treaty to be effective.

After China and Russia declared their willingness to begin negotiations on an FMCT last year, the CD has remained stalled on this issue as it awaited an official policy from the United States. Now, in the final weeks of the 2004 session, progress on the issue still remains to be seen.

The CD has not engaged in substantive work since 1996.

Click here to read the RCW report on the CD.
Click here to read the responses to the US announcement from Algeria, the Netherlands, the UK, France, Pakistan and others.
Click here to read the press release from the Arms Control Association.
Click here to access the Governmental Contact Database: urge your representatives in Geneva to include talks on verification in any FMCT negotiations.

2) Invitation to NGOs to participate in UN General Assembly First Committee working group

The General Assembly is fast approaching, and it is time to begin NGO preparations for the First Committee on Disarmament and International Security.

Since 2000, Reaching Critical Will coordinates a group of NGOs sharing the monitoring and reporting responsibilities in an attempt to make the work of the First Committee more transparent and useful for people not directly involved in the small New York disarmament community. We edit a weekly newsletter, the First Committee Monitor, covering the broad range of issues discussed by the First Committee. The Monitor is distributed to all delegates of the First Committee, and is available on our site and through a free email-based subscription service in both PDF as well as HTML.

If your group would like to participate in this important collaboration, contact us today. In the upcoming weeks, we will be holding the first of the meetings to coordinate the various responsibilities required for such an effort.

Last year, participating groups included:
- Lawyers' Committee on Nuclear Policy
- NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace and Security
- Global Action to Prevent War
- Amnesty International
- Abolition 2000
- Franciscans International
- Quakers International

The Monitor has been hailed by diplomats, UN staffers and activists as one of the most useful resources produced during the General Assembly. The HTML versions include easy-to-use hyperlinks to all governmental statements, while the PDF versions include important announcements, calendars of events, resource spotlights, and more.

Your organization's participation will be an important contribution to the success of this year's reporting. Contact us today!

You can read archived editions of the First Committee Monitor at: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/1com/1com03/FCM/FCMindex.htm.
Subscribe to the Monitor by filling out the Subscription Form.

3) Cardoso Panel Report: tools for NGOs

As we begin our preparations for the General Assembly (as well as for the NPT), NGOs and governments are encouraged to utilize the recommendations contained within the recently released report from the Secretary-General's Panel of Eminent Persons on United Nations- Civil Society Relations.

Chaired by the former President of Brazil, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, the "Cardoso report" reviews existing guidelines, decisions and practices that affect civil society organizations' access to and participation in United Nations deliberations and processes, and offers recommendations for strengthening this relationship. As Chairman Cardoso writes in his letter to the Secretary-General, "Constructively engaging with civil society is a necessity for the United nations, not an option. This engagement is essential to enable the Organization to better identify global priorities and to mobilize all resources to deal with the task at hand."

The report contains 30 proposals for strengthening and streamlining civil society participation in United Nations efforts, including:

Proposal 6: The General Assembly should permit the carefully planned participation of actors besides central Governments in its processes. In particular, the Assembly should regularly invite contributions to its committees and special sessions by those offering high-quality independent input...The Secretariat should help to plan innovative and interactive sessions linked to but outside the formal meetings.

The report also includes recommendations directed at the Security Council and the Secretariat, with foci on NGOs, businesses, parliamentarians and local representatives.

Read the report here: http://www.un.org/reform/panel.htm

4) Biological Weapons Convention Second Meeting of Experts Adjourns
The second Meeting of Experts from States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction, was held in Geneva from 19 to 30 July 2004. The Convention, generally known as the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), prohibits the development, production and stockpiling of biological and toxin weapons.

Around 450 experts and officials from 87 BWC member countries, as well as from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) participated in the Meeting of Experts, which was convened to discuss two topics: (1) strengthening and broadening national and international institutional efforts and existing mechanisms for the surveillance, detection, diagnosis and combating of infectious diseases affecting humans, animals and plants; and (2) enhancing international capabilities for responding to, investigating and mitigating the effects of cases of alleged use of biological or toxin weapons or suspicious outbreaks of disease.

Read the full press release.
Read the background paper prepared by the Secretariat on "Consideration of enhancing international capabilities for responding to, investigating and mitigating the effects of cases of alleged use of biological or toxin weapons or suspicious outbreaks of disease."
Other RCW resources on the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.

5) New resource on gender and disarmament

Reaching Critical Will's Project Manager Rhianna Tyson has recently returned from the United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs Conference on Disarmament Issues: "Mounting Challenges to Peace and Security Today," held in Sapporo, Japan, 26-29 July.

You can download her presentation, "A New Security: Using gender to enable a human security framework in issues of disarmament," from the RCW website.

Other books and articles have also recently been added to RCW's resources on gender and disarmament. We welcome all comments, questions and suggestions on any of the resources available on our site.

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Rhianna Tyson
Reaching Critical Will

July 14, 2004

In this News Advisory:

1) New look for Reaching Critical Will
2) New RCW resource on Fissile Materials Cut-Off Treaty
3) Updated CD resources
4) Biological Weapons Convention conference
5) SALW Week of Action
6) Nuclear Summer

On the new template, all RCW General E-News Advisories can be easily accessed from all pages of our website, by clicking on the "News" link on top. They can also be found at: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/action/Advisories04.html.

1) New look for Reaching Critical Will
This past week, Reaching Critical Will launched a brand-new look for its website. The new design makes it easier to find all of the resources for which you have come to depend upon Reaching Critical Will, including information on:
- the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
- the Conference on Disarmament
- the General Assembly First Committee
- Gender and Disarmament
and much, much more.

All of your favorite RCW webpages that you have bookmarked will still function under the new design.

We would love to hear your comments on our new website! Please have a look around the new layout and tell us what you think. Send all comments to info@reachingcriticalwill.org.

2) New RCW resource on Fissile Materials Cut-Off Treaty
Reaching Critical Will has recently added a new page of resources on the long-awaited Fissile Materials Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT), available at: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/fmct.html. On our new FMCT page, you can find:

- background information on the fissile materials debate, including overview of contentious issues;
- statements, resolutions and other governmental materials;
- NGO resources and analysis of an FMCT.

We urge all organizations to use this information on an FMCT to mobilize support for the treaty in their own communities and in their capitals. We also urge all governments to send us recent statements regarding their position on an FMCT, so that civil society understands where you stand on the issue.

If you or your organization have more information on fissile materials that you would like to see posted on RCW's new FMCT page, please never hesitate to contact us.

3) Updated CD resources
The second session of the Conference on Disarmament came to a close on June 25. Reaching Critical Will has updated its