The Future Of Humanity Depends On Banning Nuclear Weapons

Right now, the best chance is the United Nations-led negotiations in New York.Huffington Post,

30/03/2017 This week in New York, Governments are meeting to negotiate a global treaty banning nuclear weapons. This time it’s much more than talk, it’s a real opportunity to prohibit nuclear weapons and take an important step towards their elimination.

As the negotiations get underway, there will be several empty chairs at the table. Nuclear-armed States and most of those under the US nuclear-umbrella, including Australia, are among those choosing not to participate in these historic talks.

However, a growing majority of the world’s nations have made their intentions clear. They want a treaty to clearly prohibit nuclear weapons, leading to their total elimination. By year’s end, there is a good chance that such a treaty at the global level will become a reality.

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has called for the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons since 1945 and we welcome that such negotiations are now taking place in the framework of the United Nations……

Nuclear-armed States and those under their security umbrella, including Australia, argue that a treaty to ban nuclear weapons does not provide a practical path to effective disarmament or security. So what is this practical path? And how can States help reduce the risk that nuclear weapons will ever be used again and that they are eliminated once and for all?

Right now, the best chance is the United Nations-led negotiations in New York. Only this must not be a gamble; the future of humanity depends on it……..

Of course, adopting a treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons will not make them immediately disappear. But banning nuclear weapons is a key step towards eventual disarmament. A new treaty banning nuclear weapons will reinforce the stigma against their use, support commitments to nuclear risk reduction, and be a disincentive for their proliferation. This was the approach taken for chemical and biological arms: their prohibition preceded adoption of agreements requiring their elimination.

A ban treaty will also be a concrete step towards fulfilling existing commitments for nuclear disarmament, notably those of Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty; a treaty that in our view remains crucially important for global disarmament efforts.

The existence of nuclear weapons is a threat to us all. Their elimination must be of global concern. We have a historic opportunity to rid the world of these weapons once and for all. It’s urgent that we all jump on board. http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/yves-daccord/the-future-of-humanity-depends-on-banning-nuclear-weapons_a_22016234/

March 30, 2017 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized

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