Late 2008 has seen a number of high-profile "endorsements"
of the goal of a nuclear weapon free world. The European Union
presented a to the UN, by way of a letter to
the UN Secretary-General by French President Sarkozy. The
UK government endorsed the establishment of , an initiative launched in Paris on 9 December aimed
at eliminating nuclear weapons globally "to combat the
threat of proliferation and nuclear terrorism" through
"phased and verifiable reductions". Welcoming the
growing awareness that nuclear disarmament is a viable, necessary
step for international security, the Women's International
League for Peace and Freedom reminds the new campaigners and
the veteran ones that nuclear disarmament is an essential
aspect of demilitarization, reductions of military expenditures,
sustainable peace and development, and global justice.
Happy holidays,
Ray Acheson, Project Associate
1) Nuclear
Weapon Free Zone news Central Asia
On 11 December 2008, the Senate of Kazakhstan ratified the
Central Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty, bringing the
Treaty into force. The Treaty was previously ratified by Tajikistan
on 12 November 2008 and by Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan
in March and April 2008.
Greg Mello of the Los Alamos Study Group notes that nuclear
weapon free zones (NWFZ) limit nuclear "freedom of action"
in an important way: "nuclear weapons are supposed to
be the weapons of last resort by their theorists, the final
arbiter of conflict... Taking the nuclear option off the table
in one, two, or in fact many cases threatens the validity
of that nuclearist paradigm globally. Such zones as this provide
important geographic crystallizations of legal concepts that
already block nuclear use, thickening and strengthening them."
Africa
The South African-based Institute for Security Studies recently
released a new Guide to the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone
Treaty. It can be found at
Hard copies can be ordered from Amelia du Rand (at no cost)
via her email address (adurand[at]issafrica.org).
For more information, please contact:
Noël STOTT
Senior Research Fellow / Chercheur Principal
Arms Management / Gestion des Armes
Institute for Security Studies / Institut d'Études
de Sécurité
Po Box 1787, Brooklyn Square
Tshwane (Pretoria), 0075, South Africa / Afrique du Sud
Tel: +27 (0) 12 346 9500/2
Fax: +27 (0) 12 460 0998
Mobile: +27 (0) 82 8286070
fax2email: +27 (0) 866374960
ISS Web Site:
ArmsNetAfrica:
Blog:
2) Military
muscle flexes US-India Deal
On 7 October 2008, US President Bush signed legislation to
enact the US-India nuclear agreement. As critics of the deal
feared, it has already led Pakistan to seek similar deals
with the United States and others. Pakistan has approached
the government of France and is
"seeking greater market access to the EU, preferably
in the form of a free trade agreement, especially since the
EU has started FTA negotiations with India and other countries
in South Asia." India also signed a nuclear and space
agreement with Russia in December—the third such agreement
India has signed after a decision
in September by the Nuclear Suppliers Group to waive its ban
on trade of atomic technology.
Missile defence and START
A team of US policy and technical experts went to Moscow to
discuss American plans for missile defence facilities in Central
Europe, as well as efforts to replace the Strategic Arms Reduction
Treaty (START), which expires at the end of 2009. Russia's
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the consultations
were useful but that serious differences remain. US negotiator
John Rood, Under Secretary of State for arms control and international
security, stressed that Moscow and Washington were in agreement
on reaching a new accord to replace START, though differences
in scope and many elements of a new treaty still remain.
The key points on the START negotiations: The US has submitted
a draft treaty for Russian consideration, which the Russians
have responded to with comments for US consideration. Both
sides seem fairly confident they will be able to negotiate
a follow-on treaty before START expires, though it is still
very unclear what the treaty might look like.
The key points on missile defence in Europe: The US, Czech,
and Polish governments are all on the same page with plans
to establish US missile defence bases in the Czech Republic
and Poland and intend to move ahead. To placate the Russian
government, the US has invited Russian officials to be observers
on these bases to ensure "transparency" about US
intentions.
For more information on these consultations, please see .
EU military plans
In December, French President Nicolas Sarkozy argued Europe
must not "remain a military dwarf" and EU leaders
"vowed to boost military resources so the bloc can live
up to its security ambitions." The United States spends
more on defence than the 27 EU nations combined and has regularly
pressured its European allies to increase defence spending
to a minimum of two percent of gross domestic product.
In a statement, the EU leaders committed Friday "to
make good the inadequate resources available in Europe by
gradually improving civilian and military capabilities."
To give "fresh impetus" to EU policy, the leaders
set targets for the kinds of civilian and military operations
they want to be able to conduct in coming years and commit
"to develop robust, flexible and interoperable capabilities",
including the capability to deploy a total of 60,000 troops
in 60 days for a major operation, while "planning and
conducting simultaneously" 19 other missions, ranging
from maritime surveillance to police training.
3) Voting
on Arms Trade Treaty resolution coming up
On 22 December, the United Nations General Assembly will vote
on the resolution 'Towards an Arms Trade Treaty'. Most government
voted YES to the draft resolution at the First Committee in
October, and the final stage to adopt the resolution formally
is the upcoming General Assembly vote on 22 December.
Please send the letter below to your relevant government
official, encouraging them to vote YES again on 22 December.
To maintain momentum for a strong and effective ATT, it is
important that the upcoming vote registers strong support
amongst UN member states. This letter will help encourage
states to vote before they begin vacations for the holiday
period.
To support the vote please fax or deliver the letter (below),
with your organisation's logo, to the relevant governmental
official (usually in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) before
22 December.
++++++++
**ADDRESS**
**DATE**
Dear Minister
RE: Voting in support of the Arms Trade Treaty resolution
at the UN General Assembly
We welcome your support for the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT),
expressed through the vote at the First Committee in October,
and urge you to repeat this support during the vote in the
plenary of the General Assembly on 22 December.
The resolution, 'Towards an Arms Trade Treaty' (A/C.1/63/L.39),
received overwhelming support at First Committee, where 145
states voted yes in the room and a further four have since
registered their support.
Your vote in support of the resolution on 22 December is
crucial to demonstrate the growing momentum for a strong and
effective ATT that will save lives by preventing arms getting
into the wrong hands. On average every day, over one thousand
people are killed with firearms and many more are injured
as a consequence of armed violence; many thousands more are
displaced or forced off their land. A strong and effective
ATT is needed urgently.
The General Assembly resolution will establish an Open-Ended
Working Group (OEWG) to further consider elements for inclusion
in a legally-binding treaty on the import, export and transfer
of conventional arms. We urge **YOUR STATE** to actively participate
in the OEWG meetings, and to promote a strong ATT based upon
"the Golden Rule" - that no arms transfers should
be permitted where the weapons are likely to be used to commit
serious violations of international human rights or humanitarian
law, or to undermine sustainable development.
States must work to ensure that real progress is made in
the OEWG and other fora such that by October 2009, the UN
can move forwards to negotiation.
Yours sincerely
**YOUR NAME**
For more information, please contact:
Bruce Millar
Programme Officer
IANSA - International Action Network on Small Arms Development
House
56-64 Leonard Street
London EC2A 4LT (UK)
Tel: +44 20 7065 0867
Fax: +44 20 7065 0871 bruce.millar@iansa.org
4) Stopping
the clock on cluster munitions?
In early November 2008, a group of governmental experts met
to negotiate a protocol on cluster munitions in the context
of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) in
Geneva. As opposed to the Convention on Cluster Munitions
negotiated and adopted in Dublin in May 2008, the CCW protocol
is intended "to address urgently the humanitarian impact
of cluster munitions, while striking a balance between military
and humanitarian considerations".
However, writing on , John Borrie
that the GGE "stopped the clock" on their negotiations:
Such a step is occasionally taken in international negotiations
when there's genuine hope for reaching a final agreement
but the parties face a hard and fast deadline. Parties agree
to continue negotiations, usually deep into that same night
and into the early morning hours, pretending that the pre-set
deadline has not passed. Examples in recent memory include
the negotiations around the final declarations of the second
review conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention in
April 2008 and the review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty in April/May 2000.
On 14 November 2008, at the annual general meeting of the
CCW, states parties to that Convention agreed on the following
mandate for its cluster munitions work in 2009:
The Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) will continues
its negotiations, taking into account document CCW/GGE/2008-V/WP.1
and other present and future proposals by delegations,
to address urgently the humanitarian impact of cluster
munitions, while striking a balance between military
and humanitarian considerations.
The GGE should make every effort to conclude its negotiations
as rapidly as possible and report to the next meeting
of the High Contracting Parties.
The work of the GGE will be supported by military and
technical experts.
The GGE will meet, [sic] up to two weeks in 2009, from
16 to 20 February 2009 and subsequently, if required,
from 14 to 17 April 2009.
John Borrie ,
this "means that in the New Year the CCW will have another
window of opportunity to try to come to a consensus on the
work it has started on agreeing a protocol/proposal/instrument/thingummy."
He also noted its still unclear how robust or legally-binding
any CCW protocol on cluster muntions will be.
In the meantime, 94 countries have now
the Convention on Cluster Munitions. For details on the signing
ceremony, see John Borrie's post, "". He
also provides some key insights to future developments around
cluster munitions, particularly related to the challenges
of implementation and universalization of the new Convention,
concluding that "2009 will require continued effort,
creativity and hard work to ensure that the CCM makes a difference
to people's lives on the ground."
5) New Zealand's
demilitarization divestments
On 12 December, the chief executive of the New Zealand Superannuation
Fund announced the fund will divest $37 million (0.3% of its
portfolio) from seven companies involved in cluster munitions
and nuclear explosive devices, including:
Goodrich Corporation
Honeywell International
L-3 Communications
Lockheed Martin
Northrop Grumman
Poonsang Corporation
Raytheon
6) New French
nuclear testing compensation law
In November 2008, French Defence Minister Hervé Morin
announced that the French government will introduce legislation
to the National Assembly in January 2009, to compensate people
affected by radiation at its nuclear test sites in Algeria
and the South Pacific—a significant change in policy.
From an article entitled "":
Speaking to Le Parisien newspaper on 26 November 2008, Defence
Minister Morin stated: "If the Bill is passed at the
National Assembly during the first quarter of 2009, we will
grant compensation to civilian and military personnel exposed
during the nuclear tests. We have drawn up a list of illnesses
linked to the effects of radioactivity." But the announcement
has been greeted with scorn by civilian and military personnel
who staffed the nuclear tests sites from 1960 until 1996.
They argue that the proposed legislation ignores a number
of key concerns that have been central to their lobbying over
the last decade, and has been designed to replace more comprehensive
laws.
For more information, please read the article at:
7) Swedish
Section of IPPNW introduces a web-based education tool about
nuclear weapons
"Learn about Nuclear Weapons" is a web-based educational
tool for students of all levels, for professionals, for the
media, and for everyone who is interested in nuclear disarmament.
The resource offers both basic and in-depth knowledge about
nuclear weapons and disarmament issues. Please visit
for more information.
8) 2009 Disarmament
Calendar online
RCW has created a 2009 Disarmament Calendar, which keeps track
of significant events related to disarmament, including meetings
of international multilateral fora and intergovernmental organizations,
as well as grassroots actions and civil society conferences.
Check it out at http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/resources/disarmcal.html
- and please submit any events you would like advertised to
ray[at]reachingcriticalwill.org.
Additionally, the Geneva Forum, a joint initiative of the
Quaker United Nations Office, Geneva, the United Nations Institute
for Disarmament Research, and the Programme for Strategic
and International Security Studies of the Graduate Institute
of International Studies, hosts a calendar available here:
3 December 2008
Dear Reaching Critical Will friends and advisors:
November has been a busy month for RCW, with the conclusion
First Committee, the UN Security Council debate on Article
26 of the UN Charter, the release of the latest edition of
the Arms Control Reporter, and a WILPF International Board
Meeting in Geneva. For information on all of these developments,
please see below.
This holiday season, please consider giving the gift of nuclear
disarmament to your friends and family. A gift in the amount
of $100, $500, or $1000 will help us continue to provide the
services you rely on year-round, such as:
- timely and accurate reporting from UN disarmament conferences;
- collecting and posting of all statements and other documents
from conferences;
- coordinating and publishing NGO presentations;
- facilitating side events;
and much, much more.
WILPF created the Reaching Critical Will project to serve
YOU - the global community of disarmament experts, analysts,
and activists, and members of the general public who want
to know what goes on inside the UN and other multilateral
fora on matters of disarmament. You understand how crucial
the RCW project is to our community; it is up to you to help
ensure RCW's ability to continue providing the services we
do.
In peace,
Ray Acheson, Project Associate
1) First Committee
closed on 31 October; General Assembly voted on 2 December
The 63rd UN General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament
and International Security met from 6–31 October 2008
in New York to debate governments' key concerns and initiatives
related to disarmament, arms control, and non-proliferation
and to adopt 58 resolutions and decisions on these subjects.
On 2 December 2008, the UN General Assembly convened to take
action on the resolutions First Committee recommended to the
Assembly. Accordingly, the Assembly adopted all 58 resolutions
and decisions. Results can be found on RCW's First Committee
2008 page and on the Voting Results Chart.
2) UN Security
Council held an open debate on Article 26 of the Charter
On 19 November 2008, the UN Security Council held an open
debate on enhancing collective security through the regulation
of armaments and reduction of military spending. The government
of Costa Rica initiated the debate to revitalize discussion
around Article 26 of the UN Charter, which says:
In order to promote the establishment and maintenance
of international peace and security with the least diversion
for armaments of the world's human and economic resources,
the Security Council shall be responsible for formulating,
with the assistance of the Military Staff Committee referred
to in Article 47, plans to be submitted to the Members of
the United Nations for the establishment of a system for
the regulation of armaments.
3) Arms
Control Reporter 2007 now available
The Arms Control Reporter is a research and reference tool
for the arms control professional and advocate published by
Reaching Critical Will of WILPF and the Lawyers' Committee
on Nuclear Policy. It covers efforts to limit all types of
weapons: nuclear, biological, and chemical, major conventional
weapons, small arms and light weapons, land mines, and others.
The 2007 edition has new separate subsections covering US
nuclear forces in Europe and non-governments efforts to promote
a new international instrument banning or controlling cluster
munitions.
4) WILPF International
adopted two resolutions related to militarism
At its International Board Meeting in Geneva in November 2008,
the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom adopted
two resolutions related to militarism. One was on military
spending and the other was on the US military base in Guam.
To read these resolutions, please see:
During a seminar entitled 1325 Billion Arguments for Human
Security held on 21 November 2008 at the International
Board Meeting, Cynthia Cockburn delivered a fascinating speech,
"Feminist Antimilitarism and WILPF". For the text
of this speech, please see .
5) Jacqueline
Cabasso honoured for peace and disarmament activism
On 14 November 2008, the International Peace Bureau presented
its annual award, the Sean MacBride Peace Prize, to Jacqueline
Cabasso, a well-known US advocate of nuclear disarmament.
The prize was awarded during the IPB's annual seminar, this
year held in Copenhagen. IPB President Tomas Magnusson declared:
"At this crucial time in history, just days after the
momentous US election result, IPB believes this award to Jackie
Cabasso will help underline the urgency for the new administration
and for all other nuclear-armed states, of taking bold steps
towards the elimination of nuclear weapons. She has played
a vital role within the movement by acting as a constant 'watchdog',
monitoring closely and challenging the work going on inside
the nuclear weapons laboratories; and as critical voice in
the nuclear debate 'beyond the Washington beltway'."
Jacqueline Cabasso's speech in Copenhagen accepting the prize
is now online at .
For photos and more information about the prize, see .
Congratulations Jackie!
6) Czech-US
missile defence uncertain
Speculations about the Czech Republic and the US missile defence
system abound as the political situations in both the Czech
and US governments have changed.
Report from :
Elections in the Czech Republic in October 2008 left the Czech
Republic's coalition government teetering and Prime Minister
Mirek Topolanek under growing pressure to resign and hold
new national elections, but it has also put the unpopular
US radar station in serious jeopardy.
Residents near the proposed site have been protesting its
construction for months, and polls show the Czech people are
still strongly against it, but the center-right government
pressed on in spite of this. The government has insisted that
the radar, part of a US missile defense system, would be a
national security boon. The populace seems reluctant to make
themselves a potential battleground in the growing tension
between the US and Russia.
Now, with the leftist opposition gaining significantly in
the recent election and the prospect of a new national election
looming large, public opinion on the site will be increasingly
hard to ignore. The ruling party expects to win the preliminary
vote in the lower house, but the final vote, expected sometime
in December, is too close to call at the moment.
However, according to Reuters, on 27 November, the upper
house of the Czech parliament backed the plan to build the
US missile defense shield base. The plan must still be cleared
by the Czech lower house, where the government lacks a majority
and the opposition is against the agreement. The opposition
Social Democrats are against the shield, saying it is unnecessary
and should not be built on the basis of a bilateral agreement
with the United States rather than a multi-national arrangement.
The government only has 96 votes in the 200-seat lower house,
and needs the votes of independents and probably also some
Social Democrats for the radar treaties to be approved.
The Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space
()
intends to send a letter in support of activists in Poland
and the Czech Republic who have been organizing to stop US
plans to deploy destabilizing "missile defense"
systems in those countries.
If you would like your name and/or organization included
as signers of the letter which is just below, please contact
the Global Network at globalnet@mindspring.com.
Please include your city/state along with your name (and organizational
name). Individual names are quite welcome.
Letter
Dear President-Elect Obama:
We write to congratulate you on your recent election as President
of the U.S. We want to help you in every way possible to promote
peace around the world so that our national resources could
be used for the tremendous needs we have here at home like
health care, education, dealing with climate change and more.
We specifically write to urge you to reject the Bush administration
plan to deploy "missile defense" interceptors in
Poland and a Star Wars radar system in the Czech Republic.
We know you are aware of Russia's deep concern that these
deployments are really aimed at them in spite of Pentagon
assurances they are only aimed at Iran.
Respected U.S. scientists George Lewis and Ted Postol recently
studied these proposed deployments and wrote a piece called
"The European missile defense folly" that was printed
in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in the May/June issue
of 2008. In their report Lewis and Postol state that, "Despite
claims to the contrary by both Missile Defense Agency and
State Department officials, the interceptors that Washington
wants to deploy in Poland are fast enough to catch Russian
ICBMs launched from locations west of the Ural Mountains toward
the continental United States. The location of the interceptor
site in Poland is ideal for this purpose."
Russia of course has responded that they will be required
to upgrade their offensive nuclear capability if these U.S.
weapons are indeed deployed in Central Europe. The people
of Poland and the Czech Republic are in large numbers opposed
to their countries being used as U.S. bases and we understand
that in recent days over 30 mayors from Czech towns near the
proposed U.S. radar base wrote you urging the planned be scrapped.
We too write urging you, in the strongest way possible, to
take a stand for peace and a step for nuclear disarmament
by rejecting the dangerous Bush deployment plan for Central
Europe. Expanding U.S. military operations near Russia's borders
will only help create a new Cold War and a new arms race that
would eventually spread throughout Europe and beyond.
We look forward to hearing from you about how you intend to
deal with this important issue. We wish you well and thank
you for your attention to this matter of grave concern to
us.
In peace,
Names/Organizations/City/State
7) International
Panel on Fissile Materials 2008 report available
The International Panel on Fissile Materials (IPFM) is an
independent group of arms-control and nonproliferation experts
from both nuclear weapon and non-nuclear weapon states. Its
mission is to analyze the technical basis for practical and
achievable policy initiatives to secure, consolidate, and
reduce stockpiles of highly enriched uranium and plutonium.
These fissile materials are the key ingredients in nuclear
weapons, and their control is critical to nuclear weapons
disarmament, to halting the proliferation of nuclear weapons,
and to ensuring that terrorists do not acquire nuclear weapons.
IPFM has released its 2008 Global Fissile Material Report,
which is available at .
The Companion Volume, entitled Banning the Production
of Fissile Materials for Nuclear Weapons: Country Perspectives
on the Challenges to a Fissile Material (Cutoff) Treaty,
is at .
8) 100+ states
are in Oslo to sign the Convention on Cluster Munitions
More than 100 governments gathered today, 3 December 2008,
in Oslo, Norway to sign the Cluster Munitions Convention.
Go to
to watch the proceedings and to find out more information.
The Cluster Munition Coalition describes the Convention as
"the most significant disarmament and humanitarian treaty
of the decade, banning the use, production, transfer and stockpiling
of cluster munitions, and obligating them to provide victim
assistance and to clear contaminated land." In a press
release, the CMC has announced, "Signatories of the Convention
on Cluster Munitions include many of the world’s producers,
stockpilers and past users, as well as some of the most seriously
affected states. Close to fifty foreign, defense and government
ministers from around the world are signing the treaty, demonstrating
the high level of political commitment to urgently rid the
world of cluster munitions."
In connection to the signing, WILPF Sweden has launched a
new publication entitled Cluster Munitions and Gender -
it takes more than a ban. The publication looks at:
- What are cluster munitions?
- What is gender?
- Resolution 1325
- Clearance and Risk Education
and more.
You can download the publication at .
1 October 2008
Dear Reaching Critical Will friends and advisors:
The UN General Assembly finished its general debate on Monday,
29 September. Heads of state and other high-ranking officials
came to New York to set out their perspectives, plans, and
accomplishments regarding international peace and security.
Reaching Critical Will tracked all references made to disarmament,
peace, security, and related subjects. See our disarmament
index, catalogued by country and topic, at www.reachingcriticalwill.org.
Our sister project, PeaceWomen, has been tracking all references
to gender, women, and girls, at .
The indeces will be complete by the end of the week.
For your reading pleasure, please see these highlights from
the general debate:
General Assembly President Father Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann
of Nicaragua's opening statement to the UNGA
Costa Rica President Óscar Arias Sánchez's
"Peace is only possible through memory"
First Committee Monitor
Since 2000, Reaching Critical Will has coordinated 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 and HTML. It
has been hailed by diplomats, UN staffers, and activists as
one of the most useful resources produced during the General
Assembly.
If you are interested in following events at the First Committee,
subscribe to the First Committee Monitor today by sending
an email to ray[at]reachingcriticalwill.org
with the subject line "subscribe First Committee Monitor".
Please indicate whether you would like the PDF or HTML version.
Advertising: We encourage you to use the First Committee
Monitor to publicize an important announcement, event, or
project hosted by your organization.
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Run your ad twice and get $5 off. Run your add three times
and get $10 off. Run your ad four times and get $15 off. We
accept cheques, cash, PayPal, and wire transfers. Ads can
be sent in .jpg, .gif, or .pdf format.
Art: We are accepting all forms of disarmament-themed
artwork, to be sent in either a .jpg, .gif, or .pdf file.
Cartoons, photographs, paintings, doodles, collage, mixed
media, and drawings are all welcome.
Submit your advertisement or artwork by sending:
your organization's name;
contact person;
email address;
phone number;
type of submission (for ads, please specify the size
of the ad, dates for it to run, and payment method); and
Side Events
Reaching Critical Wil/WILPF will be co-sponsoring some events
at this year's First Committee, including:
8 October, 1:15–2:45pm, Conference Room D Nuclear Free Middle East: A panel discussion on current
security challenges in the Middle East and their implications
for global security, addressing questions about Iran, Israel,
the nuclearization of the region and the goal of a WMD Free
Zone. Co-sponsored by Greenpeace International, the Lawyers'
Committee on Nuclear Policy, and Reaching Critical Will of
WILPF. .
21 October, 1:15–2:45pm, Conference Room A Emerging voices in space security: A roundtable
discussion on perspectives of space security from emerging
space actors, including small states, civil society, and the
commercial sector. Co-sponsored by Project Ploughshares, Secure
World Foundation, and Reaching Critical Will of WILPF.
2) Keep Space
for Peace Week, space events, and resources
WILPF is co-sponsoring Keep Space for Peace week with and
from 4-12 October 2008 to emphasize prevention
of an arms race in outer space. Resources for action are
provided by the . Keep Space for Peace Week is an international
grass roots contribution in response to the General Assembly's
.
WILPF Statement on Keep Space for Peace Week
The first United Nations General Assembly Resolution on Outer
Space, issued in 1958, recognizes that outer space should
be used only for peaceful purposes for the benefit of all
humankind. In October 1967, WILPF welcomed the entry into
force of the Outer Space Treaty and continues to reaffirm
its goals by promoting and supporting efforts to prevent the
weaponization of outer space and by calling for its demilitarization.
One aspect of that support is WILPF co-sponsorship each year
of Keep Space for Peace Week in cooperation with the Global
Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space. Dozens
of other citizens groups around the world participate actively
in the week of protest, action, and education. Our groups
initiated Keep Space for Peace Week in response to UN World
Space Week, in order to raise awareness of the need to prevent
an arms race in outer space in order to achieve the goals
of the Outer Space Treaty.
The overwhelming majority of United Nations member states
are concerned that the weaponization of outer space will lead
to an arms race. They insist that a multilateral treaty is
the only way to prevent such an arms race. Each year in the
General Assembly, member states adopt a resolution on the
Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) by an overwhelming
majority. In fact, every country in the world votes in favor
of negotiating a treaty on PAROS—except for the United
States, which has voted against it for the past three years,
and Israel, which has abstained. The US administration argues
that the existing multilateral arms control regime is sufficient,
and that there is no need to address a "non-existent"
threat.
Meanwhile, the United States and some of its allies—including
Japan, South Korea, Israel, and NATO—continue to research,
design, test, and deploy "missile defense" and small
satellite technologies with dual-use capabilities. The United
States invests millions of dollars into space technology aimed
at dominating outer space and rejects resolutions and proposed
treaties that it views will limit its actions.
In February this year, the United States shot down a failed
satellite with a Standard Missile-3, whose primary vocation
is interceptor for the US Navy's "missile defense"
system. This action could be considered an anti-satellite
test, and is similar to the test that China conducted in 2007,
for which the United States condemned the Chinese government.
Both the Chinese and American tests created even more space
debris, which already poses a considerable hazard for space
objects. Potentially, such debris can prevent future stationing
of satellites in space and limit or entirely prevent space
access.
In August 2008, the United States signed an agreement with
Poland to station US ground-based interceptors on Polish soil.
In September, the Czech Republic agreed to a deal with the
United States that will allow the US to build a "missile
defense" radar based near Prague. The Russian government
has responded angrily to both agreements, arguing that these
elements of the US "missile defense" system upset
the strategic balance in Europe. Russia has already begun
developing "advanced" missiles that can "out-smart"
the system.
WILPF believes that such actions and agreements by the United
States will instigate a new arms race and increase geopolitical
tensions and international insecurity. WILPF calls on the
governments of the Czech Republic and Poland to not ratify
the signed agreements.
WILPF welcomes the draft Treaty on the Prevention of the
Placement of Weapons in Outer Space, the Threat or Use of
Force against Outer Space Objects (PPWT) presented to the
Conference on Disarmament in February this year by China and
the Russian Federation. Although the draft treaty does not
address all the questions raised by governments and NGOs over
the past years, WILPF views the draft treaty as a positive
step and maintains that multilateral, verifiable, non-discriminatory,
legally-binding instruments are the key to ensuring international
peace and security.
WILPF believes that arms control measures such as a treaty
preventing the weaponization of outer space will not limit
any state's right to use outer space for peaceful purposes
but rather will ensure that such use is possible. WILPF calls
on the members of the Conference on Disarmament to end their
twelve year deadlock and to begin serious discussions on that
draft and/or other draft texts with a view to establishing
an ad hoc committee to negotiate such a treaty within the
CD.
