CND: 122 countries have agreed an historic United Nations treaty to ban nuclear weapons. The treaty follows decades of grassroots campaigning across the world. CND has been calling for a global ban on nuclear weapons since its founding in 1958 and we are delighted at the development.
Nuclear weapons are the last weapon of mass destruction not to be banned under international law following the adoption of chemical and biological weapons bans in the last century. The new treaty will make it illegal under international law to develop, test, produce, manufacture, acquire, possess, stockpile, transfer, use or threaten to use nuclear weapons. It also makes it illegal to assist or encourage anyone to engage in these activities. http://cnduk.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=50a46ed98fb9032bd46d11880&id=9f8df8bcb7&e=96dcf14be7The treaty introduces various bans including the possession, development and use of nuclear weapons. During a debate in Parliament last year Theresa May said she would be willing to use a nuclear bomb while Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said a first strike would be considered.
Theresa May’s government is attempting to block the ban. It boycotted the talks, taking the lead from Donald Trump who has condemned multilateral negotiations, as well as the Iranian nuclear deal.With a minority government and a weak Prime Minister, we have a chance to put this treaty right at the top of the political agenda.
Use the tool on CND web site to Tell Theresa May to support the ban. It takes less than one minute, and pressure from civil society at this key moment can make a big difference.

General Messages for the Adoption from ICAN:

 

In order to prepare our messaging for the adoption, we have developed some talking points on the text which will translate to a broader audience the importance of the treaty. A of some general talking points has been attached to this email. Here are the key points:

• The process to develop the treaty was motivated by the catastrophic humanitarian impacts that would result of any use or detonation of a nuclear weapon. It makes nuclear weapons illegal as well as immoral.

• This treaty builds on other treaties that prohibit weapons, and builds on the norm of humanitarian disarmament. With this treaty, it completes the prohibition on all weapons of mass destruction.

• This process has recognised the responsibility of all states to prevent a global humanitarian catastrophe, given that any use transcends national boundaries.

• Around 130 states participated in the negotiations. It shows that even though nuclear weapon states boycotted the negotiating conference, the majority of the worlds states support an international prohibition on nuclear weapons.

• This treaty is anticipated to have an impact on all states, whether they join immediately or not, by stigmatising nuclear weapons and making the continued maintenance, development, and possession of nuclear weapons unacceptable.

Here are some tips from the Social Media Team:

• Let your partner organizations know about what’s going on and ask them to also tweet, share and like. A social media post about the ban from them would be very helpful
• When tweeting: it’s always good to tweet to a specific state that is doing well – let them know we support them! Your tweet generally do better with a photo and remember to always use the #nuclearban
• There are lots of great photo and video material for you to use. Movies are uploaded to ICAN’s Facebook profile and photos are available here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/30835738@N03/
• Let’s keep the message positive – what we say and do outside the conference room is the way most people will perceive this treaty.

 

Here is ICAN’s article about the adoption of the treaty: http://www.icanw.org/campaign-news/the-united-nations-prohibits-nuclear-weapons/Of the countries present Only Netherlands voted against, and Singapore abstained

From UNFOLD ZERO: they have  promoted the negotiations, and taken an active part in them, especially on the issue of financing of nuclear weapons (see below) and on national implementation measures, in cooperation with Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament (PNND) and the http://unfoldzero.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b24250dac623a8bc5da1b0664&id=97482ea324&e=7597fb1ac4

Also: On July 5, PNND held a press conference at the United Nations on the Nuclear ban treaty and impacting the nuclear-armed States. The event include the launch of a Parliamentary Action Plan for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World.The press conference came one day after the North Korean test of an inter-continental ballistic missile, which has raised nuclear tensions in the North East Asian region, and reminded the world of the need to reduce nuclear dangers and move toward global nuclear disarmament.

Los Alamos Study Group Director Greg Mello: “We join so many others in congratulating Ambassador Gomez and the UN staff supporting her, and all the states who participated with such evident good faith, for this Treaty.  “The Treaty could not have been possible without the leadership of, and engagement by, literally hundreds of civil society organizations, ably coordinated by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), underpinned by the untiring work of the Reaching Critical Will (RCW) program of the Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom (WILPF). The ban campaign, the fruition of which we see today, really began and was co-led throughout by the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW). Dozens of other organizations could be mentioned, without which this Treaty could never have been produced. 

UNFOLD ZERO has joined with PNND, the World Future Council and International Peace Bureau in a project ‘Move the Nuclear Weapons Money‘ 

From the Basle Peace Office: See The ban treaty, NPT and the 2018 UN High Level Conference.

From the Nuclear Information Service: http://www.nuclearinfo.org/article/nis-reports/nis-release-new-briefing-paper-uk-and-nuclear-ban-treaty