Help ban the bomb
Governments are meeting at the UN in June to negotiate a groundbreaking ban on nuclear weapons.
This comes after years of advocacy from civil society determined to shift the debate on nuclear weapons to focus on their humanitarian and environmental impact.
And now in one of its final acts of 2016, the United Nations General Assembly adopted – with overwhelming support – a landmark resolution to begin negotiations on a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons.
This historic decision heralds an end to two decades of paralysis in multilateral nuclear disarmament efforts.
So in June and July 2017, governments will be negotiating the ban on nuclear weapons at the United Nations – and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and its coalition partners and supporters will be hitting the streets to celebrate and also to support the demand for a good treaty that prohibits these weapons of mass destruction once and for all.
Did you know that nuclear weapons are the only weapons of mass destruction not yet prohibited in a comprehensive and universal manner, despite their well-documented impacts?
Biological weapons and chemical weapons, as well as landmines and cluster munitions, have all been explicitly and completely banned under international law.
Usually, prohibiting weapons leads to their elimination. This is why a nuclear ban treaty is needed: to fill the legal gap. It is also meant to complement and work alongside existing treaties, like the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
The decision to chart this course was prompted by a push led by civil society through the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) to re-focus the debate about nuclear weapons on their humanitarian impact.
While this might sound obvious, language about this aspect of their impact has been largely suppressed by those who try to argue that nuclear weapons provide security and stability in international relations.
Three conferences on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons hosted by Norway in 2013 and Mexico and Austria in 2014 shed new light on the perils of living in a world armed to the brink with nuclear weapons. They clarified the urgent need to prohibit these weapons under international law.
At present, nuclear armed-states and many of their allies have chosen to boycott the negotiations, even going so far as to pressure other governments to do the same.
But over 130 countries, including regional leaders such as Brazil and South Africa, are united in their belief that that enough is enough and are moving forward regardless.
A first round of discussions took place on 27–31 March. To read ICAN’s report about them, click here.
The second round will be from 15 June–7 July.
We stand at the doorstep of a monumental opportunity to make our voices heard and give support to policy makers who are trying to the world a safer place.
Women have been leaders in the anti-nuclear resistance since the beginning of the nuclear age, stemming from concern over the gendered impact of nuclear weapons use and testing, the lack of gender diversity in disarmament more broadly and the overall framing and discourse around these weapons.
So on the eve of the treaty negotiations, WILPF is leading a huge, international, women-led mobilisation event in New York to demand a strong treaty and demonstrate wide support for a world free of nuclear weapons.
The Women’s March to Ban the Bomb will take place on 17 June 2017.
The Women’s March Ban the Bomb is a women-led initiative building on the momentum of movements at the forefront of the resistance, including the Women’s March on Washington.
It will bring together people of all genders, sexual orientations, ages, races, abilities, nationalities, cultures, faiths, political affiliations and backgrounds to march and rally at 12noon-4pm on 17 June 2017 in New York City.
Can’t make it to New York City to rally with us? No problem!
Reaching Critical Will (RCW), part of WILPF International, has come up with a handy guide for you to use to organise a rally in your own town or city.
Start by endorsing the Call to Action and get in touch to let RCW know that you’ll be hosting an event so it can be included on the website or so you can connect with others in your city who might be interested.
This guide sets out our reasons to mobilise, key messages, tips on how to organise a successful event, and plenty of information about the nuclear ban treaty negotiations.
A smart woman once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead, 1901 – 1978.