WILPF is co-sponsor of the "PAROS Working Group,"
an international consortium of activists working to prevent
an arms race in outer space. For more information about this
working group and on space security in general, please see
www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/paros/wgroup.html.
This statement is available at .
For a list of local events during Keep Space for Peace Week,
see the Global Network website. At UN, the following two events
will be held on outer space security during the First Committee:
20 October
1:15–2:30pm, Conference Room 4
"Prospects for preserving a cooperative security framework
in outer space" - sponsored by GSI, the United Nations
Institute for Disarmament Research, and the Secure World Foundation
21 October
1:15–2:30pm, Conference Room A
"Space Security Index 2008" - sponsored by Project
Ploughshares, Reaching Critical Will of WILPF, and the Secure
World Foundation
Space Security Index 2008 is now available
for free download at .
Space Security 2008 is the only comprehensive source of data
and analysis on space activities and their cumulative impact
on the security of outer space. It is the fifth annual report
on trends and developments in space, covering the period January
to December 2007. It is part of a wider Space Security Index
project that facilitates dialog among space experts on space
security challenges.
Jessica West is the Program Manager for the Space Security
Index at Project Ploughshares, based in Waterloo, Ontario.
"Space issues generate a lot of interest and information—but
not always accurate information. We aim to make these issues
clear and transparent for everyone, thus providing a common
knowledge base for all policymakers with a stake in space."
The project also seeks to determine how policies and actions
affect space security, which, Ms. West notes, is becoming
more complex. "Space Security 2008 reflects the real-life
challenges faced by policymakers in determining the manifold
effects of their decisions. There is a delicate balance in
outer space – if you mess up one thing, you risk messing
up a lot of things."
Project partners include Project Ploughshares, Secure World
Foundation, the Institute of Air and Space Law at McGill University,
the Simons Centre for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Research
at the University of British Columbia, the Cypress Fund for
Peace and Security, and the Space Generation Foundation. The
project is supported by the Canadian Department of Foreign
Affairs and International Trade, Secure World Foundation,
the Ploughshares Fund, and The Simons Foundation.
For more information contact:
Jessica West, Program Manager, Project Ploughshares jwest[at]ploughshares.ca
519-888-6541, ext. 708
3) The CTBTO
held a ministerial meeting at UN Headquarters
On 24 September, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened a
Meeting of Foreign Ministers to promote the early entry into
force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).
Speakers of the meeting included former U.S. Defense Secretary
William Perry and actor/producer Michael Douglas. Such meetings
have taken place every alternate year since 2002 at the "Friends
of the CTBT" Foreign Ministers' Meeting.
For more information and statements, see the CTBTO website:
4) The IAEA
released a new report on Iran's nuclear programme
In a six-page
distributed to the UN Security Council and its own 35-member
Board of Govenors, the International Atomic Energy Agency
said it was making little headway in investigating allegations
that Iran had, in the past, been involved in studies to make
a nuclear warhead.
See the for an analysis of the report, which
says, "As with the previous report, it is good news and
bad news. Taking the good news first, the IAEA's inspections,
including unannounced visits to Iran's enrichment facilities,
has uncovered no diversion of nuclear material, and that the
enriched uranium remains below 5%, far below bomb-grade. The
bad news: the IAEA concludes that Iran is stonewalling in
its substantive responses to the documentation on potential
military activities presented to it early this year. There
is still virtually no evidence that Iran has anything, other
than a single "uranium metal document" to indicate
it has undertaken the actual design or manufacture of nuclear
weapons components."
5) North Korea
removed seals and inspectors from its nuclear reprocessing
plant
During his introductory statement to the IAEA Board of Governors
on 22 September, IAEA Director General ElBaradei
that North Korea has asked the Agency to remove seals and
cameras from its main nuclear complex, Yongbyon, to enable
them to carry out
that "will not involve nuclear material." Director
General ElBaradei said, "Agency inspectors have observed
that some equipment previously removed by North Korea during
the disablement process has been brought back. This has not
changed the shutdown status of the nuclear facilities at Yongbyon.
I still hope that conditions can be created for North Korea
to return to the Non-Proliferation Treaty at the earliest
possible date and for the resumption of comprehensive safeguards."
On 24 September, the IAEA
that North Korea has barred inspectors from its nuclear reprocessing
plant that produces weapons-grade plutonium and intends to
restart activity there in a week. The IAEA also announced
it had completed the removal of all seals and surveillance
cameras from the plant, one of several sites at its vast Yongbyon
nuclear complex, which processes spent nuclear fuel rods for
plutonium. An IAEA spokeswoman, Melissa Fleming, told reporters
at the Agency's headquarters, "There are no more seals
and surveillance equipment in place at the reprocessing facility."
She added that the North Koreans "also informed I.A.E.A.
inspectors that they plan to introduce nuclear material to
the reprocessing plant in one week's time. They further stated
that from here on, I.A.E.A. inspectors will have no further
access to the reprocessing plant." Although they are
now barred from the reprocessing plant, inspectors remain
elsewhere at the Yongbyon site, but North Korea has not told
the nuclear agency whether the small permanent group of inspectors
will be allowed to stay or whether they will continue to have
access to other buildings there, a European official linked
to the agency said.
6) The Arms
Trade Treaty GGE released its report
The Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on the Arms Trade
Treaty (ATT) has released its report, but it contains no conclusions
on the feasibility, scope or parameters of an ATT. Instead,
the unanimous report recommends that the UN hold 'further
consideration of efforts to address the international trade'
in conventional weapons. The 28-member GGE, which included
the major arms exporting nations, deliberated during the first
8 months of 2008. Next month the First Committee of the UN
General Assembly will discuss the report and next steps toward
an ATT. The GGE report is on the IANSA website at
In addition, Amnesty International released its report supporting
the Arms Trade Treaty. "Blood on the Crossroads"
provides case studies of irresponsible arms transfers to Colombia,
Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Iraq, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan/Chad,
and Uganda.
7) Update
on the International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation
and Disarmament
The ICNND has announced the names of its commissioners as
well as a brief overview of its intentions. Details are available
online in a media release:
The Commissioners include:
Gareth Evans - Co-Chair (Australia)
Yoriko Kawaguchi - Co-Chair (Japan)
Ali Alatas (Indonesia)
Turki Al-Faisal (Saudi Arabia)
Alexei Arbatov (Russia)
Gro Harlem Brundtland (Norway)
Frene Noshir Ginwala (South Africa)
Francois Heisbourg (France)
Jehangir Karamat (Pakistan)
Brajesh Mishra (India)
Klaus Naumann (Germany)
William Perry (United States)
Wang Yingfan (China)
Shirley Williams (United Kingdom)
Ernesto Zedillo (Mexico)
The Commission intends to publish a report no later than
January 2010. It might also publish a supplementary report
in mid-2010, making further recommendations after the NPT
Review Conference. The Commission is expected to meet six
times in total. The first meeting is planned for 19-21 October
in Sydney.
It is surprising that disarmament is clearly a secondary
concern in the Commission's agenda, relegated as it is to
the sixth point of the Commission's six points of concern
that will guide their work. In addition, a number of the Commissioners
appear to have little disarmament or non-proliferation experience.
We welcome you to contact the Commission to voice your concerns:
Gareth Evans: Contact Andrew Stroehlein (Brussels) +32 2
541 1635; Kimberly Abbott (Washington) + 1 202 785 1601; Ian
Biggs (Canberra) + 61 2 6261 9813; or gevans[at]crisisgroup.org
Yoriko Kawaguchi: Contact Yasunari Morino or Shigeru Umetsu
(Tokyo) +81 3 5501 8221; or j-icnnd[at]mofa.go.jp
8) US Congress
eliminated funding for the Reliable Replacement Warhead
US Congress eliminated funding for the Reliable Replacement
Warhead (RRW) in a military authorization bill that the Senate
passed on a voice vote on 27 September and sent to President
Bush for his signature. He is expected to sign the bill later
this week. This is the second year in a row that that Congress
has rejected the Bush administration's proposal for the nuclear
warhead.
For information on RRW, see .
For more information, please contact David Culp of the Friends
Committee on National Legislation (Quakers) at david[at]fcnl.org.
15 September 2008
Dear Reaching Critical Will friends and advisors:
The UN General Assembly is scheduled to open its 63rd session
tomorrow, 16 September. The General Debate will begin next
week, on 23 September. WILPF encourages all NGOs and citizens
to monitor their governments by using WILPF tools such as
the disarmament and gender indices produced by Reaching Critical
Will and PeaceWomen (see below for details), to hold their
governments accountable for positions they take at the United
Nations, and to educate their fellow citizens about the most
important issues the world faces today. For ideas on how to
pressure your governments and encourage your peers, please
see RCW's Action page at http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/action/actionindex.html.
In peace,
Ray Acheson, Project Associate
1) The Nuclear
Suppliers Group approved a waiver for India
In a move that violates the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
(NPT), the 45-member states of the NSG approved a
on 6 September to exempt India from its rules banning trade
with non-NPT member states. After intense pressure from the
United States, the six hold-out governments capitulated and
approved the exemption that allows NSG states to trade nuclear
equipment, materials, and technology with India even though
it has not signed the NPT and did not have to commit to refrain
from testing nuclear weapons.
WILPF Statement on the Nuclear Suppliers Group's exemption
for India
On 6 September 2008, the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group
(NSG) unanimously approved a exemption from its nuclear cooperation
guidelines for India, opening the door to allow all NSG member
states to trade nuclear materials, technologies, and equipment
with India. This waiver violates the rules of the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which has been ratified by
189 states. It undermines all efforts to halt the spread of
sensitive nuclear materials, to prevent nuclear arms races,
and to abolish nuclear weapons. WILPF deplores the NSG's decision
and the strong-arm pressure imposed by the United States upon
six governments who vocally opposed the deal.
India possesses nuclear weapons, is not a signatory of the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) or the Comprehensive
Test Ban Treaty, continues to produce fissile material for
nuclear weapons, and has rejected calls from the international
community to renounce its nuclear weapons and join the NPT
as a non-nuclear weapon state. Thus trading sensitive nuclear
materials with India has been, until now, prohibited by international
law.
The origins of the NSG waiver lie in the nuclear cooperation
agreement signed by US President George W. Bush and Indian
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in July 2005—the "US-India
Deal". Under the proposed deal, India would separate
its military and civilian nuclear reactors, and place some—but
not all—of its civilian nuclear reactors under International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. Military facilities
and stockpiles of nuclear fuel that India has produced up
until the deal takes effect are not included in those facilities
subject to inspections or safeguards. In exchange, India would
be allowed to import nuclear materials and equipment from
the United States.
From the start, WILPF has argued that the US-India Deal poses
a litany of challenges to disarmament and non-proliferation.
The supply of nuclear fuel to India from other states would
allow India to divert more of its own uranium resources to
significantly expand production of fissile materials for nuclear
weapons. The agreement does not call for any additional measures
that would constrain India's fissile material or nuclear weapon
production and does not call upon India to sign or ratify
the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which would prohibit India
from resuming nuclear weapon testing.
WILPF notes that the deal violates Article I of the NPT,
which prohibits nuclear weapon states from "in any way"
assisting, encouraging, or inducing any non-nuclear weapon
state's nuclear weapons programme. The deal also violates
other consensus positions agreed upon by NPT members, including
a 1995 agreement that requires acceptance of the IAEA's full-scope
safeguards and internationally legally-binding commitments
not to acquire nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive
devices in exchange for any new nuclear supply arrangements.
The deal also contravenes UN Security Council Resolution 1172
(1998), which encourages "all States to prevent the export
of equipment, materials or technology that could in any way
assist programmes in India or Pakistan for nuclear weapons."
Rather than bringing India into the "nuclear non-proliferation
mainstream" as US President Bush has argued, the agreement
allows India to flagrantly trod upon the NPT and other instruments
of international law. It effectively normalizes India's status
as a de facto nuclear weapon state outside the NPT, elevating
it to the level of a nuclear weapon state under the Treaty
but not bound by any of its obligations. It enables India
to participate in the international community's system of
nuclear activities without conforming to the systems norms,
standards, or laws.
In order to put this agreement into effect, the United States
and India needed exemptions from the IAEA, NSG, and US Congress.
US Congress approved implementing legislation with certain
conditions in December 2006 though it must still approve a
formal agreement for nuclear cooperation. The 35-member IAEA
Board of Governors approved a civilian nuclear safeguards
agreement with India on 1 August 2008. At an NSG meeting on
22 August 2008, six governments—Austria, Ireland, the
Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland—raised
concerns about the deal undermining the NPT. Almost half the
NSG's membership proposed about 50 amendments to the US proposal
for a waiver, some of which the United States incorporated
into a revised draft for the September meeting—though
experts still condemned the proposal as "inadequate and
irresponsible."[1] However, after "some nasty threats,
misinformation about positions, and intimidation,"[2]
all six governments backed down.
WILPF is appalled by the NSG's reckless disregard for international
law. The 45-member NSG cannot reinterpret or disregard articles
of the 189-member NPT. WILPF is also appalled by the United
States' use of power politics, which crushes any illusion
of democratic decision-making in international diplomacy.
This waiver represents a step backwards for non-proliferation
and disarmament: it allows for an increase in nuclear weapons
and fissile materials and the resumption of nuclear testing.
It undermines the NPT at a time when the regime is facing
other crises and needs support to retain its credibility and
functionality. It perpetuates the false dichotomy between
"good" and "bad" nuclear weapon states,
an unsustainable tension that will only lead to further proliferation,
confrontation, and conflict.
Nuclear abolition requires an international system based
on cooperation instead of domination, on the rule of law instead
of the rule of force. Noting the damage this waiver inflicts
upon law and cooperation, WILPF calls on all NSG member states
to respect the NPT and non-proliferation norms and refrain
from engaging in nuclear trade with India. WILPF calls on
citizens of those 45 countries to pressure their governments
to dismiss the waiver as a violation of international law
and for all states to consider taking this issue to the International
Court of Justice to ask for an injunction against the implementation
of the waiver. WILPF also calls on US Congress to reject the
proposed agreement.
For more information on the US-India Deal and on the recent
developments at the NSG, please see Reaching Critical Will's
resources at www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/usindia.html.
[1 ]"Text, Analysis, and Response to
NSG 'Statement on Civil Nuclear Cooperation with India',"
Arms Control Association, 6 September 2008, http://www.armscontrol.org/node/3340
[2] Praful Bidwai, "INDIA/US: Nuclear Waiver - Blow to
Non-Proliferation," Inter Press Service, 8 September
2008.
2) The Conference
on Disarmament ended its 2008 session without a programme
of work
On 9 September, at the final plenary of its 2008 session,
the Conference
on Disarmament (CD) adopted its annual
report to the General Assembly. The final report provides
an overview of the CD's 2008 session, including a list of
participants; attendance and participation of non-CD member
states; the agenda and programme of work for the 2008 session;
expansion of the membership of the Conference; a review of
the agenda of the Conference; improved and effective functioning
of the Conference; communications from non-governmental organizations;
and summaries of the substantive work of the session. The
report also notes the dates of the CD's 2009 session: 19 January–27
March; 18 May–3 July; and 3 August–18 September.
Overall, the CD's 2008 session saw a number high-level statements,
another anti-satellite
test by a CD member state, and another proposed
programme of work that did not quite gain consensus. Some
highlights included the International
Women's Day Seminar statement and report, the opportunity
to discuss nuclear
forces in Europe, and the Russia
and China draft treaty banning space weapons. The end
of the 2008 session marks another year without a programme
of work—another year of frustration and disappointment,
another year of rising military expenditures, violent armed
conflict, and insecurity. Noting many suggestions for CD reform
from delegations, non-government experts, and the United Nations
Institute for Disarmament Research, and noting the success
of the that was negotiated outside of the
CD, WILPF urges delegations and citizens alike to work for
CD reform during the intersessional period and at the beginning
of the 2009 session to ensure that next year is not another
wasted year paid for by the victims of armed violence and
obscene military expenditures.
3) NGOs
plan for Keep Space for Peace Week
On 4-12 October a week of local protest actions to Keep Space
for Peace will be held worldwide. WILPF co-sponsors Keep Space
for Peace week with and
to educate the public about preventing an arms
race in outer space.
According to Global Network Coordinator Bruce Gagnon, "The
space week protests represent the largest grassroots global
expression against moving the arms race into space. With current
U.S. plans to deploy Star Wars radar in the Czech Republic
and 'missile defense' deployments in Poland, a new costly
and destabilizing arms race in space is underway. The U.S.
has long said that it intends to 'control and dominate' space
and 'deny' other nations access to space giving it the ability
to control the Earth. The Pentagon calls it 'Full Spectrum
Dominance.' As the U.S. and NATO now move eastward to militarily
surround Russia with space technology we see the emergence
of a new Cold War that will only benefit the global war machine
and make life more insecure for all the people."
The 4-12 October actions will be endorsed by groups all over
the world. Protests are expected at city centers, U.S. embassies,
key space related factories and military bases in the U.S.,
throughout Europe, Latin America, Australia, India, and the
Asian-Pacific region. Educational forums will be held inside
churches, schools and colleges, and space related videos will
be extensively shown.
Czech activist, Dana Feminova, a leader of Europe for Peace
says, "Here in Europe we can see and feel the rising
tensions as the U.S. deploys space warfare systems near Russia
and attempts to drag our governments along into this new Cold
War. We've been here before and do not want to return. We
are working hard to build opposition to Star Wars by educating
the people on this continent and beyond. Keep Space for Peace
Week gives us a chance to unite with people all over the world.
We must act now while we still have time."
The list of Space Week protest sites will be regularly updated.
To see the list of actions check the web sites of any of the
sponsoring groups or .
4) The UN
General Assembly will begin its general debate on 23 September
During the first segment of the UNGA, the General Debate,
Reaching Critical Will complies all references to disarmament,
peace, and security and posts them online by country and topic.
The statements from the General Debate will give us an idea
of the issues upon which governments will be focusing during
the UNGA First Committee on Disarmament and International
Security, which begins on 6 October.
The PeaceWomen project will compile all references to gender,
women, and girls:
5) Advertising
and art in the First Committee Monitor
The First Committee Monitor is a weekly publication
produced during the UNGA First Committee. Printed each Monday
of the Committee, it covers 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 and HTML. It has been hailed by diplomats, UN
staffers, and activists as one of the most useful resources
produced during the General Assembly. For previous editions
of the Monitor, please see http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/1com/FCM.html.
Advertising
We encourage you to use the First Committee Monitor
to publicize an important announcement, event, or project
hosted by your organization.
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full page ad: $130
back page ad: $180
Run your ad twice and get $5 off. Run your add three times
and get $10 off. Run your ad four times and get $15 off. We
accept cheques, cash, PayPal, and wire transfers. Ads can
be sent in .jpg, .gif, or .pdf format.
Art
We are accepting all forms of disarmament-themed artwork,
to be sent in either a .jpg, .gif, or .pdf file. Cartoons,
photographs, paintings, doodles, collage, mixed media, and
drawings are all welcome.
Submit your advertisement or artwork by sending:
your organization's name;
contact person;
email address;
phone number;
type of submission (for ads, please specify the size
of the ad, dates for it to run, and payment method); and
If you like this E-News, and if you've enjoyed past E-News,
CD Reports, First Committee Monitors, and News in Reviews,
and if you like helping sustain projects that work all year
round to make sure that you receive timely, accurate, and
understandable information about disarmament and non-proliferation,
please consider making a donation to Reaching Critical Will.
We are able to provide our services for free through the generosity
of those who use them. You can donate online, with a just
few clicks, through safe and secure PayPal. Or, you can mail
a cheque to our office (made out the Jane Addams Peace Association,
with RCW in the memo line). Or, you can transfer money directly
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tax-deductable for US donors. For details, please see http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/about/donate.htm.
Thanks for your support!
In peace,
Ray Acheson, Project Associate
1) Signature
campaign for a nuclear weapon free world
On 6 August 2008, a new sign-on campaign was launched at the
2008 World Conference Against A and H Bombs. The appeal reads:
Toward the 2010 NPT Review Conference
Appeal for a Nuclear Weapon-Free World
Even now, in the 21st Century, world peace and security
are still threatened by 26,000 nuclear weapons.
As the tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki show us, nuclear
weapons instantly destroy countless lives, torment people
in future generations, and ruin civilizations.
The Hibakusha, the A-bomb survivors, continue to warn
that humanity cannot coexist with nuclear weapons. Never again
should we create more victims of nuclear weapons.
For the survival of the human race and for the future
of our children, let us achieve a world free of nuclear weapons
through our actions in solidarity.
Towards the 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review
Conference, the nuclear weapons states are called to honor
the "unequivocal undertaking" of May 2000 to eliminate
their nuclear weapons.
We call on the nuclear weapons states and all other governments
to agree to commence and conclude negotiations of a treaty,
a nuclear weapons convention, to ban and eliminate nuclear
weapons without delay.
The signature drive is under way worldwide and the petitions
will be presented to the next NPT Review Conference to be
held in spring 2010 in New York. This appeal was first proposed
at the International Meeting that started on 2 August and
was elaborated based on the suggestions raised in the three
days that followed. The text was also sent by e-mail to many
peace movement leaders overseas. Mr. Sergio Duarte, UN High
Representative for Disarmament Affairs, also kindly went through
the text. The organizers did the very best to make the text
short, easy to understand and accurate in formulating the
demands.
This campaign is going to be a common action for linking
various creative actions that will be developed towards the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference to be held
in New York in the spring of 2010. It is also intended to
go in support of and in solidarity with "Vision 2020"
and "Hiroshima/Nagasaki Protocol" launched by "Mayors
for Peace", the newly launched "International Campaign
to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)" and others that call
for a total ban and the elimination of nuclear weapons.
The organizers, Japan Council against A & H Bombs (GENSUIKYO),
request your signature and ask for all interested parties
to start collecting signatures in their local communities,
workplaces, and schools for the next 20 months.
For more information and to add your support for the campaign,
please contact
Yayoi Tsuchida
Assistant general secretary
Japan Council against A & H Bombs (GENSUIKYO)
2-4-4 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8464 JAPAN
phone: +81-3-5842-6034
fax: +81-3-5842-6033
Email: antiatom[at]topaz.plala.or.jp
URL:
2) Biological
weapons meeting of experts
The 2008 Meeting of Experts for the 1972 Biological and Toxin
Weapons Convention (BTWC) met in Geneva from 18-22 August,
with Ambassador Georgi Avramchev (the Former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia) in the Chair. Daily reports by Richard Guthrie
for the BioWeapons Prevention Project and the Acronym Institute
for Disarmament Diplomacy cover the proceedings inside and
alongside the meeting, which can be read in their entirety
at .
On the final day of the meeting, Guthrie reported
A procedural report was adopted, together with a compilation
of 'Considerations, Lessons, Perspectives, Recommendations,
Conclusions and Proposals Drawn From the Presentations,
Statements, Working Papers and Interventions on the Topics
Under Discussion at the Meeting'. The format of the report
and of the compilation follow the pattern of earlier MXs.
The intention of the compilation is to summarize the ideas
raised at the Meeting in order to help officials from States
Parties consider which of them might be relevant for them
in their own circumstances. This is both the greatest strength
and greatest weakness of the inter-sessional process –
ideas can be raised that States Parties can accept or reject
as they see fit, without any kind of decision-making process
at the meetings which might recommend that particular measures
should be adopted by all States Parties.
He also noted that overall, "The Meeting of Experts
was undoubtedly a success within the terms of its remit, giving
plenty to build upon at the Meeting of States Parties in December.
The flipside of this is a slight frustration at the limited
mandate from the Sixth Review Conference in 2006 – much
more could have been done, had it been allowed to be done."
3) Update
on US "missile defense" in Europe and weapons in
outer space "Missile defense"
The United States has proceeded with its controversial plan
of installing components of its "missile defense"
system in Poland and the Czech Republic. On 20 August 2008,
the US and Poland signed a that included an agreement for
Poland to host 10 missile interceptors in exchange for short-range
Patriot missiles for its own air defences and a guarantee
that the US will come to its assistance in the event of an
attack.
On 26 August, a Czech defence ministry spokesperson
the US and Czech governments have resolved all major issues
related to the "missile defense" issue and that
final touches to the wording of proposed text for a Status
of Force Agreement are being worked on in Czech and English.
The spokesperson indicated the proposed agreement could be
dealt with in Czech parliament as early as September.
4) Update
on the US-India Deal
The 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group
on Friday, 22 August to discuss the US-India Deal - specifically,
whether or not the Group would lift a ban on nuclear trade
with India. The Group must agree to allow nuclear fuel and
technology exports to India for its civilian atomic energy
programme to help seal the US-India Deal. However, the meeting
ended inconclusively after several delegations, including
Austria, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, and
Switzerland raised concerns about the deal undermining the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which India has not
joined.
Almost half the suppliers' group membership proposed about
50 amendments to the US draft for a waiver that would allow
India to do business with the cartel. Phil Goff, New Zealand's
Disarmament and Arms Control Minister ,
"Around 50 amendments have been proposed to the original
text, with many countries speaking in favour of amendments.
The key function of the NSG is to formulate guidelines for
managing exports of nuclear material, equipment and technology
to ensure that this trade does not contribute to nuclear weapons
proliferation. Discussions in Vienna focused on how to ensure
compatibility of these objectives with the exemptions, sought
for the US-India Civil Nuclear Co-operation Agreement."
The amendments
seek to impose three main conditions on the exemption for
India: period review of India's compliance with non-proliferation
commitments; explicit exclusion of uranium enrichment and
reprocessing of spent-fuel technologies from what can be exported
to India; and no more nuclear trade with India if it conducts
another nuclear weapon test.
The Group will meet again on 4-5 September to discuss the
matter further. If the meeting does not grant India a waiver,
the deal is likely to miss the US Congress deadline for its
ratification of a related bilateral India-US agreement, which
has to happen for the deal to take effect. Even if the Nuclear
Suppliers Group approves a waiver on 5 September, the deal
might not make it through Congress by the end of its session
on 26 September.
For more information on the US-India Deal, please see:
Arms Control Association's US-India Nuclear Cooperation Agreement
resource page
Abolition 2000's US-India Working Group
South Asians Against Nukes
5) News from
the International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation
and Disarmament
The co-chairs of the new International Commission on Nuclear
Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, former foreign ministers
Yoriko Kawaguchi from Japan and Gareth Evans from Australia,
met in Tokyo on 25 August to discuss their strategy. They
plan to quickly appoint members for the commission and hold
the group's first meeting in October 2008. Evans indicate
they have "been working very hard together on identifying
appropriate members of the commission all around the world."
Kawaguchi indicated the group would have about 15-16 members
chosen from a mix of countries, including some that have nuclear
weapons and others that do not, with a wide range of locations
and economic stature represented. The group has yet to establish
a concrete mandate but aims to strengthen the 2010 nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty review process.
To subscribe to the First Committee Monitor, a weekly NGO
newsletter published during First Committee, please email
the RCW project associate, info[at]reachingcriticalwill.org,
with the subject line "subscribe FCM". Please indicate
whether you would prefer the HTML or PDF version.
19 August 2008
Dear Reaching Critical Will friends and advisors:
For many of us, August means it's time to start thinking
about the General Assembly and the First Committee. Below
you will find all the information you'll need to follow the
action and/or get involved. There are also many other events
to be aware of, including week long actions to promote the
development of an Arms Trade Treaty and to keep space for
peace. At the same time, international armed conflict continues
around the world, providing a bleak background against which
advocates for disarmament and demilitarization conduct their
work. We can't ever forget how timely, important, and pressing
this work really is. Reaching Critical Will remains the best
place to keep up to date on the General Assembly and relevant
actions: www.reachingcriticalwill.org.
In peace,
Ray Acheson, Project Associate
1) Disarmament
at the General Assembly General Assembly General Debate: 23 September–1 October
2008
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is consensus-building
body, where issues of international peace and security are
collectively discussed among all UN member states. Its regular
session convenes in September of each year. For two weeks,
heads of state, foreign ministers, or other high-level representatives
have the opportunity to address the entire international community
with their concerns, priorities, and opinions about a variety
of topics.
During the first segment of the UNGA, the General Debate,
Reaching Critical Will complies all references to disarmament,
peace, and security and posts them online by country and topic.
The statements from the General Debate will give us an idea
of the issues upon which governments will be focusing during
the UNGA First Committee on Disarmament and International
Security, which begins on 6 October.
Fact sheet on the General Assembly
To find out more about the General Assembly, check out Reaching
Critical Will's two-page fact sheet that explains what
the General Assembly is, why its important for disarmament,
and how you can make an impact. http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/resources/factsheets/ga.pdf
2) Keeping
up with the First Committee UNGA First Committee on Disarmament and International Security:
6 October–4 November 2008
The General Assembly's work on disarmament is conducted through
one of its main committees, the First Committee on Disarmament
and International Security. The First Committee provides space
for each state to discuss their positions on disarmament-related
matters, to build consensus on the issues or highlight divergences,
and to table and adopt non-binding resolutions. Of course,
the First Committee often fails to make good use of its potential,
but it provides one of the best opportunities for outreach,
education, and advocacy efforts on disarmament and non-proliferation
issues.
There are many opportunities for NGOs to get involved with
the First Committee:
First Committee Monitor
Since 2000, Reaching Critical Will has coordinated 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 and HTML. It
has been hailed by diplomats, UN staffers, and activists as
one of the most useful resources produced during the General
Assembly.
If your group would like to participate in this important
collaboration, contact
the Project Associate today. In the upcoming weeks, we will
be holding a meeting to coordinate the various responsibilities
required for such an effort.
If you are interested in following events at the First Committee,
subscribe to the First Committee Monitor today by sending
an email to ray[at]reachingcriticalwill.org
with the subject line "subscribe First Committee Monitor".
Please indicate whether you would like the PDF or HTML version.
Side Events
Side events are an excellent way to educate each other, delegations,
and members of the Secretariat on a broad range of disarmament
and security issues. NGO side events are becoming increasingly
popular with both diplomats and civil society. If you are
planning a side event, meeting, or strategy session during
the First Committee and would like to hold it in the UN, please
contact RCW.
If you have already booked your event through other means,
please let RCW know so that we can add your event to the calendar,
which is the number one resource for all those looking for
updates on the First Committee.
What else can civil society do around the First Committee?
Media Outreach: While decisions taken on matters of disarmament
and non-proliferation 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: .
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.
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, see http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/action/tips.html.
3) Control
Arms Week of Action 13–19 September 2008
This year human rights campaigners are celebrating 60 years
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the
UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948. International human
rights law must be at the centre of an effective Arms Trade
Treaty, so the Control Arms campaign is linking the Universal
Declaration with our call for a resolution in the UN General
Assembly, starting with the First Committee in October 2008.
Goal of the Week of Action (13-19 September)
Our goal is a strong resolution at the First Committee of
the UN General Assembly in October. This resolution should
reflect support for our 'Golden Rule' that an ATT must prohibit
arms transfers if they are likely to be used to commit serious
violations of international human rights law and humanitarian
law, or undermine sustainable development.
Campaign objectives to obtain this goal
A. Signatures from parliamentarians for the Parliamentarian's
Declaration for an ATT:
B. Increased public pressure on the unsupportive governments
using case studies illustrating their irresponsible arms supplies
in the upcoming Amnesty International report 'Blood at the
Crossroads'.
C. Media coverage through the new 'World is Watching' campaign,
to remind supporting governments that they must continue to
support an effective ATT. (see section 5)
Update from the UN Group of Governmental Experts (GGE)
The GGE on an ATT has held two sessions so far – in
February and May 2008 – and the third session of the
GGE is currently being held between 28 July and 8 August 2008.
The meetings are confidential and the purpose is to examine
the feasibility, scope and draft parameters of an ATT. There
are 28 government experts on the GGE, listed at
The GGE is expected to produce a report and decides matters
by consensus. The Control Arms team has learned that detailed
papers are being circulated amongst the experts and that there
is a lively discussion proceeding on many points.
Possible outcomes from the GGE include:
· No report
· Chair's report – The reflection of the proceedings
and discussions from, the Chair, Ambassador Moritán
(Argentina). This would not be officially endorsed by the
GGE
· Majority/Minority report – Would contain the
views expressed by both groups in the GGE on substantive issues.
· Consensus report – A report on which all of
the GGE members agreed with everything in the report. Such
an outcome would probably only refer to procedural matters
and would not contain anything substantive.
It is likely that the GGE report would be issued in August
or early September so that the delegates at the First Committee
in October have time to read the report.
Strategy for the UNGA First Committee
To influence this next stage of the ATT process, the Control
Arms campaign needs to do 2 things:
(i) Use our powerful campaigning voice and advocacy tactics
in the Control Arms campaign to push for an effective ATT
in as short a timeframe as possible and for a comprehensive
scope and parameters which include the Golden Rule on international
human rights law and international humanitarian law (IHL),
placing these as high up the political agenda as possible.
(ii) Campaign for at least an Open Ended Working Group (OEWG)
in 2009 – with a successful majority outcome this process
could then be followed by Preparatory Committees (PrepComs)
in 2010 and 2011, and by Treaty Negotiations beginning in
2012.
Before the First Committee in October, the Control Arms campaign
needs to build up maximum pressure on governments to ensure
their active support for an ATT resolution. That is why we
need the Control Arms Week of Action to be a resounding success
in mid September. It is likely that many of the 153 governments
that supported the 2006 resolution will continue their support,
but how many will partly depend on the success of the NGO
Control Arms campaign advocacy.
Campaign materials
(a) World is Watching materials
Through the 'World is Watching' concept, Control Arms wants
to generate a sense that people all over the world are monitoring
the work that their governments are doing on the ATT. We will
be producing sunglasses branded with this slogan, so that
campaigners can take photographs of events with participants
wearing these sunglasses. The best photos will be displayed
at the First Committee in October, to demonstrate that the
world is watching the discussions in New York. Posters, stickers
and action cards in English, French, Spanish, Arabic and Portuguese
are available to download and print at:
The World is Watching action card is focussed on approaching
parliamentarians to increase the number of signatures for
the ATT Declaration (see next section). The card has two functions:
(1) distribute the cards to the general public and gather
the details of potential supporters to be approached later
and (2) collect the cards to be sent to MPs and increase the
number of signatures collected.
(b) Parliamentarian's Declaration
The Control Arms campaign has been promoting a Parliamentary
Declaration in support of an ATT with the aim of collecting
3,000 signatures from MPs to be presented at the First Committee
in October. The ATT Week of Action in September will be an
opportunity to give a final push to the collection of the
signatures through:
· Distribution and promotion of the World is Watching
material.
· World is Watching events at national Parliaments.
· Promotion of the parliamentary web action at .
· Media work with supportive parliamentarians.
· Promotion of a document highlighting quotes from
parliamentarians that have already signed up to the declaration.
Please use World is Watching campaign material to approach
parliamentarians and collect signatures. Then please send
the names to Bruce Millar at bruce.millar[at]iansa.org.
(c) 'Blood at the Crossroads' report
The forthcoming Amnesty International report – 'Blood
at the Crossroads: Making the Case for an Arms Trade Treaty'
– provides detailed case studies showing that with globalisation
of the conventional arms trade, the world has reached a crossroads.
Governments must now decide how to effectively control that
trade in order to protect the rights of their people. The
case studies look at irresponsible arms transfers to Afghanistan,
Burma/Myanmar, Côte D'Ivoire, Colombia, Guatemala, Guinea,
Iraq, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda. The report is expected to
be online in September.
(d) Other materials
A new Control Arms leaflet, a capacity building video, a
TV documentary on the campaign, and other materials will be
available during August and September. For more information,
please check
regularly!
Further information
Celebrating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
How the Chinese/Zimbabwe arms shipment makes the case for
an ATT
How to apply Human Rights Standards to arms transfers decisions
(Amnesty International)
Arms transfer decisions: Applying international humanitarian
law criteria (International Committe of the Red Cross)
Request for feedback and plans
The success of the ATT Week of Action will depend on the participation
of network members and how effectively we can synchronise
and coordinate our activities. Please let us know how you
will be able to participate in the Week of Action, including
any plans you may have. Please send your feedback to Bruce
Millar at bruce.millar[at]iansa.org
4) Keep
Space for Peace Week 4–12 October 2008
,
the Women's
International League for Peace and Freedom, and are co-sponsoring this year's Keep Space for
Peace Week, an international week of local protest events
to stop the weaponization of outer space.
Each year, the official Keep Space for Peace Week poster
features a different part of the world that is struggling
against deployment of US Star Wars systems. Last year it featured
US Star Wars systems in England and the Czech Republic. This
year, the poster features South Korean activism against "missile
defense" deployments which are destabilizing the Asian-Pacific
region.
Poster:
Flyer:
Please contact Bruce Gagnon (globalnet[at]mindspring.com)
at the Global Network with information about any local events
you or your organization is planning so that he can maintain
an updated list of events around the world, which he will
share with the media. The co-sponsors also urge any graphic
artists to feel free to adapt the Keep Space for Peace Week
poster to your particular local needs.
5) WILPF
Statement on the situation in Georgia 15 August 2008
The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)
deplores the violent conflict in Georgia, and welcomes the
ceasefire agreement negotiated by the European Union. In all
negotiations we urge that parties respect United Nations Security
Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security.
The international community and international organizations
have neglected to support the civilian rebuilding of Georgia
after the hostilities in early 1990. These current hostilities
have destroyed infrastructure needed for people to survive.
There are hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people
in the region already, and this conflict has and will continue
to displace even more.
Instead the continued sale of military goods and technologies
in the region is causing people to raise their arms and not
their voices. WILPF calls for an immediate halt to all arms
transfers in the region. According to the Stockholm Peace
Research Institute, Georgia ranks within the top ten spenders
per capita on the military. (SIPRI Yearbook 2007, Table 8A.4.,
page 317) The ongoing military buildup inflames local tensions
and encourages military responses as opposed to dialogue.
According to Human Rights Watch, there is a great likelihood
that cluster munitions have been used in this conflict. The
use of these indiscriminate weapons will increase the number
of casualties if and when displaced people return. WILPF urges
that an independent UN assessment be made of the area, and
that the Georgians and Russians take full responsibility for
cleaning up any explosive remnants of war.
The Georgian population is suffering from the ongoing geopolitical
struggle in the Caucuses region. Therefore, WILPF recognizes
that resource control, especially of the British Petroleum
oil pipeline that runs between the Black Sea and Caspian oil
fields, is a possible underlying cause of the current conflict,
and that negotiations for a peace agreement must include settlement
agreements regarding the future of the pipeline.
WILPF recognizes the countless women's organizations in the
region, including women from Abkhazia, Georgia, Ossetia, and
Russia have been working to educate the public on the Convention
on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against
Women (CEDAW), United Nations Security Council resolution
1325 on Women, Peace and Security, and the Beijing Platform
for Action. WILPF calls on the governments of Georgia and
Russia to include these groups as full and equal participants
in the negotiations on a long term sustainable peace plan.
4 August 2008
Dear Reaching Critical Will friends and advisors:
August is a busy month, with events held around the globe
in commemoration of the 63rd anniversaries of the atomic bombings
of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Please see
for a list of events and resources and contact the facilitators
of that page to add information about your own events. Meanwhile,
the Conference on Disarmament began the final part of its
2008 session - stay tuned to RCW's CD
Report for all the breaking news and contact
your ambassadors in Geneva to remind them that August
is the season for abolishing nuclear weapons.
In peace,
Ray Acheson, Project Associate
1) WILPF
Statement on the 63rd anniversary of the atomic bombings of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
This full
statement is available in PDF and a one-page
version is also available for distribution at events.
6 and 9 August mark the anniversaries of the atomic bombings
of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States. Two nuclear
weapons, dropped deliberately by the world's military superpower
on these cities in Japan, killed 200,000 civilians by the
end of 1945 and many more through cancer, mutations, and birth
defects in the years that followed; sparked an arms race of
insane proportions; and helped shape the hyper-militaristic
world order with which we are now collectively plagued.
On 6 and 9 August, the Women's International League for Peace
and Freedom (WILPF) remembers with horror the destruction
and devastation wrought upon Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And every
day of the year, WILPF works to prevent nuclear weapons from
ever being used again through our project Reaching Critical
Will, which helps increase the preparation and participation
of non-governmental organizations in disarmament diplomacy
by providing information, analysis, and primary documents.
Every day, WILPF works at international, national, and local
levels to foster the conditions, values, and momentum necessary
to eliminate nuclear weapons from our planet.
The development and maintenance of nuclear weapons have an
ongoing legacy of destruction, the burden of which has primarily
been borne by marginalized people around the world, especially
indigenous peoples. For example, from 1966–1996, the
French carried out 41 atmospheric and 142 underground nuclear
tests on Mururoa. US nuclear weapon tests conducted in the
Pacific between 1946–1958 unleashed the destructive
power equivalent to 1.5 Hiroshima sized bombs per day during
that 12 year period, leaving behind radioactive contamination
and the infrastructure for military colonization. In 2008,
US military realignment in the Asia-Pacific region seeks to
base 60 percent of its Pacific Fleet in and around Guam, in
what activists from that "unincorporated US territory"
describe as a "storm of US militarization so enormous
in scope, so volatile in nature, so irreversible in consequence,"
that it endangers the fundamental and inalienable human right
to self-determination of the indigenous Chamoru people.
Along with military bases around the globe, the expansion
of the military-industrial complex inhibits long-term, sustainable
success in nuclear disarmament. Trillions of dollars are invested
every year on militaries, equipment, advanced technologies,
wars; much of this money is embedded into the military and
corporate structures that support the maintenance and renewal
of nuclear weapons. War profiteers—particularly Bechtel,
British Nuclear Fuels Limited, Lockheed Martin, Mitsubishi,
Raytheon, and the University of California—benefit from
the ongoing development and maintenance of nuclear weapons
and their delivery systems.
Today, approximately 27,000 nuclear warheads exist, most
of them in the arsenals of the permanent five members of the
Security Council—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom,
and the United States—the countries supposedly in charge
of maintaining international peace and security. The governments
of most of these states have plans to modernize their nuclear
weapons or delivery systems, in continuing violation of Article
VI of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which says,
"Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue
negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating
to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and
to nuclear disarmament." Three states outside of the
NPT—India, Israel, and Pakistan—also possess nuclear
weapons, and five non-nuclear weapon states—Belgium,
Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey—host approximately
240 US nuclear weapons on their soil under the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization Strategic Concept, also in violation of
the NPT.
WILPF works to expose the threat that the hypocritical policies
of these states pose to the world and to generate commitment
to an alternative future, a world without nuclear weapons.
The only means to this end is the full implementation of the
first UN General Assembly resolution, adopted in 1946—the
total and universal disarmament of all nuclear weapons. The
world needs verifiable, irreversible reductions of nuclear
arsenals and the negotiation of a nuclear weapons convention.
WILPF urges all governments and citizens to unconditionally
reject all arguments put forward for the continued existence
of nuclear weapons and encourages everyone to work for the
elimination of all nuclear arsenals and for the redirection
of nuclear weapon expenditures to meet environmental, social,
cultural, health, and educational needs.
WILPF calls on all NPT nuclear weapon states to fully implement
their Treaty obligations and to cease modernizing their arsenals
as a step toward the good faith pursuit of nuclear disarmament
and the ultimate goal of a nuclear weapon free world. We also
call on nuclear weapon states that are not party to the NPT—India,
Israel, and Pakistan—to verifiably disarm their nuclear
weapons and join the NPT as non-nuclear weapon states. We
call on these states to support in word and action the ratification
and negotiation of relevant treaties, including the Comprehensive
Test Ban Treaty, a fissile materials treaty, and a nuclear
weapons convention.
WILPF welcomes the recent withdrawal of US nuclear weapons
from the United Kingdom, which had been stationed there since
1954. We call on all non-nuclear weapon states who currently
host nuclear weapons on their territories to demand their
immediate removal and to prevent the stationing of these weapons
on any foreign soil. WILPF also calls on all states under
the US "nuclear umbrella" to reject the "security"
offered to them under such bilateral agreements with the United
States in favor of fully supporting the movement for nuclear
abolition. WILPF calls on the Japanese government in particular
to renounce the US nuclear umbrella and to respect Article
9 of the Japanese constitution, which renounces war and the
use or threat of force as a means of settling international
disputes. At the same time, WILPF welcomes the announcement
that former Environment Minister and Foreign Minister Ms.
Yoriko Kawaguchi of Japan will co-chair of the International
Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament. WILPF
also welcomes the establishment of this Commission by Australian
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who announced its formation after
he visited Hiroshima—the first Western leader to do
so.
In her philosophical text On Violence, Hannah Arendt says,
"The means used to achieve political goals are more often
than not of greater relevance to the future world than the
intended goals." No number of nuclear weapons in the
hands of any number or type of government or people can protect
against their use; the use of nuclear weapons cannot occur
again without catastrophic consequences for the entire human
race. The promise offered by nuclear weapons is not one of
security but destruction, militarism, fear, insecurity, and
extinction. The only acceptable number is zero.
2) Nuclear
Free Future Month
has declared August "Nuclear-Free
Future Month" and is calling on groups to take action
and raise awareness about the ever-increasing threat from
both nuclear weapons and the environmental and proliferation
dangers posed by the global nuclear power "renaissance."
Through popular education, video screenings, art exhibits,
protests, vigils and more, campaigners for a nuclear free
future hope to put nuclear issues on the political agenda
of the 2008 Presidential and Congressional elections in the
United States and to build stronger ties between the nuclear
abolition, anti-war, and climate justice movements.
Visit
for information and analysis about nuclear issues, action
plans, a schedule of events, and ideas and tools to organize
your own events during Nuclear Free Future Month.
3) Call
for papers: Africa and Weapons of Mass Destruction
In early 2009, the intends to publish a special
monograph to identify and strengthen Africa's role in international
efforts to strengthen nonproliferation and disarmament as
they relate to weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the context
of Africa's developmental imperatives. ISS therefore invites
scholars, practitioners, researchers and policy analysts to
submit abstract proposal/articles under this theme, on the
following broad topics:
• The African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (Treaty
of Pelindaba);
• Africa and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons (NPT) - African policy recommendations, which
will enhance prospects for a positive and forward-looking
outcome of the current Non-Proliferation Treaty review cycle;
• Africa and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty;
• Africa and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention;
• Africa and the Chemical Weapons Convention;
• Africa and United Nations Security Council resolutions
such as UNSCR 1540;
• Uranium Mining in Africa;
• The Opportunities and Challenges for Africa of the
Global Resurgent interest in Nuclear Energy.
Abstracts should be submitted to Noel Stott at nstott[at]issafrica.org
by 30 August 2008. Authors of accepted abstracts will be notified
by 30 September 2008. Accepted papers should average around
7,000 - 9,000 (inclusive of references and endnotes) words.
Authors
must adopt ISS Publications Style Guide ().
In addition to the abstract, the following details should
also be communicated:
• Title of the proposed paper;
• Name of the author(s);
• Organisation(s) to which he or she belongs;
• Contact addresses.
For more information, see the .
4) Deadline
extended for applications to Think Outside the Bomb
The deadline for all applications to Think Outside the Bomb's
National Youth Conference on Nuclear Abolition has been extended
to 10 August 2008 - including for those who require travel
assistance. The conference will be held in Boston, MA from
14 to 17 August 2008.
For more information, conference schedule, and application
forms, please see .
Sign up today - come and meet the RCW project associate, Ray
Acheson, who will be one of the many excellent conference
speakers.
24 July 2008
Dear Reaching Critical Will friends and advisors:
On Friday, 18 July, the Third Biennial Meeting of States
on Small Arms closed with the adoption of its final
report by a vote of 134 in favour, two abstentions, and
none against. Pointing out that 5000 people were shot dead
during the conference, the expressed enthusiasm for
the result and "welcomed the resurrection of the UN small
arms process." Read below for an overview of the conference
and visit the RCW website for every edition of the Small
Arms Monitor, the daily publication produced by Reaching
Critical Will and the during the conference.
In peace,
Ray Acheson, Project Associate
1) Small
arms conferences closes with adoption of final report
Read below for a summary of the conference and its outcome.
Also see the Reaching Critical Will website for:
From 14–18 July 2008, the Third Biennial Meeting of
States (BMS) on Small Arms met in New York to review the implementation
of the to Prevent, Combat, and Eradicate
the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons In All Its
Aspects. The BMS also reviewed implementation of the to Enable States to Identify
and Trace, in a Timely and Reliable Manner, Illicit Small
Arms and Light Weapons. Neither the PoA nor the International
Tracing Instrument (ITI) are legally-binding, however, both
were negotiated and approved within the UN framework and all
UN member states have committed themselves meeting their requirements.
The BMS gives states a chance to report on national implementation
of the PoA and ITI and more importantly, to highlight their
needs for assistance and to suggest or recommend future steps
for further implementation.
Conference organization
Seven months before the BMS met in New York, chair-designate
Ambassador Dalius Cekuolis of Lithuania began organizing the
conference in coordination with a group of facilitators, whom
he charged with developing working papers and leading discussions
on select themes. The conference’s programme of work
provided for interactive discussions on these themes, which
included:
International cooperation, assistance, and national capacity-building;
Stockpile management and surplus disposal;
Illicit brokering; and
Review of the International Tracing Instrument (ITI).
While most delegations expressed support for a focused conference,
some—most notably Mexico—disagreed with which
themes were selected and expressed surprise that certain themes,
such as monitoring and humanitarian issues, were left out,
despite the known priorities of several delegations. Despite
these lingering disagreements, these delegations still participated
actively in discussion on the above topics.
Substantive discussions
In discussions on international cooperation and assistance,
which constituted a background theme in the consideration
of all other issues, delegations emphasized the need for assistance
to result in increased national capacity rather than one-time
help. Donor countries generally insisted on the necessity
of national reporting in assessing the needs of states, while
many developing countries resisted this linkage. On stockpile
management and surplus disposal, delegations highlighted challenges
the issue poses toward implementation of the PoA and made
numerous suggestions for how to strengthen relevant legislation,
procedures, and operations. During the discussion on illicit
brokering, a number of states, mostly from Latin America and
the Caribbean, urged the negotiation of a legally-binding
instrument, while others cautioned against what they see as
a difficult undertaking. Other states emphasized the development
of regional mechanisms or national legislation. During the
review of the implementation of the ITI, delegations focused
on the need for technical assistance and information exchange,
and many delegations argued the ITI should be legally-binding
and/or that it should include the marking and tracing of ammunition.
Drafting the final report
The chair began drafting the final report of the meeting well
in advance, and distributed it at the start of the conference
as WP.5.
The facilitator for discussions on marking and tracing also
circulated a draft outcome paper on the implementation of
the ITI at the start of the conference, as WP.6.
The evening after the discussion on each of these agenda items,
the chair provided additional draft language for the final
report, upon which delegations were allowed to comment to
the facilitators and the chair for consideration. The Iranian
delegation complained about this process on Tuesday, 15 July,
arguing the outcome document must be negotiated line by line
because the draft outcome text language that had been circulated
the night before contained substantive points. The following
day, the chair explained that all draft language for the outcome
document would be open to ongoing negotiations and consultations
but that the short time-frame of the BMS does not allow for
a complete negotiation of the text. He encouraged states to
cooperate actively with the facilitators to ensure their interests
were addressed in the draft language.
The final report and the way forward
Chapter IV of the final report provides a summary of concerns,
highlights, appeals, suggestions, and recommendations made
by delegations during the course of the BMS on the first three
thematic issues, including recommendations on stockpile management
and for legislation on arms brokering. It also lists some
of the other issues raised by delegations during the course
of discussions. The factual elements of the text had been
largely drafted in advance of the meeting. The fairly weak
recommendations contained in the report, compiled in sections
titled “the way forward,” were developed by appointed
facilitators, all of whom engaged in wide consultations prior
to the BMS. The majority of states, while acknowledging their
doubts and displeasure over the strength of the final draft
text, accepted this method of developing the final document.
However, the Iranian delegation demanded a comprehensive negotiation
of the text, arguing that presenting a document to states
to accept without formal negotiations on its contents undermines
multilateralism and the UN process. Despite appeals by a number
of delegations during the final day of the conference, the
Iranian delegation requested a recorded vote on the document,
to which it abstained, along with Zimbabwe. 134 delegations
voted in favour and no one opposed the report.
Overall assessment
While the substance of the final report was weaker than most
NGOs and delegations most affected by gun violence would have
liked, most agreed with Rebecca Peters, director of the , that the agreement “is
a significant step forward for the international effort to
tackle the illicit gun trade.” After the Review Conference
of the PoA ended without the adoption of a final document
in 2006, participants were relieved to end with a document
that provided tools to move forward with implementing the
PoA and the ITI.
International cooperation, assistance, and national capacity-building
Arguing that implementation of the PoA requires a holistic
approach, most delegations agreed that this topic applies
to all aspects of the PoA and should be considered at each
stage of discussion. One of the foremost concerns cited by
delegations was the problem of matching donors with specific
needs of states. Many donor countries offered suggestions
on how to accomplish this, such as by including a one-page
survey on assistance needs in annual reports ();
developing country-specific assistance programmes ();
creating regional working groups that could meet on specific
issues and report back to the BMS (United Kingdom); and developing
national strategies (Canada). Colombia
called for harmonizing legislation, building national capacity
through trainings of officials and strengthening border controls,
and strengthening international cooperation and exchange of
information. The UN Office for Disarmament Affairs presented
its Programme of Action Implementation Support System, ,
as a tool for helping connect states in need of assistance
with donor states. This website brings together basic documentation,
information on best practices, an advisory network for national
contact points, and project proposals. Many delegations, particularly
those from Latin America and including ,
,
, Mexico,
and the Central
American Integration System (SICA), opposed any preconditions,
such as requiring national reporting, for the provision of
assistance.
Stockpile management and surplus disposal
Switzerland’s WP.3
on this subject, which initiated Tuesday’s discussion,
highlighted challenges and outlined steps states can take
to address stockpile problems, especially those related to
legislation, procedures, and operations. Some delegations,
including the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) indicated the
most important aspect of stockpile management is international
cooperation and assistance. Other delegations, including ,
,
and Germany, recommended specific measures, including information
exchange, reviewing procedures and operations, developing
relevant guidelines within the UN, and improving legislative
and regulatory frameworks that govern the safety of stockpiles.
recommended the development of a new international instrument
for stockpile management and destruction and argued that awareness
raising on stockpile management procedures is key along with
increasing international cooperation and assistance. Italy
also suggested states strengthen their export controls, such
as through a “no re-transfer clause” and consider
allowing exporting countries to make regular visits to relevant
deposits to ensure the agreed arms transfer standards are
met.
Many delegations, particularly those from the west and including
the European Union, argued ammunition should be included in
the PoA’s consideration of stockpiles. While agreeing
ammunition should be included, Russia suggested the BMS focus
on illicit trade problems of ammunition stockpiles and surplus
rather than explosions, arguing that the risk of explosion
comes from ammunition for heavy weapons and mines, not from
SALW ammunition.
Illicit brokering
Citing illicit brokering as one of the fundamental impediments
to implementation of the PoA, Latin American delegations,
including ,
SICA and Mexico, Colombia, and CARICOM, called on all states
to work toward a process toward establishing a legally-binding
instrument on brokering. The said addressing the
issue of brokering requires a uniform, global, legally-binding
framework—an international treaty. Pending conclusion
of an international instrument, the ICRC urged states to establish
and adhere to regional mechanism. The ICRC expressed the view
that in authorizing brokering transactions, states must take
into account the impact on international humanitarian law.
South Africa’s delegation said that while the principle
of an international instrument on illicit brokering is good,
it is a very grey and vague area and would therefore be very
difficult to develop.
After Brian Wood presented the major findings of the 2007
Group of Governmental Experts on illicit brokering, which
were welcomed and supported by many delegations, many states
made recommendations.
said it would like the BMS to call for full implementation
of brokering agreements and
expressed the hope that the outcome document would establish
a road map for dealing with the issue of brokering and said
it would submit a proposal to the facilitator based on the
MERCOSUR working paper, WP.7. The
advocated for a regional approach to cooperation in dealing
with illicit brokering. Australia suggested ten elements for
national legislation on curbing illicit brokering and Benin
put forward possible specific solutions on brokering, including
establish creating model legislation for presentation to member
states, assistance developing accreditation systems, and establishing
regional monitoring mechanisms.
and
both offered several specific suggestions for combating illicit
brokering. Japan further stated that enactment of national
legislation insufficient and that international cooperation
was needed. Italy and Turkey called for language in the outcome
document to reflect the contribution of the Firearms Protocol
toward curbing illicit brokering.
International Tracing Instrument (ITI)
Many Latin American and African delegations, including
and RECSA, argued the ITI should have been made legally-binding
and should have included ammunition. The Philippines
called on arms producing states to comply with the ITI. Many
delegations urged improvements in information exchange and
cooperation between national contact points, regional, international,
and non-governmental organizations. Many states highlighted
the need for technical assistance in marking weapons effectively
and some recommended that it be made mandatory for weapons
to be marked at the time of manufacture and import. The urged all states to
actively trace weapons recovered during or after an armed
conflict. The ICRC also recommended that government experts
directly involved in implementing the ITI meet on a regular
basis to share their experience and consider implementation
of the instrument.
Other issues
Development and human security: A cross-regional selections
of delegations, including ,
Jamaica, Nigeria,
the Netherlands, and
highlighted the connections between the illicit trade of SALW
and development and human security. South Africa agreed that
illicit trade in SALW is a development issues but that states
should be required to include initiatives to combat this trade
as part of their overall development programmes in order to
receive financial or technical assistance from the international
community. Several delegations argued the PoA should be approached
from both supply and demand aspects and that root causes of
demand, including poverty, must be addressed.
Civil society: A cross-regional selection of delegations
that are generally accommodating of NGO participation, including
those of Canada, Ghana, ,
Jamaica, , and
emphasized the importance of civil society participation in
implementing the PoA and ITI and expressed support for the
broader inclusion of civil society in the small arms process.
Pakistan’s delegation said that while it does not object
to civil society participation, there needs to be a distinction
between member states and civil society organizations.
Gender: ’s
delegation emphasized the need for member states to include
gender considerations in their work on implementing the PoA.
Following an NGO presentation on SALW and gender-based violence,
the Australian delegation agreed that gender considerations
and the measures included in UN Security Council resolutions
and
must be included in SALW considerations.
International Humanitarian Law: The articulated the need
for states to respect International Humanitarian Law (IHL)
when considering arms transfers. The ICRC has developed a
practical guide to IHL criteria in arms transfers for use
by government officials. The ICRC also argued that increased
respect for law will reduce the vulnerability of people and
reduce the demand for SALW.
Other processes: Australia gave briefing on the “,” which is working group that
involves governments, international organizations, and NGOs
in regular informal consultations to promote and monitor implementation
of the PoA. The working group prepared a on how to strengthen the PoA beyond 2008 and refine
the process for implementation of the PoA. The United Kingdom
pointed to the adopted by the
in 2003, explaining that it uses elements
from these guidelines as a standard for exporting arms even
to states not participating in the Wassenaar Arrangement.
Panama suggested ways to limit gun ownership, including programmes
that exchange food coupons for weapons and that educate the
public on the dangers of owning a firearm. Canada gave a brief
report of a meeting in Geneva in August 2007 on controls of
international transfers of SALW, which Canada believes offered
a valuable opportunity for sustained and in-depth focus on
one aspect of the PoA and helped raise awareness about best
practices and challenges.
Presentations by intergovernmental and non-governmental
organizations
A number of regional organizations reported on the nature
of SALW-related problems in their respective regions and on
the progress of programmes undertaken to combat illicit trade
in SALW, including the League of Arab States; the African
Union; North Atlantic Treaty Organization; the Organization
of American States; Organization of Security and Cooperation
in Europe; the Regional Centre on SALW in the Great Lakes
Region, the Horn of Africa, and Bordering States; the East
African Community; the International Conference of the Great
Lakes Region; and the Central American Integration System.
Interpol reported on its development of information tools
and database, information collection sharing, and expertise
sharing, related to combating illicit brokering in small arms.
The World Health Organization urged governments to move beyond
consideration of the supply dimensions of SALW and to focus
on prevention of armed conflict through available conventional
policy tools.
Representatives from a number of non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) argued that the legal possession and use of guns by
citizens should be respected by any international action combating
their illicit trade, including the World Forum on the Future
of Sport Shooting Activities; the National Firearms Association
(Canada); the British Shooting Sports Council; the Canadian
Institute for Legislative Action; the Firearms Importers Roundtable;
the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia; and the Sporting
Arms and Ammunition Manufacturing Institute. Other NGOs, including
the and its partner organizations,
provided recommendations on a variety of issues related to
the small arms process, including stockpile management and
surplus disposal; regulations on licensing for gun ownership;
consideration of gender-based
violence and the implementation of UN Security Council
resolutions 1325 and 1840; illegal brokering; and health concerns.
In addition, a former child soldier from Sudan, , rapped a song explaining his story and the plight
of child soldiers.
Consideration of the Final Report
and Outcome Documents
ITI outcome
On Thursday, 17 July, the Egyptian delegation, which drafted
the outcome
paper on the implementation of the ITI, accepted a few
changes to the paper while chairing the discussion on ITI.
The conference agreed to include an eighth paragraph noting
that some states emphasized the importance of a legally-binding
instrument (request by Colombia) and that other states considered
the nature of the document to have been settled through negotiation
(requested by the United States in response to Colombia’s
request). The Iranian delegation announced it needed to await
instructions from its capital, on the pretext that the changes
were substantive in nature, and requested a decision on adopting
the document be delayed until the following day. The Egyptian
chair was compelled to accept the outcome document ad referendum,
over Iran’s objections. This allowed delegations to
submit views on the text prior to consideration of the BMS
final report on Friday, however Iran did not raise any substantive
objections to the ITI during this time.
BMS outcome and final report
On Monday, 14 July, the chair explained that he would provide
draft outcome document language for each thematic topic on
the evening immediately following the discussion of that item.
On Tuesday, 15 July, Iran’s delegation stated the outcome
document must be negotiated, noting the draft outcome text
language that had been circulated contained substantive points.
On Wednesday, 16 July, the chair explained that all draft
language for the outcome document was open to ongoing negotiations
and consultations but that the short time-frame of the BMS
did not allow for a complete negotiation of the text. On Friday,
18 July, the chair urged states to adopt the final
report as it stood, emphasizing its non-binding nature
and characterizing it as a very modest step. The chair noted
that no delegation had approached the conference facilitators
with substantive comments on the draft text.
At least 13 delegations expressed support for adopting the
final report as it stands, including Norway, the African Group,
Nigeria, Trinidad and Tobago, Sierra Leone, Pakistan, the
United Kingdom, MERCOSUR, CARICOM, the European Union, Italy,
Japan, Kenya, and Jamaica. The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)
said the majority of its members were prepared to support
the text as it stood. NAM noted that, during the consultative
process leading to the outcome document, NAM’s positions
had been heard and considered and that the draft report was
in line with its positions. NAM expressed the understanding,
however, that the facilitation process was not as transparent
or inclusive as a line by line negotiation. Syria's delegation
noted there were procedural gaps in the facilitation process,
pointing to the lack of active interchange, but said it would
support the consensus.
However, the Iranian delegation blocked the adoption of the
final report by consensus, repeating its procedural concerns
and its demand for either a line by line negotiation on the
outcome text or for that portion of the report to be submitted
by the chair as a summary annexed to the final report. At
least six delegations made direct appeals to Iran to reconsider
its positions, including the Netherlands, Liberia, Nigeria,
Colombia, the United Kingdom, and Kenya. The Dutch delegation,
using strongly charged language, gave numerous examples of
where a facilitation approach lead to a successful outcome,
stating that heeding Iran’s words—requiring line
by line negotiations for all consensus documents—would
condemn the UN system to impotence. Nigeria reminded the delegates
that they represent millions of people who are dying daily
because of this issue and argued that complaints about process
and procedure should not “clog the wheels” from
reaching success. Liberia made an evocative appeal to Iran,
emphasizing its own history of conflict and stating that the
issues facing delegations was not a theoretical but rather
a matter of life and death. Several delegations also made
suggestions to overcome the impasse. Egypt suggested the chair
open up a substantive process to hear Iran’s concerns,
thereby allowing the document to be adopted. Sierra Leone
suggested that Iran’s concerns should be annexed to
final report. Nigeria suggested a footnote be annexed to the
final report indicating that the procedures used in this BMS
would not set a precedent for future meetings, in order to
assuage one of Iran's reported concerns. The chair was compelled
to suspend the meeting numerous times in order to allow for
consultations on a possible outcome.
The chair eventually reported that his efforts to achieve
consensus had not yielded results—a procedural requisite
for proceeding to a vote—and that the bureau had decided
by consensus to call a vote on the final report. In light
of this decision, the Iranian delegation withdrew its amendment
for the outcome text to be removed from the final report,
but called for a recorded vote on the draft final report.
Japan formally submitted the draft final report for a vote,
seconded by Switzerland and Colombia. Delegations voted to
adopt the final report as orally amended, with 134 states
in favor, none opposed, and with Iran and Zimbabwe abstaining.
After the vote, many states, including China and Pakistan,
emphasized that this vote should not be used as a precedent
in other multilateral venues or fora.
2) Results
of the Students for a Nuclear Weapons-Free World competition
From 11-13 July, 15 students from Afghanistan, Australia,
Belgium, China, Colombia, Jamaica, Malaysia, New Zealand,
Nigeria, Russia, Singapore, Slovenia, and the United States,
who won the World Federation of United Nations Associations'
competition to write an essay, design a poster or make a video
to express their ideas on how to free the world of nuclear
weapons, gathered in Geneva for three days of meetings at
the Palais des Nations. On 14 July, Hans Blix, President of
the World Federation of United Nations Associations, told
the students, "The best way to avoid nuclear weapons
is to make governments feel that they don't need them".
The students have apparently decided to create a mass movement
of youth against nuclear weapons. "We want to solve these
problems before we inherit them," said Catriona Standfield,
a student from Australia. The students talked about both strategy
and substance. They also worked on a statement that they will
send to the heads of nuclear weapons states, UN Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon, and US presidential candidates.
Terhemba Aindigh from Nigeria suggested that the OPEC countries
should tell the U.S. that they will not increase the supply
of oil unless the US eliminates its nuclear arsenal. If the
U.S. takes the lead in disarming, the rest will follow."
"We have to shock people into realizing the seriousness
of the problem," said Sven Sobrie from Belgium.
The youngest winner, 15 year-old Nicolas Forero Villarreal
from Colombia, focused on how to educate students about the
issue. "After consultation with my teachers, I identified
John Estler's Model of Rational Choice and used it to sketch
an educational program for 6th to 9th graders."
Hans Blix's initiative received high-level support from the
UN, governments, and civil society. Mr. Sergei Ordzhonikidze,
the Director General of the UN in Geneva, and Mr. Sergio Duarte,
Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, both sent
messages to the students. Their conference program included
sessions with the Ambassadors of Canada, Pakistan, Iraq and
Sweden and presentations from Robert Berg and John Cox, World
Academy of Art and Science, Tim Caughley, Head of the Office
of Disarmament, Kirstin Vignard, UN Institute for Disarmament
Research, Alyn Ware from Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation
and Disarmament, renowned investigative journalist, Phillip
Knightley, and civil society activists, Susi Snyder of the
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and Colin
Archer of the International Peace Bureau.
More information and video reports about Students for a Nuclear
Weapons-Free World are available at:
3) Fall
internships available at Reaching Critical Will
Reaching Critical Will is seeking qualified interns for early
September to mid-December. We are looking for experienced,
journalism-style writers to help us research, monitor, and
report on what happens at the UN
General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International
Security.
Qualified interns will be assisting Reaching Critical Will
publications, representing Reaching Critical Will at civil
society meetings, monitoring governmental meetings, and helping
us maintain one of the largest and most relied-upon web-based
resources of disarmament information available. Some administrative
work will also be required.
Fall internship responsibilities include:
* attending and monitoring sessions of the General
Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International
Security;
* maintaining and updating the website;
* assisting with reporting and editing for a weekly newsletter,
the First
Committee Monitor;
* contacting government Missions to the UN;
* assisting with scheduling and execution of side events;
and
* basic office tasks, including scanning documents, managing
the phones, etc.
Qualifications:
- Excellent writing skills, preferably some experience with
journalism-style writing;
- Excellent speaking skills;
- Knowledge of international relations;
- Availability of at least 12 hours a week during normal business
hours (full-time positions also available!); and
- Experience in political activism, basic grasp of feminist
perspectives/theory, and multilingualism an advantage.
How to Apply:
Email your:
- Cover letter explaining interest in the project and the
organization; also indicate availability
- Resume
- 2 BRIEF Relevant writing samples (2000 words or less)
- Two references
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until
positions are filled.
Apply soon to make sure your application is considered!
4) Apply
now to Think Outside the Bomb
The next annual Think Outside the Bomb National Youth Conference
on Nuclear Abolition will meet in Boston, MA from 14-17 August
2008.
Join the Think Outside the Bomb network for four days of
learning, sharing, and activism at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology in Boston, MA. The conference will provide a
backdrop for nuclear abolitionists, peace activists, ecologists,
and other advocates of social justice and a livable planet
to learn in-depth about the threat of nuclear weapons, the
destruction caused by the nuclear fuel chain, and current
political opportunities to move toward nuclear disarmament.
To apply, visit .
Deadlines for applications are August 1 for those who need
travel assistance, and August 8 for those who do not.
Think Outside the Bomb is unique: it is the only conference
of it's kind that is fully organized and led by youth (roughly
defined as under-29), and does more than educate students
and young people on the issues surrounding nuclear weapons,
waste, and power - it places us in the forefront of the movement,
making change happen! Like previous conferences, Think
Outside the Bomb will provide food and transportation to and
from the conference for all participants!
The 2008 National Conference in Boston, MA, will explore
such interconnected themes as localized resistance to militarism
and empire, supporting indigenous resistance to nuclear colonialism,
and turning back the resurgence of "poisoned power"
(nuclear energy). It will include workshops, panels, dialogues,
and skills trainings to strengthen our analyses of the role
of nuclear weapons in the global political order, empower
ourselves with new tools for effective community organizing,
and deepen our commitment to building a better world.
Speakers for this conference include Arjun Makhijani of IEER,
Zia Mian from Princeton University, Joe Gerson, author of
Empire and the Bomb, Subrata Ghoshroy, from MIT, Mary Dickson,
downwinder and author of Exposed, Jackie Cabasso of the Western
States Legal Foundation, and of course, youth activists representing
various nuclear abolition organizations and communities from
around the country.
Conference Schedule:
Thursday, 14 August Where do I fit in? Personal connections
to the nuclear weapons complex Friday, 15 August Connecting communities: Environmental
racism and indigenous impacts Saturday, 16 August Organizing and resisting: Strategies,
lessons, and opportunities Sunday, 17 August A Personal Disarmament: Living Lives
of Change
Think Outside the Bomb is a project initiated by the Nuclear
Age Peace Foundation, with support from American Friends Service
Committee NH, Foundation for Global Community, Massachusetts
Peace Action, and other peace and nuclear abolition groups,
students, and young professionals from around the country.
For applications, and more information as it becomes available,
visit
regularly or email youth[at]napf.org.
15 July 2008
Dear Reaching Critical Will friends and advisors:
The Third
Biennial Meeting of States on Small Arms began on Monday,
14 July at the United Nations in New York. The conference
is reviewing the implementation of the UN Programme of Action
that was adopted in 2001 to "combat, prevent, and eradicate"
the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons (SALW).
These weapons kill 1000 people and seriously injure an additional
3000 people per day. They gravely affect development, public
health, economic, social, and political stability, and international,
regional, national, and human security. and the are providing daily online coverage
of this important conference and side events. Please see below
for an update from the first day of the conference and for
information on how to follow the proceedings and how to take
action.
In peace,
Ray Acheson, Project Associate
1) Small
arms conference begins at the United Nations
The Third Biennial Meeting of States to Consider the Implementation
of the to Prevent, Combat, and Eradicate the Illicit
Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons In All Its Aspects
is meeting at the United Nations Headquarters in New York
City from 14-18 July 2008.
Background information on small arms and the United Nations
For all statements and working papers from the conference,
please see the official UN website at
For additional information about the conference and for
information on NGO participation, along with information
on small arms issues globally, please see the International
Action Network on Small Arms at .
The UN Office for Disarmament Affairs has also developed
an informative resource for SALW in the UN context,
available at .
Coverage of the conference
and the are providing daily online coverage
of the conference. The following is the first edition of the
Monitor; it is also available online at http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/salw/monitor.html.
Subsequent reports will also be posted on that web page.
Small Arms Monitor Monday, 14 July 2008 | No.1
Michael Spies, and Ray Acheson, Reaching
Critical Will
States elected Ambassador Dalius Cekuolis of Lithuania
to chair the third biennial meeting.
Election of Other Officers
In accordance with previous consultations, states elected
the following delegations as vice-chairs:
Africa: Egypt, Liberia, Sudan
Asia: Japan, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka
Eastern Europe: Bulgaria, Czech Republic
Latin America: Colombia, El Salvador, Trinidad and
Tobago
Western Europe: Finland, The Netherlands, Switzerland
Adoption of the Agenda
Ambassador Cekuolis explained the program of work, which
provided for interactive discussions on select themes, including:
International cooperation, assistance, and national
capacity-building;
Stockpile management and surplus disposal;
Illicit brokering in small arms and light weapons;
and
Marking and tracing.
Prior to the adoption of the agenda, Mexico expressed
doubt over the themes selected and expressed surprise that
certain themes, such as monitoring and humanitarian issues,
were left out despite the known priorities of several delegations.
The Mexican delegation faulted the consultation process
leading to the formulation of the agenda, noting the consultations
resulted in minimal change to the original draft.
States adopted the agenda for third biennial meeting by
consensus.
Program of Work: Drafting the Final Document
The chair will provide draft outcome document language
for each thematic topic on the evening immediately following
discussion of that item.
Highlights from the discussion on
international cooperation, assistance, and national capacity-building:
Australia said state reports should form the basis of
matching states needs to donors, noting, however, that lack
of national capacity could hinder the adequate completion
of reports.
Brazil said international assistance must not be conditioned
on national reporting.
Japan proposed that a one-page survey be included in national
reports in order to facilitate matching needs to available
resources.
China said the strengthening of international assistance
should be a priority, emphasizing the need for increased
country-specific programs, development of long-term national
plans, and UN coordination of assistance.
The United Kingdom suggested regional and sub-regional
organizations could be more effective by focusing on smaller
projects. The United Kingdom also suggested the creation
of regional working groups, which could meet on specific
issues and report back to the biennial meetings.
Colombia called for action-oriented measures to be reflected
in the final document, including in the areas of harmonizing
legislation, building national capacity through trainings
of officials and strengthening border controls, and strengthening
international cooperation and exchange of information.
Honduras on behalf of the Central American Integration
System opposed any precondition on assistance.
Benin called for the UN Office of Disarmament Affairs
to establish a mechanism to monitor the implementation of
the Programme of Action in West Africa, in coordination
with the Economic Community of West African States.
South Africa opposed any precondition for assistance and
stated capacity-building must form the cornerstone of matching
donors to needs.
Guyana said national reporting must not become a precondition
for assistance.
Canada called for the development of national strategies
to address the gap in matching needs to resources, with
emphasis on the role of regional organization and national
reporting.
Iran called for the biennial meeting of states to address
the issue of barriers to access of technology related to
combating the illicit transfers small arms and light weapons.
Summary of the interactive discussion
over the UNIDIR study on international cooperation and assistance
under the Programme of Action:
UNIDIR presented findings from its global survey of the
implementation of the Programme of Action over its first
five years. UNIDIR determined that over this period states
allocated $660 million in assistance to support implementation,
most of which went to disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration
programs.
Japan asked if there was a mismatch between donors
and the needs of recipients or whether there is a lack of
resources from donor countries. Japan also asked if the
priority of recipient countries focusing on eliminating
illicit trafficking in small arms or on development.
On the first question, UNIDIR responded that both issues
were a problem, with the total funds spent on assistance
over five years equating to that spent on similar initiatives
in one year, adding that 55% of states did not receive assistance
in their top five areas of priorities. UNIDIR did not have
information on the second question.
New Zealand asked how should states best move forward
with needs assessments in small states. UNIDIR responded
that the way forward was through the creation of national
action plans and baseline surveys and for specific needs
to be communicated up to the international level.
Highlights from the discussion
of other issues:
Stockpile Management
Iraq, the Philippines, and Iraq reported on their national
implementation of the Programme of Action.
Illicit Brokering
MERCOSUR reiterated its support for an international instrument
to regulate arms brokering.
The Group of African States called on all member state
to consider the issue of illicit brokering a threat to world
peace.
The Netherlands advocated for a regional approach to cooperation
in dealing with illicit brokering.
Honduras on behalf of SICA and Mexico called on all states
to work toward a process toward establishing a legally-binding
instrument on brokering.
International Instrument on Tracing
The Philippines called on arms producing states to comply
with the tracing instrument.
Honduras on behalf of SICA and Mexico reiterated its support
for the instrument.
Other Issues
The Non-Aligned Movement and the Philippines called on
arms producing states to ensure that the supply of small
arms and light weapons reached only legitimate users.
MERCOSUR stated the non-legally-binding nature of the
UN Programme of Action constituted a barrier to its implementation.
MERCOSUR also expressed the need for states to address the
issues of ammunition and explosives, achieving a culture
of peace through strengthened cooperation with civil society
and the private sector, and the standardization of end-user
certifications.
The European Union and New Zealand welcomed the new approach
taken by the chair.
CARICOM stated the arms producing countries were morally
and ethically obligated to play a larger role, citing the
external nature of the issue of illicit arms transfers in
the region and their connection to drug trafficking.
The UN Office for Disarmament Affairs presented its Programme
of Action Implementation Support System: PoA-ISS, www.poa-iss.org.
This system is intended to serve as a “one stop shop”
for anyone working on small arms issues in the UN context.
It provides tools for states, international, regional, and
non-governmental organizations to implement the PoA, bringing
together basic documentation, information on best practices,
an advisory network for national contact points, and project
proposals.
The International Committee of the Red Cross articulated
the need for states to respect International Humanitarian
Law (IHL) when considering arms transfers. The ICRC has
developed a practical guide to IHL criteria in arms transfers
for use by government officials. The ICRC also argued that
increased respect for law will reduce the vulnerability
of people and reduce the demand for SALW.
UNICEF outlined several action points important to the
successful outcome of the BMS, including:
promoting a culture of peace;
enhancing coordination and integrate recommendations
from the Secretary-General’s Study on Violence
Against Children into National SALW National Action
Plans and development frameworks;
implement laws in conformity with the Optional Protocol
to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the
involvement of children in armed conflict;
ensure DDR programmes pay special attention to the
needs of children;
prioritize an integrated approach to SALW, recognizing
both the demand and supply sides of the small arms nexus;
and
initiate studies on child injuries and death due to
small arms to determine the human cost of SALW violence
and to promote violence prevention and rehabilitation
of child victims.
UN Office for Drugs and Crime indicated it has a comprehensive
approach to increasing member states' implementation of
the Firearms Protocol.
In other news
The Small Arms Survey, a project of the Graduate Institute
of International and Development Studies, Geneva, launched
its 2008 edition at the conference today. The book, "Risk
and Resilience," examines the problem of diversion of
small arms in relation to stockpiles, surplus disposal, international
transfers, and end-user documentation. It also analyzes the
public health approach to armed violence, noting that "the
public health approach views armed violence as a phenomenon
with identifiable patterns within particular populations,"
which makes it "able to focus on small groups and to
design targeted interventions at the local level."
2) Global
militarization and indigenous people
In April 2008, Julian Aguon, an author and Chamoru Rights
Advocate of the Chamoru Nation, delivered a statement to the
seventh session of the , where he
explained:
In 2008, the indigenous Chamoru people of Guam brace ourselves
for a storm of U.S. militarization so enormous in scope,
so volatile in nature, so irreversible in consequence. U.S.
military realignment in the Asia-Pacific region seeks to
homeport sixty percent of its Pacific Fleet in and around
our ancient archipelago. With no input from the indigenous
Chamoru people and over our deepening dissent, the US plans
to flood Guam, its Colony in Perpetuity, with upwards of
50,000 people, which includes the 8,000 U.S. Marines and
their 9,000 dependents being ousted by Okinawa and an outside
labor force estimated upwards of 20,000 workers on construction
contracts. In addition, six nuclear submarines will be added
to the three already stationed in Guam as well as a monstrous
Global Strike Force, a strike and intelligence surveillance
reconnaissance hub at Andersen Air Force Base.
This buildup only complements the impressive Air Force
and Navy show of force occupying 1/3 of our 212 square mile
island already. This massive military expansionism exacts
devastating consequences on my people, who make up only
37% of the 170,000 people living in Guam and who already
suffer the signature maladies of a colonial condition.
The military buildup of Guam endangers our fundamental
and inalienable human right to self-determination, the exercise
of which our Administering Power, the United States, has
strategically denied us—in glaring betrayal of its
international obligations under the United Nations Charter,
the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, UN General Assembly
Resolution 1514, to name but some.
The unilateral decision to hyper-militarize our homeland
is the latest in a long line of covenant breaches on the
part of our Administering Power to guide Guam toward self-governance.
It was made totally without consulting the indigenous Chamoru
people. No public education campaign regarding the social,
cultural, and political consequences of this hyper-militarization
has been seriously undertaken or even contemplated.
He is author of Just Left of the Setting Sun and The
Fire This Time: Essays on Life Under US Occupation. See
for more information on his books.
3) Update
on "missile defense" and the Czech Republic
On 9 July, the US Secretary of State and the Czech Foreign
Minister signed an agreement for the Czech Republic to host
a radar on its territory as part of the US ballistic "missile
defense" system, despite the fact that nearly 70% of
Czech citizens oppose the radar. However, the agreement still
has to be approved by parliament and signed by the President.
,
it is "not very likely" that the key parliamentary
vote on the radar will take place before the US presidential
elections or George W. Bush's departure from office. It appears
that Czech parliament is divided on the question. Bruce Gagnon
of the reported
that 5000 people hit the streets in Prague to protest the
agreement.
4) Update
on the US-India Deal
On 7 July 2008, the issued a press release
urging the international community to oppose the US-India
Deal:
US-India Nuclear Agreement - Still a Bad Deal:
Global Network of NGOs Urge International Community to Oppose
The US-India Deal Working Group of Abolition 2000, a global
network of over 2000 organizations in more than 90 countries
working for a global treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons,
says that pressure to rush a decision on the US-India Nuclear
Agreement must be resisted.
The organizations are calling upon key governments "to
play an active role in supporting measures that would ensure
this controversial proposal does not: further undermine the
nuclear safeguards system and efforts to prevent the proliferation
of technologies that may be used to produce nuclear bomb material,"
or "in any way contribute to the expansion of India's
nuclear arsenal."
This week, in defiance of opposition from Left Parties on
whose support it depends, the Indian government is expected
to circulate a draft nuclear Safeguards Agreement to the Board
of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
In doing so, it set in motion the remaining steps required
to operationalize the US-India bilateral nuclear agreement
(known as the "123 Agreement" after the relevant
clause in the US Atomic Energy Act). Besides the Safeguards
Agreement, the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) must
grant India a special exemption from its nuclear trade guidelines
and finally the US Congress must accept the terms of the "123
Agreement".
It took two years from the July 2005 Joint Statement by Prime
Minister Singh and President Bush until the text of the "123
Agreement" was finalized and nearly a year has elapsed
since then. After delaying for so long, the decision at this
time by the Indian government to send the draft Safeguards
Agreement to the IAEA Board of Governors has more to do with
the personal pride of Prime Minister Singh than with any changes
in national or international circumstances. It appears that
Mr Singh is more concerned about keeping faith with President
Bush than the chances that the deal might actually be concluded.
Most political commentators, including proponents of the deal
within the US government and Congress, believe that the required
steps cannot be completed during the life of the Bush Administration.
Furthermore, there is no guarantee that the next President
will wish to proceed with the deal in its current form.
The US-India Nuclear Agreement was a bad deal when it was
originally conceived and nothing has changed to redeem it
since then. All the problems identified in a letter sent to
the NSG and the IAEA by 130 NGOs and experts in January this
year still remain. See the following link for the text of
and list of signatories of the international letter:
The deal effectively grants India the privileges of nuclear
weapons states (NWS), despite the fact that India developed
nuclear weapons outside the NPT regime. It doesn't even require
India to accept the same responsibilities as other states:
full-scope IAEA safeguards for non-NWS and a commitment from
NWS to negotiate in good faith for the elimination of nuclear
weapons.
The IAEA and NSG must not to be stampeded into making decisions
to fit in with an unrealistic political time-table. The 35
countries represented on the IAEA Board of Governors must
consider the possibility that special conditions demanded
by India could undermine the credibility of the IAEA safeguards
system itself. They must also consider whether undertakings
made by a minority government in the face of strong opposition
would actually be honored. The NSG must consider the implications
for the international non-proliferation regime of granting
India a special exemption. These are weighty matters which
should not be judged precipitously.
The IAEA Board of Governors and the Nuclear Suppliers Group
of countries should, as a minimum condition, hold firm to
the longstanding international effort to end all production
of highly enriched uranium and plutonium to make nuclear weapons.
They should insist that the U.S.-India deal be conditioned
on an end to further production of fissile materials for weapons
purposes in South Asia.
Contacts
JAPAN (English and Japanese)
Tokyo: Philip White, Coordinator, Abolition 2000 US-India
Deal Working Group +81-3-3357-3800
Toyako G8 Summit: Akira Kawasaki, Peace Boat, 090-8310-5370,
kawasaki@peaceboat.gr.jp
INDIA: Sukla Sen, National Coordination Committee Member,
Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace +91-22-6553-4377
UNITED STATES: Daryl Kimball, Director, Arms Control Association,
+1-202-463-8270
Citizens' Nuclear Information Center, Tokyo, Japan
Tel: 81-3-3357-3800 Fax: 81-3-3357-3801
Email: white@cnic.jp
Web Site:
5) Introduction
to the PAROS Working Group
At the April 2008 annual organizing conference of the , members
of the Network and the formed a working
group on the prevention of an arms race in outer space (PAROS).
Reaching Critical Will is the working group's resource project.
For more information about the working group, please contact
Carol Urner at carol.disarm[at]gmail.com.
6) Nuclear
Disorder or Cooperative Security? is now online
, the civil society
review of the , is now available
online in PDF format at .
3 July 2008
Dear Reaching Critical Will friends and advisors:
On 22 June, citizens around the world of US plans to install "missile defense"
technology in Europe. That morning, Bruce Gagnon of the Global
Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space received
a phone call from the base commander of Kirtland Air Force
Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to complain about a blog
post Gagnon had written the day before. Gagnon had quoted
Col. Robert Suminsby, Jr. about his belief that the United
States needs to get its priorities straight when it comes
to funding things like Social Security and Medicare instead
of "aircraft and satellites." The Colonel indicated
that social spending is problematic because it is impacting
the Air Force's ability to buy new high-tech weapons systems:
"As a military officer, my big concern is fixing Social
Security and Medicare.... "If we don't fix those things,
there won't be anything left for a defense budget.... There
needs to be a national debate over what our priorities are."
As military spending increases, so does militarism - at the
expense of real security. Global problems require global solutions,
which the 22 June hunger strikers and their supporters understand.
In peace,
Ray Acheson, Project Associate
1) Fortieth
anniversary of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
1 July 2008 marked the fortieth anniversary of the NPT.
To honour the anniversary, 69 members of the European Parliament
from 19 EU member states launched a in support of the Nuclear Weapons Convention.
The statement was drafted and agreed by the cross-party group
of Deputy Chairs of the European Parliament section of :
Ms. Ana Gomes (PSE - Portugal) and Mr. Girts Kristovskis (UEN
- Latvia), both vice-chairs of the EP Security and Defense
subcommittee; Ms. Annemie Neyts (ALDE - Belgium); Ms. Angelika
Beer (Greens - ALE - Germany) and Mr. Andre Brie (GUE/NGL
- Germany).
For more information on the campaign, see
In the meantime, the US government also marked the anniversary
with a
by President George Bush, who urged the international community
not to allow some countries to undermine the NPT: "NPT
parties must take strong action to confront noncompliance
with the treaty in order to preserve and strengthen its nonproliferation
undertakings ... we cannot allow nations to violate their
commitments and undermine the NPT's fundamental role in advancing
international security."
Reaching Critical Will would argue that at the most recent
NPT conferences, including the Preparatory
Committee in April-May 2008, the US delegation has effectively
undermined the NPT's fundamental role in advancing international
security. US representative Dr. Christopher Ford repeatedly
argued that rather than representing three pillars - nuclear
disarmament, non-proliferation, and "peaceful uses"
of nuclear energy - the NPT is really only a one-pillar treaty.
He stated
non-proliferation is the "core interest served by the
NPT - not merely one 'pillar' among others, but in fact the
Treaty's very foundation." This argument dismisses the
very bargain upon which the NPT was negotiated - that of nuclear
disarmament for nuclear non-proliferation - thus undermining
any security the Treaty could offer the international community.
2) Conference
on Disarmament finished the second part of its session without
a programme of work
At the final plenary meeting on 25 June, Mr. Javier Solana
of the European Union addressed the Conference
on Disarmament (CD) to encourage CD representatives to
"start working". He also outlined the EU's positions
on various disarmament and non-proliferation issues. At the
meeting on 24 June, the US ambassador, who currently holds
the CD rotating presidency, announced she will hold a series
of informal meetings during the third session to allow member
states to address again the full range of issues on the agenda
underneath the seven coordinators who were appointed during
the first session.
The third part of the session will be held from 28 July to
12 September. The next plenary meeting is scheduled for Tuesday,
29 July at 10am.
To receive the CD Report in your inbox, please email info[at]reachingcriticalwill.org
with the subject line "subscribe cdreport".
3) Small
arms conference begins in two weeks
From 14-18 July, governments will meet at the United Nations
in New York to discuss progress on implemenating the and the implementation
of the .
The meeting will focus on several key topics within small
arms control, including:
Reducing illicit arms brokering
Improving management of stockpiles
Strengthening international cooperation and assistance
Reaching Critical Will and the will be covering the conference and
producing daily reports of the proceedings in coordination
with the and . These reports will be available
on the RCW website at http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/salw/bms2008.html.
Other documents and statements from the conference will also
be available through that web page, so please bookmark it
for your easy convenience.
For more information on the BMS
See the IANSA site at
and the official UN site at
Available documentation
Provisional Agenda -
Programme of Work -
Current schedule of side events -
For more information about the conference, please contact
IANSA's UN Liaison Officer Mark Marge at mark.marge[at]iansa.org.
4) Peace
Boat panel and concert
Peace Boat US is hosting a free panel discussion and concert
on Sunday, 13 July, starting at 3:00pm.
Timetable
3:00 Doors open
3:30 Cost of War Panel: a discussion on militarization, disarmament,
and the economic and human cost of war (co-sponsored by WILPF)
Featuring:
Rebecca Peters, Director, International Action Network on
Small Arms
Luis Carlos Montalván, Retired U.S. Army Captain, Iraq
Veterans Against the War
William D. Hartung, Director, Arms and Security Initiative
5:00 4th Annual People Building Peace Concert
To attend
You must RSVP by THURSDAY, 10 JULY to attend this event.
To RSVP, please send an email to event[at]peaceboat-us.org
with your FULL NAME, DATE OF BIRTH, and ID NUMBER from a valid
photo ID. Don't forget to bring your ID on 13 July, you'll
need it to get on board!
The Peace Boat will be docked at the NYC Passenger Ship Terminal,
at 12th Ave & W 55th St. Doors will open at 3:00 and Cost
of War will begin promptly at 3:30.
5) New website
for the Canadian Centre for Treaty Compliance
The Canadian Centre for Treaty Compliance has recently constructed
a new website ().
The CCTC is research unit of Carleton University in Ottawa,
Ontario, Canada, established in 2005 to focus on treaty compliance.
The aim of the Centre is to conduct policy-oriented research
into the theory and practice of compliance in respect of international
treaties, resolutions, agreements and arrangements. Its principal
research focus is the monitoring, verification and enforcement
of arms control principles in existing and future international
instruments. This includes but is not limited to research
on nuclear, biological, chemical, radiological, conventional
and space weapons. Its research also extends to compliance
in other treaty regimes and how novel approaches from other
disciplines may be applied to arms control.
13 June 2008
Dear Reaching Critical Will friends and advisors:
As the Conference
on Disarmament (CD) continues to flounder, diplomats and
other government officials are becoming increasingly frustrated.
On 3
June, the Netherlands'
representative vowed not to speak again during the 2008 session
unless the CD adopts a programme of work. On 10
June, the Under-Secretary for Multilateral Affairs
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Integration
of Ecuador
argued that the "inability to act on disarmament agendas
and items and to fulfill them violates the efforts of the
international community ... Lack of political will and craven
avoidance of international commitment to peace, security,
and international development have a fundamental impact on
countries like Ecuador, [which are] striving with such sacrifice
to overcome social inequality, poverty, and the abusive imbalances
imposed by the unjust trade which only favours interests of
the most powerful."
Outside of the CD, citizens and governments continue organizing
to overcome the interests of the powerful in favour of equality,
justice, and peace - read below to find out how you can get
involved.
In peace,
Ray Acheson, Project Associate
1) Protests
against "missile defense" in Europe continue
Bruce Gagnon of the reported
that Jan Tamáš, one of the original hunger strikers
against US plans to install a "missile defense"
radar in the Czech Republic, has been meeting with a number
of Members of European Parliament and is going to participate
in a meeting of these members on 9 July in Strassbourg. The
US and Czech governments, however, announced last night that
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is headed to Prague
on 10 July to sign the agreement allowing the US to station
is radar system in the Czech Republic. According to other
sources, this agreement or treaty is "presidential,"
which means it must first be signed by the government, then
ratified by the two houses of parliament and eventually signed
by the president.
Tamáš has called for more signatures on the online
petition against the radar, which currently has 119,000 signatures.
He would like this number to reach 200,000 by the time of
his meeting with Members of European Parliament on 9 July
- please spread the word and sign the petition at .
In addition, 22 June will mark a "" in solidarity with the hunger strike
in the Czech Republic and around the world in protest of the
US anti-missile shield. Contact Bruce Gagnon by emailing globalnet[at]mindspring.com
if you want to add your name to the list of hunger strikers
or to learn more about the global day of protest.
2) Scottish
parliament vs. nuclear weapons
In its latest edition of , the reports:
Opposition in Scotland, where Trident is based, continues
to grow as the Scottish Government (led by the Scottish Nationalist
Party, which opposes Trident), has "which includes religious leaders, academics,
activists, a lawyer and a trade unionist - has been given
the task of finding legal, planning, regulatory and diplomatic
ways to block the plan to replace the Trident nuclear weapons
system on the Clyde."
The establishment of the working group has been .
The Scotsman quotes Jackie Baillie (Labour MSP for Dumbarton,
which includes the Faslane base) as saying that: "A quarter
of the full-time workforce in West Dunbartonshire depends
on Faslane for employment. The consequences of the loss of
Faslane to towns like Helensburgh don't bear thinking about."
Disputing that jobs would be lost if Trident were cancelled,
BBC News Online quotes : "The funds currently earmarked
to replace Trident represent a huge opportunity for investment
in the productive economy. With the necessary political will
and a little imagination these resources could provide a massive
boost to manufacturing industry in Scotland, help to secure
energy supplies and assist in the fight against climate change."
3) Think
Outside the Bomb National Youth Conference on Nuclear Abolition Boston, MA | 14-17 August 2008
Join the network for four days of learning, sharing,
and activism, 14-17 August at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology in Boston, MA. The conference will provide a
backdrop for nuclear abolitionists, peace activists, ecologists,
and other advocates of social justice and a livable planet
to learn in-depth about the threat of nuclear weapons, the
destruction caused by the nuclear fuel chain, and current
political opportunities to move toward nuclear disarmament.
Think Outside the Bomb is unique: it is the only conference
of it's kind that is fully organized and led by youth (roughly
defined as under-29), and does more than educate students
and young people on the issues surrounding nuclear weapons,
waste, and power - it places us in the forefront of the movement,
making change happen. Like previous national conferences,
food and transportation to and from the conference will be
provided
The 2008 National Conference in Boston, MA, will explore
such interconnected themes as localized resistance to militarism
and empire, supporting indigenous resistance to nuclear colonialism,
and turning back the resurgence of "poisoned power"
(nuclear energy). It will include workshops, panels, dialogues,
and skills trainings to strengthen our analyses of the role
of nuclear weapons in the global political order, empower
ourselves with new tools for effective community organizing,
and deepen our commitment to building a better world.
Conference Schedule:
Thursday, 14 August
Where do I fit into it? Personal connections to the nuclear
weapons complex
Friday, 15 August
Connecting communities: Environmental Racism and Indigenous
Impacts
Saturday, 16 August
Organizing and resisting: Strategies, lessons, and opportunities
Sunday, 17 August
A Personal Disarmament: Living Lives of Change
Speakers from previous conferences have included Arjun Makhijani
of IEER, Zia Mian from Princeton University, Myrna Pagan from
Vieques, Puerto Rico, Hiroshima survivor Shigeko Sasamori,
and, of course, youth activists representing various nuclear
abolition organizations and communities from around the country.
A full speakers list for the 2008 National Conference will
be available soon.
For applications, and more information as it becomes available,
visit
regularly.
4) Posturing
on Iran at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting
At the opening of the IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna
on 2 June, Director General ElBaradei ,
"it is regrettable that we have not made the progress
we had hoped for with respect to the one remaining major issue,
namely clarification of the cluster of allegations and Secretariat
questions relevant to possible military dimensions to Iran´s
nuclear programme. The so-called alleged [weaponization] studies
remain a matter of serious concern." He then stated that
over the last half-decade of verification activities, substantial
progress has been made, but also called on Iran to "demonstrate
the necessary transparency and provide full disclosure"
to allow the IAEA to reach a conclusion on the nature of the
Iranian programme as soon as possible.
The Board of Governors is unlikely to take any action on
the Iran situation - it hasn't passed a resolution on the
subject since it was transferred to the UN Security Council.
Thus, the political posturing demonstrated in government statements
is largely for media consumption.
Media reports on the current IAEA Board of Govenors
meeting in Vienna primarily
criticisms of Iran by western countries "for failing
to answer allegations that it had been trying to build a nuclear
bomb until a few years ago." According to ,
"The United States, European and other Western nations
bemoaned what they saw as Iranian evasions and lined up behind
IAEA Director Mohamed ElBaradei's call for "full disclosure"
to resolve what aides have called consistent intelligence
reports." Gregory L. Schulte, the chief US delegate to
the IAEA,
Iran "abandon forever the pursuit of nuclear weapons,"
arguing,"The questions that remain unanswered strongly
suggest that Iran has undertaken a significant state-sponsored
effort to develop nuclear weapons, an effort that agency inspectors
are not in a position to verify has halted."
Schulte's comments do not address the subject
under consideration at the board meeting, which is the IAEA
Director General's most recent report,
which covers Iran's past activities not any potential future
endeavours. Nor are they consistent with the
of US intelligence agencies released December 2007, which
proclaimed that Iran is not currently seeking nuclear weapons,
nor will it be capable of producing enough highly enriched
uranium for a nuclear weapon until at least 2010. The report
"concludes that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program
in 2003 and that the program remains on hold, contradicting
an assessment two years ago that Tehran was working inexorably
toward building a bomb." (For more information about
this report, see the entry for 4
December 2007.)
The European Union told the board that Iran's
rejection of evidence it tried to make such arms as faked
"is neither credible nor acceptable, given the quality
of and quantity of the documents presented by the agency to
Iran" - without mentioning as the IAEA Director General's
most recent report does that
Iran has not be shown many of these documents.
Most media coverage insists that the 35-member
Board of Govenors is more unified than ever before on the
Iran issue,
a "rare sign of convergence." Yet the Russian delegation
that "objective and verified information" should
be used in IAEA investigations of Iran and argued that Iran
must have the chance to "carefully analyze the information"
accusing it of a weaponization programme.
On behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, Cuban
representative Norma Goicochea-Estenoz ,
"In dealing with issues related to the 'alleged studies'
(nuclear weaponization), there could be concerns that this
is not a core competency of the agency.... But NAM believes
that in clarifying the 'alleged studies', including issues
such as high-explosive testing and a missile re-entry vehicle,
the agency would act in accordance with its statute."
On 5 June, South Africa's ambassador to the IAEA, Abdul Samad
Minty, ,
"As a country, that remains committed to elimination
of all weapons of mass destruction, South Africa does not
wish to see a nuclear weaponised Iran. At the same time, we
don't want to see denial of the right of any State party to
the NPT to exploit nuclear energy for peaceful purposes."
He added that a refusal to allow any signatory to the NPT
to develop atomic energy for civilian use would mean a negation
of the pact's fundamental principle. ''The call on Iran to
suspend its enrichment activities is related to the issue
of building confidence, and may therefore under no circumstances
become a goal in itself. If we allow this to happen, we will
unravel the very basis of the fundamental bargain of the NPT."
5) Australia
establishes a new disarmament and non-proliferation commission
On 9 June, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
the establishment of the International Nuclear Non-Proliferation
and Disarmament Commission, which he hopes will coordinate
international talks ahead of the nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty Review Conference in 2010. He has appointed former
foreign affairs minister Gareth Evans to be head of the commission.
A Japanese official will reportedly co-chair the body.
30 May 2008
Dear Reaching Critical Will friends and advisors:
May has been a busy month for disarmament: the next stage
of the Oslo process to ban cluster munitions just concluded
in Dublin, Ireland with the adoption of a convention;
hunger strikes to protest US "missile defense" have
been taking place around the world; and 24 May marked International
Women's Day for Disarmament. June will also be busy, starting
off with the on 2 June. There is
life outside of the Conference on Disarmament! Citizens and
governments are working for a better a future; we need to
channel this successful energy and organize for a weapons
free world. See information about all these events and more
below and use the tools Reaching Critical Will provides to
learn about the issues and spread the word. RCW is your resource.
In peace,
Ray Acheson, Project Associate
1) A ban
on cluster munitions
The Dublin Diplomatic Conference on Cluster Munitions finished
today in Dublin, Ireland, having negotiated a new
instrument of international humanitarian law banning cluster
munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians. 111 nations
adopted the landmark draft treaty, which will outlaw the use,
production and sale of cluster munitions as well as require
the destruction of stockpiles within 8 years. Participating
nations are expected to sign the pact in Oslo in December.
Katherine Harrison, a former WILPF disarmament intern, has
been providing daily updates of the Conference, which can
be found online at .
In her report from Wednesday, 28 May, Katherine says:
Taking campaigners by surprise, delegates agreed to adopt
a text of a new Convention on Cluster Munitions on Wednesday
evening. The text is a stunning success. It completely bans
and requires the destruction of stockpiles of cluster munitions
as a category of weapons, including all existing cluster
munitions used to date. It does not permit a transition
period or any delay. Cluster munitions that have caused
so much human suffering in countries around the world will
never be used again by States Parties and the treaty will
undoubtedly have a huge impact on the ground in improving
the lives of victims.
At 10:00 in the morning, the President presented the Conference
with a draft consolidated text. President O'Ceallaigh called
the draft an "extremely ambitious Convention text"
representing the best possible balance of interests and
compromise consistent with the Oslo Declaration. The Committee
of the Whole then adjourned and bilateral consultations
and regional meetings began. As the hours ticked on, campaigners
anxiously awaited news and brooded over the text and possible
outcomes.
Just after five pm, the President reconvened the Committee
of the Whole, announcing that the Convention text was ready
for consideration by the Conference. While many participants
were unhappy with some areas of the Convention and would
have proposed amendments, all delegations felt that opening
the text to consider changing any article would risk unraveling
the entire Convention and the very delicate balance presented
in the text.
Over 70 countries took the floor to declare that they would
agree to formally adopt the Convention on Friday morning.
The CMC, ICRC, and two observer states also spoke. Even
States who called for broad exceptions or exceptions for
their national stockpiles in the beginning of the negotiations
agreed to adopt the treaty. The UK, one of the countries
most strongly opposed to a complete prohibition, endorsed
the Convention, following an unexpected announcement from
Gordon Brown that the UK would accept a total ban and destroy
its remaining two types of cluster munitions.
Note: The British government has also agreed to remove cluster
weapons from its armed forces and will ask the US to withdraw
stockpiles from its UK military bases.
To read the rest of this report, which includes an article
by article summary of the convention, see .
For additional information, see the Cluster Munitions Coalition's
press releases and newsletters at .
For more information and primary documents, see the offical
website at .
To highlight the need to include women and gender in the
treaty on cluster munitions, and to mark International Women's
Day for Peace and Disarmament (24 May 2008), the Women's International
League for Peace and Freedom issued the following statement:
Ensuring Women and Gender are reflected in the Cluster
Munitions Treaty
As the world's oldest women's peace organization, WILPF brings
over 90 years of work towards disarmament to the campaign
to ban cluster munitions. WILPF welcomed the signing of the
February 2007 Oslo Declaration and has since closely monitored
efforts to develop an international convention.
Our members looks towards the May 2008 negotiations in Dublin
with hope and expectation for a strong and clear Treaty that
a) contains a total ban on cluster munitions, b) supports
the clearance and reconstruction efforts in all affected communities,
and c) provides comprehensive assistance to victims of these
indiscriminate weapons.
WILPF strongly believes there is a need for greater awareness
of the unique problems facing women in affected communities
– in barriers to medical care and risk awareness programs,
social stigmatization and psychological trauma, divorce and
abandonment, providing for dependents with little access to
employment, and risks of extreme poverty.
WILPF therefore calls for the inclusion of a specific
reference to UN Security Council resolution 1325 on Women
Peace and Security in the preamble of a treaty on cluster
munitions, in addition to the reference to the Convention
on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, already included
in the present draft. This will help ensure that gender mainstreaming
and gender balance issues are duly considered in the formulation
and implementation of cluster munitions policies and programs
at all levels.
Men, women, girls, and boys are affected differently by the
presence of cluster munitions in their communities, with women
and girls often disproportionately affected. Experiences from
the landmine process have shown that women are less likely
to receive medical care, prostheses, and access to mine risk
education. Women victims face divorce, abandonment, or stigmatization.
Even when they are not victims themselves, the loss of a male
relative or husband has severe economic consequences for women
in many affected communities.
Gender influences the role an individual plays in their community,
in their social and economic activities, and their likelihood
of becoming a cluster munitions victim as well as their access
to medical attention and risk education and awareness programmes.
Data should be disaggregated by sex and age, in order to gain
a more comprehensive and representative picture of the effects
of cluster munitions on all individuals in affected countries.
Women should have equal access to risk education programs.
WILPF calls for the definition of cluster munitions victims
to include both direct and indirect victims; persons injured
and maimed, as well as their families, and their local community.
A broad definition will facilitate the development of programs
that reach women, who all too often risk becoming "invisible"
secondary victims. Implementing gender perspectives and considerations
in the process will improve the effectiveness of a future
instrument and its ability to protect civilians.
Prohibiting cluster munitions resonates deeply within communities
of activists promoting women's rights and human rights as
well as disarmament. Governments can depend on strong civil
society support for their efforts to ban cluster munitions,
a weapon that causes indiscriminate harm and leaves a legacy
of mutilation and death long after conflicts are declared
over.
More detailed information on the effects of cluster munitions
and unexploded ordnance on women and girls can be found in
WILPF's publication, "Cluster Munitions and Women,"
available at
For more information about cluster munitions, please see:
2) Hunger
strikes against "missile defense"
As part of its expanding "missile defense" system,
the United States wants to build a radar base in the Brdy
military district in the Czech Republic, some 90 kilometers
southwest of Prague, along with a base for 10 "defense
missiles" in Poland. The Czech government has been negotiating
with the United States over the radar base for about a year
and plans to end the talks in late spring. The project is
sharply criticized by Russia, several European Union states,
and the majority of Czech citizens.
Since 13 May, Jan Tamáš and Jan Bednar of the
nonviolent movement against US bases in the Czech Republic
began a hunger strike against the proposed radar base, demanding
an open discussion between citizens and the government about
the base and the end to talks between the Czech government
and the US. On 25 May, Jan Bednar has experienced liver trouble
since beginning the hunger strike, which has forced him to
be hospitalized, but has vowed to continue. On 29 May, Tamáš
and Bednar were granted a meeting with Czech Foreign Affairs
Minister Karel Schwarzenberg. Feedback from that meeting indicates,
however, that the government is unwilling to accept any of
their requests. Tamáš urged him to suspend talks
with the Bush administration, to wait for the next US administration,
and in the meantime begin a real and transparent debate on
the issue, involving all social forces in the country.
Tamáš and Bednar have been joined by other hunger
strikers around in the world in solidarity: Dino Mancarella
in Trieste since May 14, Federica Fratini, Isabel Torres,
Eduardo Calizza in Rome since May 19, Josa Alvarez in Spain
since May 22. They have been joined on May 24 by Bruce Gagnon,
the Korean Sung-Hee Choi in the USA, Gareth Smith in Australia
and Joaquin Valenzuela in Bologna (Italy), Ivan Ivan Marchetti
and Andrea Casa in Turin since May 26, and Dr. Hassan Nayeb
Hashem in Austria since May 29.
There is an online petition in support of the hunger strikers'
goal, which has so far been signed by more than 103,000 people.
To sign this petition, please go to .
To keep up with the hunger strikers, check out Bruce Gagnon's
blog at .
There is also an interesting article in Z Magazine providing
some context for the situation: .
Reaching Critical Will is part of a working group on space
weaponization that formed at the Global Network annual space
organizing conference in April 2008, of which Jan Tamáš
is also a member. We will be producing some backgrounders
and other materials related to these issues soon - stay tuned
to www.reachingcriticalwill.org
for more information. We already lots of information available
regarding outer space issues, the development of the US "missile
defense" system, and the aerospace military-industrial
complex:
The also has extensive information
on "missile defense" and space weapon technology
- see below for details!
3) Global
action against gun violence
A Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence 2008 will be
held from 2-8 June. Members of the in 70 countries
will join UN agencies to raise awareness, campaign for better
gun laws, and push for stronger regulation of the global arms
trade.
Read more about events planned around the world at
The UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Sergio
Duarte, has endorsed the Week of Action and the importance
of small arms control. Read his statement at
IANSA has secured agreement for a powerful 1-minute film
against gun violence to be shown around the world during Week
of Action events. Watch the film at
4) The IAEA
released a new report on Iran
The IAEA Director General released a new report
on the implementation of NPT safeguards and relevant provisions
of Security Council resolutions 1737 (2006), 1747 (2007),
and 1803 (2008) in Iran. The report provides an update on
progress made in resolving outstanding questions related to
Iran's past nuclear activities and alleged weaponization work,
in addition to providing an overview of Iran's current enrichment,
reprocessing, and heavy water-related activities. As in past
reports, the IAEA continues to certify that there has been
no diversion of nuclear materials to weapons. Iran, however,
continues to operate its uranium enrichment and heavy water-related
facilities, in contravention of UN Security Council resolutions,
and continues to deploy and test two new types of centrifuges
(dubbed IR-2 and IR-3) at its pilot-scale enrichment facility.
The IAEA reports that it has been unable to make much progress
in resolving outstanding issues. In its report, it greatly
elaborates on the information that other states have provided
about Iran's nuclear programme. It also outlines the specific
questions it feels Iran must answer for it to have a full
understanding of Iran's past nuclear program, including: resolving
questions related to the alleged studies; provide more information
on the circumstances of the acquisition of the uranium metal
document; clarify procurement and R&D activities of military
related institutes and companies that could be nuclear related;
and clarify the production of nuclear equipment and components
by companies belonging to defence industries.
Michael Spies of the outlines the report's updates on
issues and evidence. He notes that past weaponization allegations
continue to center around four issues:
a) Uranium metal document: In paragraph 24, the IAEA
notes it has been shown an identical document in Pakistan,
thus providing support for Iran's claim that it was supplied
by the Khan network. The IAEA has previously noted there is
no evidence Iran has pursued any of the steps provided in
the document. Iran claimed the document was provided at the
initiative of the Khan network. b) Missile reentry vehicle modifications: The IAEA
now states with more confidence that the studies relating
to this issue involved modifying a Shahab-3 to fit a nuclear
warhead. The annex lists 13 documents said to have originated
in Iran regarding these studies. Iran continues to deny the
authenticity of these reports. It should also be noted that
the IAEA has not been able to provide Iran with all the documents
it has seen regarding this, making it unclear how Iran is
supposed to respond to information it cannot review. c) Green salt project: Iran continues to deny the existence
of this project, pointing to its operational full-scale uranium
conversion facility. d) High explosive testing: Iran claims that some of
these documents relate to conventional military applications
and that they do not have any connection to Iran (one of the
three related documents provided by the IAEA to Iran is in
English only).
Assessing the report, Spies argues that there are two different
but interrelated axes that need to be understood in order
to assess the meaning of the report. In its investigation,
it can be argued that the IAEA is operating beyond both its
legal mandate and technical competence. Given the highly political
nature of the debate around Iran, these legal and technical
points take on a special significance, especially in the context
of maintaining international confidence in the nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT) regime.
1. Legal: The IAEA states the purpose of its investigation
is to be able to provide assurances regarding Iran's nuclear
program. However, as the IAEA continues to certify the lack
of diversion of nuclear materials, these assurances seem unconnected
to Iran's safeguards obligations or the Additional Protocol.
Under the NPT, the IAEA is tasked with ensuring nuclear materials
are not diverted to use in weapons. Problematic for cases
of suspected compliance, however, the NPT does not provide
for any international inspection of possible weaponization
activities, some of which need not have any direct nuclear
connection (e.g. modification of a missile reentry vehicle).
While the satisfactory resolution of these issues may naturally
lead to greater international confidence in Iran's nuclear
activities, it has not been made clear what would be required
of Iran for the IAEA to be able provide such assurances. This
could entail conclusion of the investigation, or the full
implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions, or
something else altogether. Additionally, it is not clear what
the legal significance or practical effect of these assurances
would be, as Iran is presently in compliance with its NPT
safeguards obligations and in light of the fact that the matter
of sanctions and negotiations are primarily linked to issue
of Iran's uranium enrichment program.
2. Competence: Following from the IAEA's mandate under
the NPT and related to its ability to provide assurances,
it is unclear to what extent the IAEA has technical expertise
to assess weaponization issues. This is highly relevant in
the present situation, because the IAEA must draw a very general
conclusion on whether or not Iran has pursued nuclear weapons,
based on fragments of information. While there seems to be
a strong circumstantial case for past Iranian nuclear weapons-related
activities—mostly limited to component design studies—
as the IAEA notes in paragraph 24 of the report, it has not
seen evidence of other activities that would be required for
the design and construction of a nuclear weapon. Many of these
activities may not involve any direct nexus nuclear materials,
and thus fall outside the technical capacity of the Agency.
As such, it is unlikely the IAEA would ever be able to provide
a truly full picture on weaponization issues. This ultimately
poses a problem, as any weight the IAEA gives to circumstantial
evidence, without the technical ability to provide a balanced
and comprehensive portrait, serves as a cause for heightening
international escalation on the Iran issue.
According to most mainstream media coverage of the report,
including from , the IAEA used "far stronger language
than the past," expressing "'serious concern' that
Iran is still hiding information about alleged studies into
making nuclear warheads and defying UN demands to suspend
uranium enrichment." The media also quoted several "non-proliferation
experts," including Mark Fitzpatrick of the International
Institute for Strategic Studies, who said there was no "'sugar-coated
suggestion that Iran has been forthcoming' in addressing the
outstanding issues. Instead, the report 'clearly refutes Iran's
claims that it has done everything it needs to do with regard
to the action plan.'"
However, Iran's ambassador to the IAEA, Ali-Asghar Soltanieh,
the report was an acknowledgement of the peaceful nature of
Iran's nuclear programme. According to the Tehran Times, he
argued that the report emphasized that the remaining issues
have been investigated and solved and that the alleged studies
are not among the remaining issues, adding "that documents
related to the subject were not put at Iran's disposal on
time." He went on to explain, "The documents on
which the Americans spoke were not offered to the IAEA in
the right manner and the director general too has for the
first time expressed regret over the failure." The report
does note, in paragraph 16, that much of the information related
to the alleged studies on the green salt project, high explosives
testing, and the missile re-entry vehicle project provided
to the IAEA "by several Member States" was sent
to the Agency "only in electronic form" and that
the IAEA "was not authorized to provide copies to Iran."
Other news on Iran
On 2 May, the EU3+3 (United Kingdom, France, Germany, China,
Russia, and the United States) met in London to offer an updated
"package of incentives" to Iran. The package "promises of trade, technology, and even
peaceful nuclear cooperation." Iran rejected the 2006
version of the package Reportedly, the United States opted
not to send a delegate along with other delegates of the five
nations to Tehran to hand deliver the package, and refused
to include firm security guarantees as part of the package.
On 14 May, Iran
its own , which covers "broad suggestions ...
to settle security, political and economic concerns in the
world as well as Iran's nuclear issue" to the UN Secretary
General and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana. It will
also be submitted to several foreign ministries. An Iranian
official
Reuters the aim of Iran's proposal was to kick start negotiations
with world powers rather than offering a specific solution
to the nuclear dispute. One Iranian official
the Iranian package could potentially be mixed with the EU3+3
package, as long as the EU3+3 drop their precondition of Iran
halting uranium enrichment. On 19 May, Iran's Foreign Ministry
Spokesman Hosseini
that Iran did not raise the issue of security guarantees in
its package.
US State Department Spokesman McCormack
Washington expects little from Iran's proposals, arguing that
the Iranians "know what the requirements are". In
response, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini
the United States has "jumped to conclusions" about
its proposals, and "advised the United States not to
consider the Iranian proposal only on its own merits, stressing
that the proposals were prepared after consultation with different
countries."
5) International
Women's Day for Disarmament
As the Aotearoa/New Zealand section of WILPF published in
this month, "Since 1982, International Women's
Day for Disarmament has been marked on 24 May by women around
the world calling for the peaceful resolution of conflict,
and an end to the horror and devastation of armed conflict;
the destruction of the physical environment by peacetime military
training and weapons testing; the diversion of financial,
human and other resources into military institutions; and
to government support for corporations that profit from death
and destruction."
In honour of this day, WILPF International released a statement
on gender and cluster munitions (see
above). In addition, , of which
the five co-presidents are women, released a statement:
The priority of peace and disarmament for the global community
On the occasion of International Women's Day for Disarmament,
we appeal to world leaders and all citizens to re-dedicate
themselves to implementing the goals of the United Nations
for a world of peace and security through disarmament, the
non-violent resolution of conflicts, and the reallocation
of resources from military budgets to meet social and development
goals.
We should immediately abandon the production, deployment
and use of weapons such as landmines and cluster munitions
which indiscriminately kill civilians, destroy communities,
threaten future generations and tear apart the fabric of international
law. We thus call for universal support for the international
treaties to ban landmines and cluster munitions.
We must also end the out-dated doctrine where-by a few States
erroneously believe that their security can be achieved by
threatening to destroy other countries with nuclear weapons.
The continuing possession of nuclear weapons stimulates proliferation
and makes possible the acquisition and use by a terrorist
group – something much more devastating than the destruction
of the World Trade Centre in 2001. Even more frightening would
be the use of multiple nuclear weapons between States - whether
by accident, miscalculation or intent. Such use would dwarf
the horrors of previous world wars and would generate environmental
destruction far worse than the Chernobyl accident and the
climate change from carbon emissions. We thus call for negotiations
on a global treaty to ban nuclear weapons and ensure universal
compliance with such a ban.
The threats to our planet – of climate change, poverty
and war – can only be overcome by nations and the global
community working in cooperation – something not possible
while nations maintain large and expensive militaries and
threaten to destroy each other. When one year of global military
spending equals six hundred (600) years of the United Nations
operating budget- are we truly committing ourselves to a world
with increased cooperation and reduced conflicts?
On the other hand, globalization in the 21st Century has
made comprehensive disarmament, the abolition of war and the
achievement of cooperative security, realistic goals. We now
have international mechanisms that can address security concerns,
resolve international conflicts and respond to potential aggression
in non-violent ways. And we have a growing global awareness
and sense of responsibility to each other that can ensure
that leaders in our communities and nations turn more to such
mechanisms rather than resorting to the threat or use of force.
This is enhanced by the involvement of women at all levels
of conflict resolution and peacemaking, as promoted by UN
Security Council Resolution 1325.
This new reality allows us to drastically reduce the one trillion
dollars spent annually on the military and redirect these
human and financial resources towards meeting the UN Millennium
Development goals and preventing Climate Change.
As women representatives we are all proud of our home countries
and our national identities. But we also reach across our
national borders to recognize our common human identity and
to collaborate on building a peaceful, secure and just world.
We invite you to join us.
Senator Abacca Anjain Maddison (Marshal Islands)
Hon Marian Hobbs MP (New Zealand)
Mikyung Lee (South Korea)
Alexa McDonough MP (Canada)
Uta Zapf MdB (Germany)
6) New resource:
Arms Control Reporter Now Available! Volume 25 • 596 pages •
soft cover • perfect bound
Originally published by the Institute for Defense and Disarmament
Studies from 1982–2005, the Arms Control Reporter
is a research and reference tool for the arms control professional,
working as a diplomat, researcher, journalist, or advocate.
It seeks to make accessible detailed and up-to-date information
and analysis related to the full range of international arms
control efforts in a more comprehensive and multidisciplinary
manner than topical and episodic arms control journals.
Each edition of the Reporter provides a snapshot of
the current state of international arms control issues. For
each treaty or negotiating area covered, the Reporter
describes and assesses the current status, summarizing key
issues and the negotiating positions of governments on those
issues. The Reporter also chronicles day-to-day developments,
reporting on meetings of states, statements by key leaders,
and related events. In addition, it chronicles and summarizes
the development of weapon systems and related programs.
The Reporter, now co-convened by the , Reaching
Critical Will of WILPF, and , has undergone substantial revision.
While the content of the Reporter remains the same in scope
and depth, it is now produced in a bound, soft cover format
and has been expanded in its coverage and its analysis. The
Reporter, while remaining a vital information resource,
is also transforming into a vehicle for producing pioneering
cross-cutting analytical perspectives on arms control and
for affecting policy outcomes at all levels.
Volume 25: 2006, which covers the period between 1 January
and 31 December 2006, is now available for purchase! In
addition, Volume 26: 2007 is available for preorder at a discounted
rate. The anticipated availability of this edition is October
2008.
Online access to all published Arms Control Reporter
materials, 2006 onward, will be available for one-year, renewable
subscriptions, via password-protected website. Materials pre-2006
may become accessible at a later date. We anticipate restoring
online access by October 2008. In addition, full coverage
of each topic for the preceding month will be posted online
during the first week of the current month, as part of our
Month in Review feature. We hope to resume monthly updates
of all topics by October 2008.
More information, including the table of contents and comprehensive
overview of changes for Volume 25, a downloadable order form,
and information about our project to revitalize the Arms
Control Reporter, can be found at .
Please do not hesitate to contact us for additional details
and information: email editor[at]armscontrolreporter.org.
21 May 2008
Dear Reaching Critical Will friends and advisors:
The NPT
PrepCom concluded on 9 May with dissatisfaction over the
Chair's factual
summary, which had to be submitted as a working paper
rather than annexed to the report as a factual summary. The
second part of the Conference
on Disarmament's 2008
session commenced on Thursday, 15 May, still hoping to
adopt a programme of work. As always, check in with www.reachingcriticalwill.org
for information on the NPT, the CD, and much more. Also, remember
that Reaching Critical Will is a one-stop-shop for all your
nuclear abolition needs, and to that end please see our current
"featured resource": the 1996 Canberra
Commission on the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.
In peace,
Ray Acheson, Project Associate
1) 2008 NPT
PrepCom concludes The following appeared in the final
edition of the News in Review as "Looking
ahead: Recommendations for the rest of the 2010 review cycle,"
by Ray Acheson, Reaching Critical Will and Michael Spies,
Arms Control Reporter.
In the final plenary meeting of the PrepCom, Chair Yel'chenko
announced that his factual summary would not be annexed to
the Committee's report, but would be turned into a working
paper, just as Chair Amano's summary was last year. This announcement
was followed by the adoption of the report and closing statements,
when several delegations expressed both great appreciation
for Chair Yel'chenko and extreme displeasure with his factual
summary (see the News in Brief on page 3 for details).
While some delegations expressed support for the value of
a chair's summary, Egypt's representative suggested the Chair
should have taken a different approach to his paper, arguing
that the PrepCom needed to adopt a report that included substantive
items for discussion and that charted areas of convergence.
He said that the Chair's draft, which included controversial
items and did not sufficiently identify action-oriented proposals,
represented a lost opportunity to develop a consensus document
upon which the next session of the PrepCom could build.
Over the course of this PrepCom session, several delegations
made substantial, concrete proposals on specific issues related
to strengthening and implementing the Treaty. Some of these
proposals have generated broad interest, momentum, and/ or
convergence, suggesting they are or could be ripe for action
by the 2010 Review Conference. Below, six of these areas are
identified, with recommendations for action provided.
Revitalizing the practical steps to nuclear disarmament
While most delegations welcomed the reductions that four of
the nuclear weapon states have undertaken, most also argued
that reductions are not occurring transparently, irreversibly,
or quickly enough—and many argued that there have been
little or no effective measures related to nuclear disarmament,
as called for in Article VI of the NPT.
The overwhelming majority of delegations argued that the
13 practical steps, unanimously adopted at the 2000 Review
Conference, still constitute the roadmap for implementing
Article VI. Many delegates reiterated the need for the steps
to be recommitted to, reported on, and implemented. Some suggested
the steps could be updated or "refreshed" to reflect
the changes in global security since 2000. Japan's working
paper on nuclear disarmament, aspects of Germany's "New
NPT Implementation Baseline," and France's "action
plan" for nuclear disarmament all reflect and build upon
elements of the 13 steps. Some delegations expressed interest
in the UK's work with Norway and VERTIC on multilateral disarmament
verification and in the development of a verifiable post-START
arrangement and more substantial US-Russian bilateral reductions.
On 30 April, Switzerland's Amb. Streuli suggested that bolder
bilateral reductions along with commitments by all nuclear
weapon states to a moratorium on the development of nuclear
weapons would go a long way. Many delegations called for nuclear
weapon states to reduce the operational status of their nuclear
weapons as an interim step to disarmament. Momentum around
this particular issue was generated at the 2007 UNGA First
Committee, where a resolution on de-alerting received overwhelming
support from UN member states.
Recommended action: The RevCon should seek to establish
a goal-oriented path toward implementation of Article VI,
perhaps through a review of the 13 practical steps that does
not forsake past commitments. To this end, the third session
of the PrepCom should call unambiguously on all states (with
an emphasis on the nuclear weapon states) to report specifically
on their implementation on each of the 13 practical steps
to the 2010 RevCon.
Increasing transparency through reporting
A number of delegations increased their calls for a standardized
reporting mechanism as a means to creating "an environment
more suitable for nuclear disarmament" by raising the
level of transparency, accountability, and trust among NPT
states parties. In WP.26, the New Agenda Coalition highlighted
the need for transparency and confidencebuilding, primarily
through a reporting mechanism for nuclear arsenals, future
plans for downsizing, and the reduction of reliance on nuclear
weapons in national, regional, and collective security doctrines.
On 2 May, Canada and Mexico called for increased official
reporting on these elements as well, and Japan's WP.10 on
nuclear disarmament includes a non-exhaustive list of possible
categories for reporting. Project Ploughshares published a
report on reporting, Transparency and Accountability, which
both assesses the current level and quality of reporting by
both NWS and NNWS and makes suggestions for developing a standardized
reporting mechanism.
Recommended action: States parties should consider
these suggestions at the next PrepCom session and seek to
adopt a legally-binding reporting mechanism at the RevCon.
Implementing the 1995 resolution on the Middle East
To some states, establishment of a nuclear weapon free zone
in the Middle East constitutes a fourth pillar of the NPT.
This goal is at the heart of the bargain to extend the Treaty
indefinitely in 1995; it is bound to a related, identified
goal of states parties—achieving the Treaty's universality;
and it has implications for global security concerns, including
the Middle East peace process.
In WP.20, which appeared to interest even some of the nuclear
weapon states, Egypt presented a non-exhaustive list of concrete
measures aimed at operationalizing the 1995 Middle East resolution.
The paper calls on the 2010 Review Conference to consider:
calling on the NWS to convene a conference of all Middle East
states to conclude a legallybinding and internationally and
effectively verifiable treaty establishing a NWFZ in the Middle
East, further inviting the NWS to undertake multilateral and
bilateral consultations to define the modalities of this conference;
calling on all states parties to require as a precondition
that Israel accept IAEA fullscope safeguards and legally-binding
commitments not to acquire nuclear weapons before entering
into supply arrangements; calling on the IAEA to reduce the
level of technical cooperation with Israel until it accedes
to the NPT as a NNWS; further requesting all states parties
take practical measures to bring about Israel's accession
to the Treaty as a NNWS; issuing a statement of support for
establishment of a Middle East NWFZ within a declared time
frame; and calling on states parties to submit reports to
each Preparatory Committee meeting and Review Conference on
their efforts toward implementation of the 1995 resolution.
Recommended action: These steps should be carefully
considered at the next PrepCom, with a view to establishing
a subsidiary body dealing with specific and substantive proposals
at the 2010 RevCon and seeking consensus on next steps through
informal and formal discussions on the issue at the UNGA and
in other fora.
Establishing a standing NPT secretariat
During this PrepCom, several delegations, including Canada,
Switzerland, and New Zealand, spoke in favour of a standing
secretariat to coordinate and manage the NPT's meetings and
processes. A secretariat would provide consistency throughout
review cycles: it would be able to focus year round on implementing
the Treaty's provisions; keeping track of, standardizing,
and assessing proposals and reports; providing outreach to
member states; and increasing transparency and balance of
the implementation all three pillars. It could, in essence,
actually become a framework for achieving the objectives of
the NPT. One delegation insisted that a standing secretariat
would not be useful, but the majority appear willing to consider
an institutional framework for the NPT.
Recommended action: The 2010 Review Conference would
be the perfect time to give the NPT the structural support
it needs and deserves. States parties should use the rest
of this review cycle to discuss and devise a standing NPT
secretariat, recognizing the valuable contribution that the
BWC Implementation Support Unit and the OPCW have played in
implementing those WMD conventions.
Disarmament and non-proliferation education
Nineteen delegations joined Japan this year to emphasize the
importance of disarmament and non-proliferation education
as a tool to working toward creating the conditions for a
nuclear weapon free world. They argued that education will
nurture new thinking by both governments and citizens, which
will in turn "empower individuals to make their contribution,
as national and world citizens, to disarmament and non-proliferation."
In WP.9, Japan elucidated the value of disarmament and non-proliferation
in the NPT context and suggested that the recommendations
in UN Secretary-General report A/57/124 on how to promote
disarmament and nonproliferation education should be reaffirmed
and followed. In order to implement the recommendations, the
paper suggests that efforts on education in the NPT context
should include "deepening discussions among security
and disarmament experts on the security benefits of and challenges
to the NPT regime, and providing knowledge on these issues
to the public." It recommends that experiences in education
efforts should be shared among member states, international
organizations, and civil society.
Recommended action: This review cycle should emphasize
education and call for states parties to implement the recommendations
contained in A/57/124 as a means to strengthening the NPT
regime through enhancing transparency and awareness, leading
to democratic engagement of the people on issues of security
and disarmament.
Fissile materials treaty
In 2007, the Conference on Disarmament came closer than ever
to beginning negotiations on a fissile materials cutoff treaty
(FMCT). Some states maintain reservations about starting negotiations
without a clear mandate guided by the principles of verification
and non-discrimination, which the vast majority of states
agree should be included in the treaty, along with restrictions
on fissile material stocks. The International Panel of Fissile
Materials (IPFM), an independent group of arms control and
non-proliferation experts from both nuclear weapon and non-nuclear
weapon states, has engaged in and will soon publish extensive
research on the verification of a future fissile material
treaty.
In the interest in regaining momentum towards negotiation
of such a treaty, Germany, in WP.21, suggested that first
steps could include fissile material-producing countries committing
to: a political declaration containing a fissile material
cut-off; adopting the necessary measures for security, control,
and accounting of weapon-usable materials; and to enter without
preconditions into negotiations on a non-discriminatory, legally-binding
FMCT. WP.21 also suggests an alternative approach toward an
FMCT, calling for a "framework treaty" and charting
the course for a gradual implementation process. Under this
approach, states parties would separately conclude additional
implementation protocols, developing an effective verification
system and broadening the scope of the treaty. In parallel
to this approach, the paper also suggests the establishment
within the CD of a Group of Scientific Experts to examine
technical aspects of an FMCT and the commencement of a "Fissile
Material Control Initiative" as a voluntary arrangement
to be pursued along with or independently of an FMCT.
Recommended action: Initiatives parallel to negotiation
of a fissile materials treaty, such as Germany's proposal
of a control initiative, should be discussed during this review
cycle, with an aim to engaging the majority of UN member states—as
opposed to just the 65 CD members—and independent initiatives
such as IPFM in order to generate support for immediate commencement
of negotiations for a fissile materials treaty in the CD.
NPT Statements, reports, working papers, and documents
See http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/npt/2008index.html
for all NPT materials, including government and NGO statements,
delegation's working papers, reports, and other NPT documents.
2) Second
part of the Conference on Disarmament's 2008 session begins
The Conference on Disarmament (CD) began the second part of
its 2008 session on Thursday, 15 May. During the first plenary
meeting, representatives of Chile,
the European
Union, the East
European Group, Morocco,
China,
Algeria,
Indonesia,
and Pakistan
took the floor to express their sympathy and condolences to
the governments and people of Myanmar and China, to welcome
the new Ambassador of Chile, and to comment on the presidential
draft decision CD/1840
and the work and structure of the Conference. The CD
Secretary General, Mr. Sergei Ordzhonikidze, also took
the floor to clarify one of the rules of procedure, in response
to a comment from Morocco.
Most delegations spoke in favour of presidential draft decision
CD/1840, which contains the CD presidents' proposed programme
of work for 2008. Morocco's representative pointed out that
CD/1840 is virtually identical to last year's proposal. He
also criticized the text for its fissile materials treaty
negotiating mandate and its lack of balance. Meanwhile, Chile's
new ambassador called for a review of the CD's structure and
functions to reflect changes in the post-Cold War globalized
world.
For more information on the first session, see RCW's 15
May CD Report. To subscribe to the CD Report, email the
project associate
with the subject line "subscribe cdreport".
3) Students
for a nuclear weapon free world project update
The World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA)
is accepting student essays, videos, and posters on WFUNA
President Hans Blix's question: What do you think can
lead governments to stay away from, or do away with, nuclear
weapons?
The deadline for submissions is 31 May 2008. Over 10,000
students have visited the campaign website .
But we have received less than 50 submissions. In early June,
members of the NGO Committee on Disarmament will select the
most outstanding contributions from each category. The final
winners will be determined by a panel of distinguished leaders,
chaired by the Hon. Douglas Roche, and will include the Chair
of the Working Group on Nuclear Weapons of the UN Disarmament
Commission Jean-Francis Zinsou from Benin.
Seminar: Geneva, 13–16 July 2008
The authors of the 15 best contributions will be awarded an
all-inclusive trip to attend a seminar hosted by Hans Blix
at the Palais de Nations in Geneva from 13-16 July 2008. At
the seminar, students will participate in roundtable sessions
facilitated by disarmament and non-proliferation experts,
sharing their understanding of the issues and debate their
ideas for advocacy. The final day will be reserved for brainstorming
sessions aimed at defining the communication and outreach
strategies for building a global youth movement. Representatives
of our partner organizations are most welcome to attend the
seminar.
Students who have entered the competition, but did not win,
may attend the meeting at their own expense. The outcomes
of the seminar will be published on
and the Students for a Nuclear Weapons-Free World Facebook
group.
Building a global youth movement for the 2010 NPT Review
Conference
Students participating in the competition, in the seminar,
or in related networks, will be encouraged to collaborate
with each other, reach out to their peers and advocate their
ideas to diverse constituencies, particularly the nuclear
weapons powers. This global youth movement will complement
the broader civil society movement lobbying for solid results
at the 2010 NPT Review Conference.
Greetings from Geneva, where the second session of the PrepCom
for this current NPT review cycle is about to commence. Don't
forget to subscribe to the News in Review to follow
the daily proceedings - just send me an email
with the subject line "subscribe nir". All statements,
papers, reports, News in Reviews, and other information
will be posted in near-real time at http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/npt/2008index.html
throughout the conference.
In peace,
Ray Acheson, Project Associate
1) Report
on the Disarmament Commission
The United
Nations Disarmament Commission (UNDC) failed to adopt
recommendations in either of its working groups: nuclear disarmament
and non-proliferation; and practical confidence-building measures
in conventional weapons. The UNDC has essentially been considering
these agenda items for the past 8 years - from 2000-2003,
the Commission's agenda was: ways and means to achieve nuclear
disarmament; and practical confidence-building measures in
conventional weapons. In 2004 and 2005, the UNDC was unable
to agree on an agenda and did not hold any substantive sessions.
The final plenary meeting of the 2008 session was cancelled,
but closing remarks were delivered at earlier session, where
most delegates lamented the UNDC's failure and the continued
stagnation of disarmament machinery. Some representatives
were critical of the Commission's working methods, arguing
that the lack of experts participating in the session impeded
the chances of its success. As noted in Reaching Critical
Will's first
report on this year's UNDC, several governments did not
send any representatives; the vast majority of those who did
participate did not send their disarmament experts from Geneva,
but relied on staff in NY. The United States sent two representatives
part way into the informal meetings, reportedly at the European
Union's request.
In the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation working
group, the Middle East and negative security assurances reportedly
continued to be contentious issues. Participants discussed
the Chair's working
paper but were unable to reach agreement on its content.
In the confidence-building measures in conventional arms working
group, participants reportedly were able to reach consensus
on several points in the Chair's working
paper, though the group was unable to agree on recommendations.
In the final meeting, Russia's delegation noted that China,
Russia, and the United States were able to agree on language
related to outer space. In her closing remarks, Ambassador
Mona Juul of Norway noted that the working group was not able
to state its support for the Mine Ban Treaty (Ottawa Convention),
the Arms Trade Treaty, or the ongoing negotiations to ban
cluster munitions causing unacceptable harm to civilians.
Weak language on cluster munitions was reportedly agreed to
after much discussion.
In the final meeting, the Chair of the UNDC, Ambassador Piet
de Klerk of the Netherlands, again raised the issue of inviting
experts from specialized agencies, intergovernmental organizations,
research institutes, and think-tanks to participate in the
UNDC. He proposed that out of the existing four plenary meetings,
one meeting (Monday afternoon) be set aside for presentations
and panel discussions by invited experts. He suggested that
if this was not acceptable, the programme of work could be
amended to provide for an additional plenary meeting on Wednesday
morning of the first week. He also noted that experts would
only be invited for the first and second session of the Commission's
three year cycle.
Reportedly, many delegations objected to the proposal of
inviting outside experts to address the Commission. Some argued
that experts would not be able to help bridge the fundamental
differences between government positions and policies. However,
other delegations argued that experts could help illuminate
and articulate salient arguments and explain technical or
legal elements of items under discussion, thus enhancing government
participants' understanding of the issues, their contexts,
and their implications.
Next year, the UNDC will start a new three year cycle. It
will have to adopt a new agenda, providing a good opportunity
to modify the Commission's methods of work. The Chair has
reportedly requested suggestions to this end by the time of
the First Committee in October. In that time, delegations
should seriously consider ways to revitalize both the Commission
itself and their participation in it.
2) Students
for a Nuclear Weapons-Free World
Dr. Hans Blix, President of the , in partnership
with the World Academy of Art and Science, has launched : a global essay, video
and poster competition designed to mobilize youth to strive
towards a world free from the threat of weapons of mass destruction.
Students (aged 18-30 years) are invited to engage in discussion
and debate over the following question:
What do you think can lead governments to stay away from,
or do away with, nuclear weapons?
The authors of the most outstanding contributions will be
awarded an airfare and accommodation to attend the Students
for a Nuclear Weapons-Free World seminar in Geneva, to be
held at the Palais de Nations from July 13th-16th 2008.
Take part in the initiative by either writing an essay (1500
words), producing a video (2 minutes) or designing a poster.
The deadline for submissions is May 31th 2008. Visit
to find all details.
11 April 2008
Dear Reaching Critical Will friends and advisors:
On 7 April, the United
Nations Disarmament Commission (UNDC) began the final
session of its three year cycle of deliberations on its two
current agenda items: recommendations for achieving the objective
of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons;
and practical confidence-building measures in the field of
conventional weapons. Reaching Critical Will is monitoring
and reporting on the process and posting all governmental
statements
and papers
on the RCW website. The Commission can make recommendations,
but this opportunity should be seized to cooperate and compromise
at a time when multilateral disarmament negotiations (and
even deliberations) are at such an impasse. As the results
of the Commission are not legally-binding, this is the time
for delegations to demonstrate flexibility and sincerity,
attitudes which could carry forward to the upcoming nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Preparatory Committee and
the second part of the Conference
on Disarmament's 2008 session. As the Chair of the UNDC,
Ambassador Piet de Klerk of the Netherlands, said, no one
is exempt from the call to find common ground.
In peace,
Ray Acheson, Project Associate
1) Report
on the plenary meetings of the UNDC, 7–8 April
Plenary meetings were held for the first two days of the UNDC's
current session, at which a number of delegations delivered
general
statements conveying their governments' policies and their
views on the work of the UNDC. UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addressed the opening meeting,
renewing his call for delegations "to move forward in
a spirit of compromise and accommodation." He argued
that the "solemn duty" of pursuing disarmament and
non-proliferation
cannot be fulfilled through confrontation, condemnation
or the adoption of intractable policy positions.... There
is little doubt that we will not go far if each delegation
proceeds expecting to achieve—here and now—nothing
less than 100 per cent of their desired objectives. The
pursuit of maximalist goals by some will yield only minimal
results for all. Worse, we could see this institution itself
decline under a cloud of pessimism and despair. It is not
a defeat to move forward today on those issues where progress
is possible, and to pursue other goals tomorrow. There is
no shame or loss of pride in acting according to the laws
of reason.
Participation and representation during the plenary phase,
however, did not reflect the urgency and importance that was
stressed by the Secretary-General, the Chair of the Commission,
and many of the delegates who spoke—most of whom were
Permanent Representative of UN Missions. France, the United
Kingdom, and the United States did not deliver statements
to the plenary or have any representatives of their delegations
attend the meetings. During the final plenary meeting, on
the afternoon of 8 April, the conference room felt deserted.
Only about half of UN member states sent representatives.
Agenda Item I: Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation
The majority of delegations who spoke focused on the first
agenda item in their statements. Most delegations expressed
support for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT)—Iraq's
representative announced that Iraqi Parliament is now processing
its ratification of the CTBT—nuclear weapon free zones,
the negotiation of a fissile material treaty, and the complete,
verifiable, irreversible elimination of nuclear weapons. Most
representatives also emphasized the need for balance between
nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation efforts, arguing
that one cannot be pursued without the other with any hope
of success. Egypt's
Permanent Representative, Ambassador Maged Abdel Aziz, said
it is regrettable that "efforts aimed at granting priority
to non-proliferation without achieving parallel progress in
nuclear disarmament" are still ongoing, arguing, "the
efforts of the five nuclear-weapon-States in the multilateral
context remain extremely limited, especially when compared
to the commitments undertaken by those [non-nuclear weapon]
States in the [NPT]."
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
Many delegations reiterated their support for the 1995
and 2000 NPT outcomes, particularly the resolution on a nuclear
weapon free zone in the Middle East and the 13
practical steps toward nuclear disarmament. Egypt's
Ambassador Aziz argued that the "lack of resolve [toward
implementing the Middle East resolution] has become a threat
to the very principle of Treaty universality at the core."
He urged the UNDC to push toward the implementation of the
1995 and 2000 NPT Review Conference outcomes "as a plan
of action that enhances the credibility of the Treaty and
its review process."
Ambassador Aziz also argued that the possible amendment of
the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) guidelines likewise threatens
"to do away with the principles and objectives of the
NPT," as the US-India
deal, which the NSG amendments might be made for, "categorically
contradicts the letter and spirit of the NPT and the 'Decision
on Principles and Objectives of Nuclear Non-Proliferation'
adopted as part of the NPT indefinite extension package."
He said, "Such a development will forever eliminate the
opportunity to destroy nuclear weapons developed outside the
NPT regime and the opportunity for non-NPT member States to
join it as non-nuclear-weapon-States in order to realize its
universality."
Most delegations underscored the vital importance of the
NPT's full implementation. Many urged those outside of the
NPT who possess nuclear weapons to join as non-nuclear weapon
states, and for nuclear weapon states to fulfill their obligations
under Article VI of the Treaty. The Permanent Representative
of Cuba
emphasized that nuclear weapon states "have the legal
obligation to, not only pursue, but also to bring to a conclusion
negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects
under strict and effective international control." Others
stressed the importance of respecting all three pillars of
the NPT—disarmament, non-proliferation, and peaceful
uses of nuclear energy.
Proposals and recommendations
Some delegations made concrete proposals or requests. Speaking
on behalf of the Non-Aligned
Movement, Dr. R.M. Marty M. Natalegawa of Indonesia called
for an international conference to establish a phased programme
for the complete abolition of nuclear weapons within a time-bound
framework, to eliminate all existing nuclear weapons and prohibit
their development, production, acquisition, testing, stockpiling,
transfer, use or threat of use, and to provide for their destruction.
Lamenting the "alarming rate" of increase of global
military expenditures, which "is in itself a factor that
raises distrust and legitimate international concern,"
Ambassador Rodrigo Malmierca Diaz of Cuba
reiterated his country's proposal to create a UN-managed fund,
"to which at least half of the current military spending
would be devoted, in order to address the economic and social
development of the countries in need." He argued that
this initiative, in addition to its "evident benefit,"
would "bear the added value of being a confidence-building
measure."
Dr. T. Hamid Al-Bayati, the Permanent Representative of Iraq,
called "upon the nuclear-weapon-states to refrain from
nuclear sharing for military purposes under any kind of security
arrangements in conformity with their obligations."
Ambassador Igor N. Shcherbak of the Russian
Federation called for "strict implementation of existing
international legal documents and development of new ones."
He expressed his government's concern about the "looming
prospect of expiration of the treaty limitations on strategic
offensive arms" between the United States and Russia
while the United States increases its efforts to deploy its
global anti-ballistic missile system. He said his government
"offered the idea of developing and concluding a new
full-fledged agreement on further and verifiable reduction
and limitation of strategic offensive arms" three years
ago. Ambassador Shcherbak also announced that during the upcoming
NPT Preparatory Committee, the US and Russia will hold "an
informal briefing highlighting accomplishments of either Party
in eliminating intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles,
as well as their positive impact on the European and global
security," and to set forth their approaches related
to the unofficial
paper distributed to the Conference on Disarmament on
12 February 2008, "Basic elements of an international
legally-binding arrangement on the elimination of intermediate-range
and shorter-range (ground-launched) missiles, open for broad
international accession." The briefing will be held at
the UN in Geneva on Tuesday, 29 April 2008, 1:15-2:45pm and
is open to all delegates, UN staff, and civil society representatives.
India's
Permanent Representative, Ambassador Nirupam Sen, called attention
to the working
paper his delegation submitted to the UNDC last year,
on "Recommendations for achieving the objective of nuclear
disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons,"
which outlines several steps towards achieving nuclear disarmament.
He repeated these points in his statement, as did India's
representative to the Conference on Disarmament, Ambassador
Rao, during his statement on 28
February 2008. Ambassador Sen also emphasized the importance
of the delivered to the UN General Assembly
in June 1988, which called for a binding commitment by all
nations to eliminate nuclear weapons in stages by 2010; for
all states to participate in the process of nuclear disarmament;
the importance of tangible progress at each stage in order
to demonstrate good faith and to build confidence; and for
governments to change doctrines, policies, and institutions
in order to sustain a world free of nuclear weapons and to
undertake negotiations for the establishment of a comprehensive
global security system under the aegis of the UN. Ambassador
Rao also highlighted the Action Plan during his statement
to the CD on 28 February.
Arguing that nuclear technology "is no clean and safe
energy source" due to security and environmental risks,
Austria's
Ambassador Alexander Marschik said that as long as some states
rely on nuclear energy to even partially cover their energy
needs, enrichment and reprocessing must be restricted exclusively
to facilities under multilateral control. He outlined Austria's
proposal for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
to serve as a "virtual broker for all transactions in
the civilian nuclear fuel cycle." Under this plan, every
buyer would purchase their nuclear fuel through the IAEA,
gradually giving the IAEA control rights over the enrichment
and reprocessing facilities, transforming all such facilities
from national to "essentially multilateral operations
under the auspices of the IAEA." He argued this proposal
would not undermine developing countries' access to nuclear
energy or Article IV of the NPT, saying, "having a right
also gives the owner the possibility to decide to use it exclusively
together with other states or through an international organisation.
By entrusting the IAEA to control and monitor the facilities,
we are in fact, making joint use of our right and benefiting
from the peaceful use of nuclear technology together in a
fair and equal manner." He also argued that though this
proposal sounds ambitious, it has been done before on a regional
level, pointing to the European Union as an example, where
coal, steel, and nuclear industries have been put under the
control of multilateral institutions.
"New consensus" Pakistan's
Permanent Representative, Ambassador Munir Akram, called for
a special conference "to evolve a new consensus [on disarmament
and non-proliferation] that is concordant with new realities."
He explained this "new consensus" should: regenerate
commitments by all states to complete nuclear disarmament;
eliminate discrimination; normalize the relationship of the
three "ex-NPT nuclear weapon states" with the NPT;
help realize the objective of verifiable international disarmament;
address new issues like access to WMD by non-state actors
and vertical proliferation; help states agree on "universally
applicable non-discriminatory rules for ensuring fulfillment
of every state's right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy";
enshrine legally-binding negative security assurances to non-nuclear
weapon states; address the issue of missiles in its entirety
including development and deployment of anti-ballistic missile
systems; "strengthen existing international instruments
to prevent the militarization of outer space including development
of" anti-satellite systems; tackle "the disturbing
trend of escalation in armed forces and accumulation and sophistication
of conventional weapons"; "arrest the disturbing
trend of escalation in the number of sophistication of conventional
weapons which as a causal relationship with the continuing
reliance on nuclear weapons"; identify the means of implementing
the UN Programme of Action on small arms and light weapons;
and revitalize the UN disarmament machinery.
The following day, Ambassador Aziz of Egypt
said non-NPT states must be made to understand, "they
are the ones outside the 'international consensus,' and that
the so called 'new consensus' that is talked about by some
is both unacceptable and invalid." He argued, "the
'International Consensus' on which the NPT was built still
exists and did not and will not change." He insisted
that this issue, along with the "false illusion"
that those who developed their nuclear programmes outside
of the NPT can call themselves nuclear weapon states, must
be dealt with within the context of the NPT 2010 Review Conference,
"a context that allows no room for destructive ambitions
of power or twisted principles."
Iran's nuclear programme
On behalf of the European
Union, Ambassador Sanja Štiglic of Slovenia said,
"Iran's nuclear programme poses a major challenge to
the non-proliferation regime," asserting that Iran has
hidden "clandestine nuclear activities," is pursuing
uranium enrichment and heavy water related activities, is
developing a ballistic missile programme, and "has cooperated
with the IAEA only when pressed, and in piecemeal fashion."
Iran's representative issued a right of reply to this statement,
arguing that the statement did not acknowledge the information
the IAEA has given about the non-divergence of Iran's nuclear
material to weapon programmes or that Iran's cooperation with
the IAEA has been "far beyond its Treaty obligations."
Speaking generally about the issue of proliferation, Ambassador
Hu Xiaodi of China
called for dialogue and normalization of relations in order
to confront the "complex causes" of proliferation
of nuclear weapons. He said, "it is necessary to address
both the root causes and symptoms in a comprehensive manner,"
arguing, "Embargo and pressure can hardly offer a fundamental
solution to the proliferation concerns." Speaking specifically
about Iran, Ambassador Hu said diplomatic negotiation is the
best way to solve the issue, and called for all parties to
"intensify diplomatic efforts in reaching agreement on
possible ways to resume negotiations at an early date, with
a view to seeking a long-term, comprehensive and appropriate
solution to the Iranian nuclear issue."
Working Paper
A few delegations commented on the working
paper submitted by the Chair of Working Group I, "Draft
outcome on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear
weapons." The paper outlines some general principles
for achieving nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation and
lists recommendations toward this goal. The paper is an expanded
version of the Chair's final
working paper from the UNDC's 2007 session. Its recommendations
are general and appeal to the lowest common denominator. Ambassador
Khazaee of Iran
said the working paper "contains elements of a consensus
document. However, there is still room for refinement and
improvement in order to strike a proper balance." Australia's
Ambassador Robert Hill said the working paper is a constructive
contribution to the debate.
Agenda Item II: Practical confidence-building measures
in the field of conventional weapons
Most delegations acknowledged the importance and benefits
of confidence-building measures (CBMs) as a tool for increasing
transparency, building trust, and enhancing stability and
security. Nigeria's
representative said the ultimate objectives of CBMs are "to
strengthen international peace and security, to ameliorate
relations among states and promote socio-economic and cultural
well-being of peoples of the world and prevent wars."
Brazil's
Ambassador Piragibe Tarrago expounded on this, saying CBMs
aim to alter inaccurate perceptions and to avoid misunderstandings
about military actions and policies that might otherwise
provoke violent conflict. Over time they can pave the way
for more stable political and diplomatic relations, transform
the parties' ideas about their need for security, and even
encourage moves to identify shared security interests and
highlight the importance of effective disarmament initiatives.
Cautionary arguments
While agreeing that "CBMs do have the potential to create
an atmosphere conducive to arms control and disarmament,"
the representative for the Non-Aligned
Movement emphasized that CBMs "are neither a substitute
nor a pre-condition for disarmament measures." Cuba's
representative stressed that CBMs must not be imposed, arguing
that success depends "on the achievement of a true consensus
among the States." Iran's
Ambassador Khazaee likewise argued that CBMs "are merely
'voluntary measures'" and cannot "be converted to
legally binding obligations." Ambassador Sen of India
emphasized that CBMs "should take into account the specific
political, military and other conditions prevailing in [each]
region," arguing that a "prescriptive approach that
negates the sovereign right of States to choose CBMs best
suited to their interest should be avoided." China's
Ambassador Hu similarly argued, "We need to develop CBMs
in light of the concrete situation of different regions and
time, with an objective and pragmatic attitude, and in a step-by-step
and incremental manner."
Military spending
Many delegations, including the Non-Aligned
Movement, expressed their support for "unilateral,
bilateral, regional and multilateral measures adopted by some
governments aimed at reducing their military expenditures,
thereby contributing to the strengthening of regional and
international peace and security." The African
Group's representative noted that the reduction of military
expenditures is an important CBM. Ambassador Kim of the Republic
of Korea noted, "Sharing objective information on
military expenditures will greatly contribute to the sense
of security by all Member States." China's
representative reiterated his government's announcement made
during the 2007 UNGA First Committee that China has begun
to report to the .
The Permanent Representative of Tanzania
said his country has consistently stressed the linkage between
disarmament and development in the context of military expenditures.
He argued that spending on military capabilities and armaments
"should be curbed by generating political will to implement
disarmament measures, credible confidence building measures
and disarmament proceeds and by cultivating a culture of peace
in present and succeeding generations."
Transparency in armaments
Several delegations spoke favourably about the as "successful in enhancing
the level of transparency in military affairs" (Republic
of Korea) and "one of the important international
systems for promoting confidence-building among States"
(Japan).
Ambassador Shinyo of Japan,
however, cautioned that more than 15 years after the Register
was established, there are still grave dangers of "expansion
in armaments through distrust among States."
Small arms and light weapons
Many delegates spoke about the on small arms and light weapons (SALW),
looking forward to the upcoming to be held at UN Headquarters in New
York on 14–18 July 2008. Ambassador Shinyo of Japan
indicated that the voluntary form for SALW in the UN Register
of Conventional Arms, created in 2006, should "have a
synergistic effect in the future." Other delegates welcomed
the Group of Government Experts on
and on the . Ambassador Kim of the Republic
of Korea announced that it will host a UN workshop on
the implementation of the International Tracing Instrument
in Seoul on 27–28 May 2008 together with Norway and
the European Union. Austria's representative explained his
government supports "the strengthening of national legal
regimes and capacity building as well as practical disarmament
measures through financing three projects" in Africa.
Cluster munitions
A few delegations offered their support for the ongoing processes
to ban . Austria's
representative urged all states to actively participate in
the upcoming conference in Dublin, which will seek to develop
a legally-binding instrument to prohibit cluster munitions
that cause unacceptable harm to civilians. He argued that
such a ban "will contribute substantially to save the
lives, limbs and livelihoods of many civilians." He also
announced that late in 2007, Austrian Parliament adopted a
national law that "prohibits the development, production,
supply, sale, procurement, import, export, transit, use and
possession of cluster munitions and provides for the destruction
of national stockpiles by January 2011." The law does
not contain exceptions for "smart cluster bombs"
or for weapons with a low number of sub-munitions. He argued,
"This is disarmament in concrete terms which we believe
is best suited to build confidence among states."
Working Paper
Representatives from both Cuba and Australia noted the existence
of a working paper by the Chair of Working Group II, which
Ambassador Diaz of Cuba described as "an excellent basis
for the success of our deliberations on this issue;"
however, this paper is not currently available through the
UN document system nor was it distributed during the plenary
meetings.
Work of the UNDC
All delegations who delivered statements to the plenary session
emphasized the importance of the work of the UNDC and the
need for flexibility and compromise. Many also insisted on
the separation of the two issues on the Commission's agenda,
arguing, as Brazil's
representative did, that the working groups "are distinct
in nature and scope. Advances in one cannot be made contingent
upon parallel progress in the other." The Rio
Group likewise argued that while progress in all areas
is desirable, delegations should not allow advances in one
area to be conditioned by equivalent advances in another.
He argued, "Taking into account the complexity of the
topics, the insistence in a parallel development in negotiations
would mean, in practice, preventing the Commission from reaching,
at least, partial results in its work."
Civil society participation
In his opening statement, the Chair of the Commission raised
the issue of participation by external experts or civil society
representatives. This idea was raised during the Commission's
2006 session, studied during 2007, and now the Chair intends
to engage in further consultations during the 2008 session.
He indicated that several questions would have to be settled,
such as would these representatives address the plenary meetings
or the working groups; would the Commission forgo its general
debate in favour of a structured thematic discussion with
experts; etc.
When this issue was raised in 2006, the United States, India,
and France objected to inviting NGO representatives and external
experts to participate in the Commission's discussions, while
Indonesia and Egypt supported it. The issue was not addressed
in statements to the plenary meetings this year—nor
did the United States or France address the plenary—so
it is unclear if these positions have changed at this time.
Currently, NGO representatives are not allowed to attend working
group meetings, just as they are not allowed to attend the
informal meetings of the Conference on Disarmament. Several
delegations, most
recently Syria, Norway, Algeria, and Australia at the
CD, have argued for broader civil society participation in
multilateral disarmament fora.
As noted in a recent CD
Report, the exclusion of civil society from the CD and
the UNDC is contrary to its welcomed participation in other
multilateral disarmament processes. Patrick McCarthy of the
gives the
of NGO involvement in the recent , where NGO representatives
"intervened at will in the discussions and openly criticized
certain States for attempting to weaken the Wellington text."
They "provided valuable inputs to the debates based on
sound research, interpretation of evidence and testimony of
victims. In short, civil society was an integral, dynamic
and vital element of the Wellington conference that influenced
the outcome of the meeting." While McCarthy explored
some possible explanations for this "schizophrenic"
behaviour in a on Disarmament Insight, overall the question of civil
society involvement in the CD appears to be another anachronism
in the "'community of practice' to which disarmament
diplomats belong" that John Borrie, also writing on Disarmament
Insight, referred to in a
about telephone booths.
In 2006, a representative of the Syrian Arab Republic argued
in the CD that "the states that objected to [NGO] participation
[in the CD] are the same states that daily call on us to step
up participation of NGOs in matters related to democracy,
human rights, peace and security. These states seem to wish
NGOs to be tools of their own policy." As Reaching Critical
Will argued then, if states are truly impartially supporting
or objecting to NGO access, their positions should be consistent
across issues, from human rights to disarmament.
2) Nuclear
disarmament and a Department of Peace: News from Canada
On 4–5 April 2008, the Toronto Chapter of the hosted a . On Friday, 4 April, Canadian
Senator Douglas Roche (Chair of the ) spoke on the “Human Right to
Peace,” the culture of war and culture of peace, and
the changes in attitude that are necessary to bring one to
triumph over the other. Senator Roche emphasized the effects
of militarism and violence on our planet and collective human
psyche. He explained that the culture of war is built upon
the lie that weapons bring security, particularly nuclear
weapons, and argued that the appeal of nonviolence is that
it challenges the “logic” of trying to make the
world a more peaceful place by using violence as a tool.
His keynote speech was followed by a roundtable discussion
on the need and vision of a Department of Peace and Canada’s
role in peacebuilding with Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green
Party, and Members of Parliament Olivia Chow (New Democratic
Party) and Borys Wrzesnewskyj (Liberal Party). Despite repeated
invitations, a member of Canada's ruling party, the Conservative
Party, did not attend. The politicians answered questions
from the audience regarding Canada's relationship to the US
“missile defense system” in Europe, gender and
politics, military spending, their parties' positions on a
Department of Peace, and more. Each argued that a Department
or Ministry of Peace would help institutionalize the culture
of peace that Senator Roche talked about, acting as a counter-weight
to the Department of Defense. The Initiative's website explains,
“A Department of Peace would develop a coordinated and
coherent paradigm for a sustainable peace across all government
departments. Its Minister would advance an agenda for a new
architecture of peace by supporting and establishing activities
that promote a culture of peace and assertive non-violence
in Canada and the world.” Nuclear abolition is high
on Department's .
On Saturday, 5 April, workshops were held all day on Nuclear
Disarmament with Douglas Roche (Middle Powers Initiative),
Murray Thompson (Pugwash), Phyllis Creighton (Canadian Network
to Abolish Nuclear Weapons), and Vinay Jindal (Physicians
for Global Survival); Women and Peace Building with
Helen Chilas and Jo-Ann Rodrigues (Canadian Voice of Women
for Peace); Civilian Peace Service with Gord Breedyk
(Civilian Peace Service Canada) and Lyn Adamson (Nonviolent
Peaceforce Canada); Peace Education with Robert Porter
(Global Campaign for Peace Education), Anne Goodman (Interchange
and OISE), and Penny Sanger (Educating for Peace); Involving
Youth in Peace with Dr. Peter Stockdale (Canadian Department
of Peace Initiative, Youth Coordinator) and the students Andrea
Cowan, Marya Jaleel and Zoë Tupling (Gloucester High
School, Ottawa); Cities of Peace with Dr. Richard Preston
(McMaster University) and Jean Trudel (Circle de Paix / Peace
Circle, Montreal); and Legislative Action and Advocacy
with Rob Acheson (Co-Chair Toronto Chapter) and Federal MPs.
In the nuclear disarmament workshop, participants primarily
discussed NATO's nuclear sharing policy and what Canada's
role in NATO means for its own nuclear disarmament policy.
Senator Douglas Roche highlighted a report from a seminar
held 3–4 February 2008, sponsored by the Middle Powers
Initiative, Canadian Network to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, the
Rideau Institute, Canadian Pugwash Group, Physicians for Global
Survival, and the Simons Foundation, called “.” The report
explains, “Canada has been slowly shifting away from
its traditionally strong support for nuclear disarmament at
a time when the global propensity to use nuclear weapons has
increased dramatically in the last several years.” It
argues, “Canada, like other NATO members who are also
signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT),
holds contradictory nuclear policies.” According to
the report, participants at the seminar made a strong call
“for Canada to work with Germany and Norway in their
current efforts to overhaul NATO’s outdated policies,
particularly as set out in its Strategic Concept, for retention
of nuclear weapons.”
The sponsors of the seminar set out an urgent agenda, which
says,
Canada must work for a review of NATO nuclear policy to
reject the fiction that nuclear weapons “preserve
peace.” Canada should press NATO to revise its Strategic
Concept to acknowledge that nuclear weapons pose an unacceptable
risk to humanity, and that their early elimination is essential
to human security. To move from words to action, NATO should
be challenged to remove, and dismantle, all US tactical
nuclear weapons from the territories of non-nuclear weapon
states of the alliance and to call on Russia to reciprocate
with cuts to its arsenal of tactical weapons as a step toward
complete nuclear disarmament.
Eight chapters of the Canadian Department of Peace Initiative
presently exist in Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, London, Hamilton,
Toronto, Ottawa, and Montréal. For more information
on joining your local chapter or starting one, please see
.
3) Important
information for NGOs going to the NPT
The rooms to be used during NGOs during the upcoming NPT PrepCom
in Geneva have been allotted by the Office for Disarmament
Affairs. For the first week we will use Room XXV. For
the second week, we will move (due to non-NPT demand for rooms)
to Room VIII. For those unfamiliar with the Palais
des Nations, the UN Office at Geneva has a “virtual
tour” on its website:
Important: Those who have reserved the NGO Room for
side events during the PrepCom: please let the project
associate know by Tuesday next week if you need
any equipment so that ODA can make the necessary reservations.
Please note that any costs for equipment will have to
be covered by the NGO requesting it.
4) Time to
go to Omaha: Annual Space Organizing Conference
The is
holding a three-day conference near StratCom, in Omaha, Nebraska,
on 11–13 April, to protest the weaponization
of outer space and other destabilizing activities, and to
educate the public through panel discussions and workshops
about space law, US space policy, the military-industrial-academic
complex, and nonviolent civil resistance. The event is hosted
by , and is co-sponsored by many organizations,
including WILPF.
For more information, the agenda, and a list of speakers,
please see the Global Networks' page, ,
or Nebraskans for Peace, .
5) Upcoming
International Panel on Fissile Materials event in New York
On Thursday, 17 April 2008 at 1:15pm in Conference
Room 2 at the UN in New York, Frank von Hippel, Professor
of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University
and Co-Chair of the will give a presentation,
“A Fissile Material (Cut-off) Treaty and its Verification:
A Progress Report from IPFM.” IPFM's work on this potential
treaty will be the centerpiece of its Global Fissile Materials
Report 2008, which will be published in October. Previous
IMPF annual and topical reports can be found at
This event is sponsored by the . If you do
not have a UN pass and wish to attend, please contact the
Committee at 212.687.5340 or disarmtimes[at]igc.org
immediately.
6) One week
left to submit articles, advertisements, and artwork to the
News in Review
The deadline for submissions to the News in Review, the daily
NGO publication produced by Reaching Critical Will during
the NPT PrepCom, is next Friday, 18 April. We encourage
you to submit to this year's News in Review. The guidelines
are as follows:
Feature articles: In addition to the daily analysis
of the proceedings of the PrepCom, the News in Review also
contains feature articles that cover a range of nuclear disarmament
issues. We welcome submissions from NGO experts around the
world, regardless of whether or not you will be in Geneva.
Articles should be between 500-1000 words. Please submit in
.doc format and the body of the email. Articles will be attributed
to the author and may be edited for length.
Advertising space: You can use the News in Review
to publicize an important announcement, event, or project
hosted by your organization. NIRs are hand-distributed to
all of the delegates at the PrepCom, sent by email to more
than 2000 subscribers, and are archived on our website. Contact
the project
associate for pricing.
Cartoons, photos, artwork, poetry: We are accepting
all forms of anti-nuclear artwork, to be sent in either a
.jpg, .gif, or .pdf file. Photos, paintings, doodles, cartoons,
collage, mixed media, and drawings are all welcome.
Submit your ad, article, or artwork by sending:
your organization's name;
contact person;
email address;
phone number;
type of submission (for ads, please specify the size of
the ad, dates for it to run, and payment method); and
the submission
to the project
associate. The deadline for all submissions is 18 April.
1 April 2008
Dear Reaching Critical Will friends and advisors:
The Conference
on Disarmament has finished the first part of its 2008
session without adopting a programme of work. While the diplomatic
community continues to struggle (and struggles to continue),
civil society has some exciting projects underway to educate
and activate people against nuclear weapons. The just held the fifth meeting of the Article
VI Forum in Dublin, Ireland; the youth network is holding conferences and events leading
up to their annual summer conference (see below for details);
the will be holding
a conference featuring nuclear disarmament and other relevant
issues on 4-6 April in Toronto; the will
hold its Annual Space Organizing Conference and Protest in
Omaha on 11-13 April; and the is holding a
conference in Geneva on 1 May on "Good Faith, International
Law, and the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons: The Once and
Future Contributions of the International Court of Justice".
There are also numerous NGO
events scheduled during the upcoming session of the NPT
Preparatory Committee. For information about these events
and others, see Reaching Critical Will's 2008 Disarmament
Calendar.
In peace,
Ray Acheson, Project Associate
1) The Conference
on Disarmament closes the first part of its 2008 session 27
March marked the final plenary meeting of the first part
of the Conference on Disarmament's 2008 session. From January
to March, the Conference listened to statements
by many high-level delegates and welcomed the introduction
of a draft
treaty on the prevention of weapons in outer space and
a new presidential draft decision (CD/1840).
Yet the CD continues to struggle forward without a programme
of work, ending the first part of its 2008 session on 27 March
without coming any closer to adopting an agreement that would
allow negotiations to begin on a fissile material cut-off
treaty or any other issue.
No member state has formally rejected CD/1840 yet, though
it is virtually identical to the 2007 proposal for a programme
of work, L.1
and CRP.5,
which some delegations objected to because the operational
paragraph on negotiating a ban on fissile materials did not
reference the 1995
Shannon Mandate. It is unclear if the programme of work
will be adopted in the second part of the 2008 session, which
will run from 12 May to 27 June.
The next plenary of the Conference is scheduled for Thursday,
15 May at 10am. To subscribe to the CD Report, email the RCW
project associate
with the subject line "subscribe cdreport". For
all statements, papers, press releases, and archived reports,
please see the RCW website: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/cd/cdindex.html#2008.
2) The United
Nations Disarmament Commission is set to open its 2008 session
The UN
Disarmament Commission (UNDC) is a deliberative body that
considers and makes recommendations on various problems in
disarmament. The UNDC will hold its 2008 session from 7-25
April at UN Headquarters in New York, finishing its three
year cycle of deliberations on its two agenda items: recommendations
for achieving the objective of nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation
of nuclear weapons; and practical confidence-building measures
in the field of conventional weapons.
During the 2007 session, the UNDC's nuclear disarmament and
non-proliferation working group made some headway. The Chair,
Ambassador Zinsou of Benin, produced a paper that was relatively
well-received. However, after nearly a week of additions,
the paper grew to a formidable 16 pages, turning into more
of a compilation
of views than a document of consensus recommendations.
On the suggestion of several governments, he resubmitted a
relatively
short simple paper that could be agreed upon, but was
clearly the lowest-common denominator and deficient in disarmament.
The Report
of the Disarmament Commission for 2007 notes that the
Chair hopes his working paper "will be a basis for further
deliberations for the formulation of consent recommendations"
at the end of 2008.
2008 Chairs
Chairperson: Ambassador Piet de Klerk (Netherlands)
Chair of Working Group I: Mr. Jean Francis Zinsou (Benin)
Chair of Working Group II: Mr. Carolos Luis Dantas C. Perez
(Brazil)
Information and Reports
As in previous years, Reaching Critical Will will be reporting
on the Commission throughout April on this email list. We
will also post all governmental statements, non-papers, and
working papers on our website: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/dc/dcindex.html#2008
3) Think Outside
the Bomb in Boston and Washington, DC
On Saturday, 12 April, the network is holding a youth regional conference
at American University in Washington, DC. This one-day conference
will aim to bring youth and students together with experts
in the fields of nuclear disarmament, nuclear power, and nuclear
waste in order to build an atmosphere of education and resistance
towards the nuclear weapons complex. Go to
for more information and to
to register for the conference.
Think Outside the Bomb has also arranged a speaking engagement
near Boston, MA with prominent linguist, author, and social
critic Noam Chomsky on Wednesday, 9 April, in collaboration
with Massachusetts Peace Action, Tufts University Peace &
Justice Dept, and American Friends Service Committee. Noam
will be speaking at Tufts University in Somerville, MA, at
the Cabot Intercultural Auditorium (170 Packard Ave) at 6
PM, with a program titled, "Youth and Securing a Nuclear
Free Future", followed by a Q&A session and book
signing. See
for more information.
4) Subscribe
to the News in Review
The News in Review is a daily publication produced
by Reaching Critical Will during NPT Preparatory Committee
and Review Conferences. It features analysis of the day's
events, feature articles from NGO representatives around the
world, interviews with diplomats and NGO representatives,
nuclear facts, announcements, cartoons, a calendar of events,
and more. You can access archived NIRs online at http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/npt/nirindex.html.
To receive a PDF copy of the News in Review in your
inbox each day during the PrepCom, please email the project
associate with the subject line "subscribe nir".
5) Calling
for articles, ads, and art for the News in Review
We encourage you to submit to this year's News in Review.
The guidelines are as follows:
Feature articles: In addition to the daily analysis
of the proceedings of the PrepCom, the News in Review also
contains feature articles that cover a range of nuclear disarmament
issues. We welcome submissions from NGO experts around the
world, regardless of whether or not you will be in Geneva.
Articles should be between 500-1000 words. Please submit in
.doc format and the body of the email. Articles will be attributed
to the author and may be edited for length.
Advertising space: You can use the News in Review
to publicize an important announcement, event, or project
hosted by your organization. NIRs are hand-distributed to
all of the delegates at the PrepCom, sent by email to more
than 2000 subscribers, and are archived on our website. Contact
the project
associate for pricing.
Cartoons, photos, artwork, poetry: We are accepting
all forms of anti-nuclear artwork, to be sent in either a
.jpg, .gif, or .pdf file. Photos, paintings, doodles, cartoons,
collage, mixed media, and drawings are all welcome.
Submit your ad, article, or artwork by sending:
your organization's name;
contact person;
email address;
phone number;
type of submission (for ads, please specify the size of
the ad, dates for it to run, and payment method); and
the submission
to the project
associate. The deadline for all submissions is 18 April.
14 March 2008
Dear Reaching Critical Will friends and advisors:
On 13 March, the six rotating presidents of the Conference
on Disarmament (CD) introduced a "new"
proposal for a programme of work to the CD, which has
not adopted such a programme since 1999. It is virtually identical
to the proposal made by the six presidents of the Conference
in 2007 and it is unclear if progress toward its adoption
is anticipated or not. Outside of the CD, the Security Council
has imposed new sanctions
against Iran, the United States is moving forward with its
programme to ensure the indefinite
production of nuclear weapons, and conflicts around the world
continue to increase geopolitical tensions. We need progress
in the CD and other multilateral disarmament fora to help
change the international security environment instead of allowing
the security environment to continuously stall progress in
multilateral disarmament fora. Reaching Critical Will doesn't
have all the answers but we do have the information. See below
for details.
In peace,
Ray Acheson, Project Associate
1) Update on Iran's
nuclear programme
On 3 March 2008, the UN Security Council
14-0 (with one abstention, Indonesia) in favour of Resolution
1803 (2008), a new sanctions resolution against Iran's
nuclear programme. Acting under Article 41 of Chapter VII
of the United Nations Charter, the Council affirmed its earlier
decision that Iran should suspend its uranium enrichment and
heavy-water-related projects, as previously stipulated in
resolutions 1696
(2006), 1737
(2006), and . The thrust of the resolution is to widen the scope
of existing sanctions on imports of materials listed on Nuclear
Supplier Group and Missile Technology Control Regime guidelines
and to add to list of sanctioned individuals and entities.
As in past resolutions on Iran's nuclear programme, the Council
again declined to make a determination that Iran's efforts
constitute a threat to international peace and security, a
requisite for the Council to impose either sanctions or authorize
military force under Article 39 of the UN Charter. The Associated
Press
that for the first time, the resolution bans trade with Iran
in goods which have both civilian and military uses. It also
extends the freezing of the financial assets of persons or
entities supporting its proliferation-sensitive nuclear activities
or the development of nuclear-weapon delivery systems. The
Council also decided that if Iran should fail to comply with
its decisions, it would adopt additional measures under Article
41 (sanctions).
In the Conference on Disarmament, Foreign
Minister Verhagen of the Netherlands argued that the statements
delivered at the Council session by the five veto-wielding
nuclear weapon states and Germany (P5+1) "underlines
their sincere intentions to offer everything reasonable to
reestablish a respectful relationship between Iran and the
international community." However, as Ambassador Kumalo
of South Africa at the Council session, the sponsors of the resolution
persisted with the same text they had tabled before the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General's was released. He noted that the resolution did
not adequately take into account the progress that has been
made between Iran and the IAEA, and that the vote on the new
resolution was not even postponed until the IAEA Board had
a full opportunity to review the report and consider the matter,
leaving the impression that the progress made was virtually
irrelevant to the co-sponsors.
The IAEA's latest report demonstrated, according to , "increasing
confidence" that Iran does not intend to use its nuclear
programme for military purposes and that Iran is cooperating
with the IAEA. In explaining his country's abstention, Ambassador
Marty Natalegawa of Indonesia said that "more sanctions
are not the best course," arguing that sanctions "would
only give a potential negative impact at a time when progress
is being made." However, the P5+1 argued that recently
declassified Western intelligence suggesting Iran conducted
high-explosives tests and design work on a missile warhead
as part of a covert nuclear arms programme was a serious concern
that needed to be addressed by Iran immediately. Mike Veiluva
of
pointed out on ,
The "one remaining issue" relevant to the programme
is "the alleged studies (by Iran) on the green salt
project, high explosives testing and the missile re-entry
vehicle." ("Green salt" is an alleged uranium
conversion process.) The report references discussions in
late January; however, Iran was only given access to US
information pertinent to these matters in February. The
timing is not explained; Iran was given literally days to
address this purported new evidence. The UK is now contending
that this evidence indicates Iran was conducting weapons
work after 2003, but the larger question is why we are only
hearing of this now—perhaps the proximity of a new
UN Security Council meeting has something to do about it.
The United States recently briefed the IAEA about "evidence"
on Iran's alleged pre-2003 nuclear weapons programme gathered
from the so-called "laptop of death," a stolen Iranian
laptop given to the IAEA by the United States. Jeffrey Lewis
of ArmsControlWonk.com that the details available in various media reports
indicate that nothing new was presented from when the details
were first reported in 2005. However, on 11 March, the Washington
Post
that documents from "two countries other than the United
States" provided to the IAEA recently "partly match
information" from the laptop. According to the Post,
"IAEA officials say these documents identify [Iranian
nuclear engineer Mohsen] Fakhrizadeh and other civilian scientists
as central figures in a secret nuclear research program that
operated as recently as 2003." The documents also
purport to show advanced research into a variety of nuclear-related
technologies, including uranium ore processing, warhead
modification and the precision-firing of high explosives
of the type used to detonate a nuclear device. Other documents
point to attempts by civilian scientists to purchase sensitive
equipment of the kind Iran would eventually use in its uranium
enrichment plants.
The article notes that none of the documents "specifically
include the word 'nuclear,' and IAEA officials say there is
no evidence that any of the plans advanced beyond the paper
stage."
Michael Spies of the emphasizes that all of this
"in itself does not demonstrate a determined effort to
acquire and deploy nuclear weapons." He points out,
even if we were to accept all this "evidence"
as true, the IAEA Secretariat has clearly stated that Iran
does not appear to have ever undertaken any work using nuclear
material on the basis of the documents or laptop. On its
face, it is troubling if Iran is pursuing secret studies
to build knowledge on nuclear weapons, as this might suggest
it intends to develop them in the future. But the scale
and scope of the "evidence" that has been released
so far still doesn't seem to reflect a major, serious, and
concerted attempt to acquire and deploy nuclear weapons.
A handful of scientists conducting paper studies over a
period of a decade doesn't seem to fit very well with efforts
to acquire nuclear weapons in other states, most of which
did not have IAEA inspectors roving around their territories
trying to piece all aspects of their past nuclear work together.
The IAEA has been careful to caution that this sort of evidence
has more to do with judging Iran's intentions, rather than
determining the state of Iran's compliance with its non-proliferation
obligations. The noted in its ,
As it is very difficult to prove a negative, it is unlikely
that the IAEA would ever be able to conclude with absolute
certainty that Iran - or at least key elements within its
governing system - have not had the intention to use an
enrichment capability for weapon purposes. In any case,
even if such intentions never existed, there could be a
change of mind once Iran's enrichment technology was fully
operational. Accordingly, the question of intention is not
decisive.
Spies says, "Following from this, one can conclude that
the conversation about intentions is a distraction from what
some of the real issues are: the role of the US and Iran in
the greater Middle East and bilateral relations."
2) International Women's
Day Disarmament Seminar Statement
The , which
was drafted by the Women's International League for Peace
and Freedom on behalf of the Geneva NGO Working Group on Women,
Peace, and Security and NGO Committee for Disarmament and
adopted by the Seminar participants, was read by rotating
President Ahmet Üzümcü of Turkey at the Conference
on Disarmament on 11
March. The statement "highlighted the crises of human
security and sustainable development caused by military spending,
war and weapon profiteering, and the persistence of ideas
and expectations of gender that shape how war, women, and
peace are considered." It reported on the held in the Council Chamber of the Palais des
Nations last Thursday, which included over 100 NGO representatives
from more than 40 countries. The women called "on governments
to abandon narrow concepts of military security and instead
focus human and economic resources on addressing the real
daily threats to the security of their citizens, such as poverty,
hunger, insecurity, HIV and AIDS, climate change, and environmental
degradation." They called for a paradigm shift in resource
allocation, rejected the idea that the military industry or
the arms trade brings jobs, prosperity, or security, and called
for the Security Council to act in compliance with Article
26 of the UN Charter by delivering a plan for reducing armaments.
The
"focused on the roles and responsibilities of women,
outlined in , to participate in conflict prevention,
disarmament, and all levels of security decision-making,"
and emphasized how important it is for women "to contribute
their perspectives, help determine the direction of policy
options, and have a greater say over budgetary allocations."
It revealed the need "to examine the relationship between
masculinity and war as much as the relationship between women
and peace," arguing that wisdom about gender roles and
expectations "will contribute to the peace that can be
achieved."
The statement ended with a call to speak with our own voices—voices
"which are often suppressed or ignored"—in
the CD. President Üzümcü read,
We as women have addressed this body since 1984. We would
like to be able to do this ourselves rather than through
an intermediary. Indeed, not allowing us to read our own
statement undermines the seriousness of [the] CD in the
eyes of people around the world. In this year of the 30th
anniversary of SSOD1, is it not time to allow civil society
organizations the chance to address the CD on a regular
basis?
The representatives of Syria, Norway, Algeria, and Australia
supported this call. Abdulmaola Al Nuquari of Syria thanked
the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security for their
contribution, and reiterated his country's position that NGOs
should be given the opportunity to address the Conference
personally. Norway's Ms. Hilde Skorpen argued that the involvement
of civil society is vital to moving forward, pointing out
that NGOs have helped in other areas such ,
, and . She said she would like to see the women deliver
our own statement in the future. Likewise, Algeria's Mr. Hamza
Khelif expressed regret that consensus has allowed the President
of the CD to continue delivering the International Women's
Day statement on behalf of civil society, arguing that as
the nuclear threat endangers the entire international community,
the concerted efforts of the entire community is needed to
address it. He said he hoped the CD would allow the women's
NGOs to take the floor in the future, pending a decision by
member states to widen participation in the CD to other NGOs.
Mr. Craig Maclachlan of Australia agreed that NGO representatives
should be allowed to address the CD themselves and argued
that supporting civil society is part of Australia's commitment
to disarmament.
For more information on the 2008 IWD Seminar, please see
.
3) Report on RCW's
event at the Commission on the Status of Women
For the 52nd session of the , the organized a
parallel event on Women, War, and Budgeting for Peace.
The event explored and revealed the waste of human and economic
resources on war and armaments, highlighting the implications
that excessive military spending, especially in the United
States, has on gender equality and sustainable peace and development.
It featured experts and activists on the issues of military
budgets, gender perspectives in post-conflict situations,
and , including Frida Berrigan of the , Mary Beth Sullivan of the , and
Eva Zillen of .
The panel was moderated by WILPF president Kerstin Grebäck
and WILPF's project associates, Sam Cook of
and Ray Acheson of Reaching
Critical Will, delivered some introductory remarks to
explain the work of the projects. They also highlighted several
tools that WILPF has developed around the subject of military
spending vs. social spending, including a great leaflet "You
Get What You Pay For", which compares and contrasts money
spent on the military and money spent on development, particularly
the and financing for gender equality.
Other relevant tools regarding the military-industrial complex
and war profiteers, subjects touched upon by Ms. Berrigan
and Ms. Sullivan in the panel, include WILPF's Dirty
Dozen project, which highlights the twelve biggest corporations
involved in the nuclear industry, and the Aerospace
Annex, which covers these companies plus more than 20
others that are benefiting from the weaponization of outer
space - corporations that eat up millions of dollars a year
developing absurd technologies to further destroy our world
and undermine the social and ecomomic well-being of human
beings around the world. These resources can be found online
at:
For more information on the 52nd session of the Commission
on the Status of Women, see the
website:
4) Invitation to subscribe
to the Arms and Security Initiative E-News
The Arms and Security Initiative is part of the New America
Foundation and the successor to the World Policy Institute's
Arms Trade Resource Center:
The Arms and Security Initiative offers a regular E-Newsletter
covering the arms trade, military budget developments and
foreign policy issues. It is punchy—informative and
stimulating without being too wonky or too gloomy and includes
our new feature: "What's Good," highlighting successes,
victories and great ideas.
5) Registration for
the small arms meeting of states parties
The UN has invited NGOs to apply for accreditation for the
Biennial Meeting of States on Small Arms (BMS), to be held
at UN Headquarters in New York (US), 14 – 18 July 2008.
Accreditation for the BMS is not handled by Reaching
Critical Will, please contact Mark Marge, UN Liaison Officer
for the at mark.marge@iansa.org
for details.
The deadline for applications is 13 April 2008.
IANSA members will find a sample letter on our website to
make it easy to apply for accreditation. You can adapt this
standard letter with details of your NGO: .
Even if you are not an IANSA member, you can adapt this letter
to your needs.
You should send a letter to the UN Office for Disarmament
Affairs (ODA) applying for accreditation.
1. The letter should:
be on your organisation's letterhead
be signed by your organisation's director or legal representative
outline the purpose of your organisation
outline your programs or activities related to small
arms
list the names of the individuals from your organisation
seeking accreditation. You may list as many individuals
as you like
state whether your organisation has been accredited for
previous UN small arms meetings (the 2006 RevCon or Prepcom,
the 2005 or 2003 BMS or the 2001 UN Small Arms Conference)
OR state whether this is the first time your NGO
has applied for accreditation to a small arms meeting
reach the UN ODA before 13 April 2008.
2. Once the letter is signed, send it to the UN, by one of
these methods:
a) attach the signed letter to an email and send to salw-unoda@un.org,
with a copy to mark.marge@iansa.org.
You may have to use a scanner to make an electronic copy of
your letter which you should attach to the email.
b) fax your letter to +1 917 367 5369
c) send the original of your letter through the post to
Ms. Silvia Mercogliano, Information & Outreach Branch,
Office for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations, Office S-3151
E, New York, NY 10017, USA
3. If you have any questions, please email Mark Marge, UN
Liaison Officer for IANSA, mark.marge@iansa.org
Note: Your letter MUST contain all the information listed
above
Your letter must reach the UN by 13 April 2008.
It is a good idea to send it earlier, so that Mark
can look at your letter and notify you if any of the requirements
have been missed.
4. Please note that receiving accreditation does not mean
you will be funded to attend the Biennial Meeting of States.
The UN cannot assist with funding or with visas. IANSA will
have some funds available, but they will be extremely limited
– so it is essential that you look for other funding
sources if you want to attend.
For more information on NGO participation at the BMS, please
see the UN's aide memoire at:
6) Deadline for NPT
PrepCom Registration and Accreditation
Please that the deadline for accreditation and registration
for the NPT PrepCom is SUNDAY, 23 MARCH 2008. Your
accreditation package and your registration form must be received
by the Office for Disarmament Affairs by 23 March in order
for you and your organization to attend the PrepCom.
Since the Conference
on Disarmament has not yet been able to adopt a programme
of work for over a decade, it is heartening to watch disarmament
move forward in other arenas. When it became clear that were not going to be appropriately addressed
under the framework of the , the Norwegian government
announced it would start a separate process to ban cluster
munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians, to assist
survivors and affected communities, and to ensure clearance
of their land - the Oslo Process. The third international
conference of the Oslo Process is currently taking place in
Wellington, New Zealand. Diplomatic representatives from more
than 110 countries are there along with 164 non-governmental
organization representatives from 38 countries. The conference
will result in a draft treaty text that states will negotiate
in Dublin, Ireland from 19–30 May 2008. For more information,
see the Cluster Munitions Coalition's newsletter and WILPF's information on the .
In peace,
Ray Acheson, Project Associate
1) Discussions on
outer space in the Conference on Disarmament
As announced in the 31 January edition of the E-News, Russian
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov delivered a presen
