“Truly historic” First Meeting of States Parties concludes! -UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
ICAN Australia, 24 June 22, The first Meeting of States Parties to the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons has just concluded in Vienna! To great applause, the meeting adopted a political declaration and an action plan to take the work of the treaty forward. Read them here.
There were 82 states in attendance, including the Australian Government attending as an observer, along with other nuclear-endorsing states Germany, Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands.
The Australian delegation participated constructively in the meeting, engaging with many delegations including the ICAN team in Vienna. Susan Templeman MP, head of the delegation, also made time to join our Nuclear Ban Hub online on Wednesday night.
At the conclusion of the meeting the Chair, Ambassador Alexander Kmentt, said:
“I think we’ve accomplished something truly historic…
We have a powerful and clear political declaration that we do not accept the nuclear status quo of the sword of Damocles above us…
The path is prepared and the real work starts, so let us continue to work in this spirit and show the world what kind of progress is possible.”
TODAY. To survive, the human species must heed the voices of small nations, and of babes and sucklings
We really don’t have time for the antics of the big tough men that run the world – on corporate greed, vying with each other for power and importance. They’ve brought us global heating, planetary and even space pollution, and their next trick is nuclear war.
They don’t seem to ”get it” that if you blow the other lot to smithereens, it doesn’t actually help your lot at all.
I recall that the King of Siam as played by Yul Brynner way back, reflected that ‘‘Unless some day somebody trusts somebody – there’ll be nothing left on Earth excepting fishes”
The King of Siam was an optimist – as human stupidity and greed are already bringing about the end of the fishes.
BUT – the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is right now being discussed and worked on by representatives of over 100 governments. 122 governments are in favour of it, 86 have signed up to it, and 65 have ratified it. It is wisely designed, allowing even nuclear state to join, with reasonable steps.
But no. The big boys of the weapons corporations and the military run the show, so of course, they spurn this Treaty, and the opinions of the little nations. After all, the little nations are expendable, like all the ordinary little folk that are going to be obliterated by weather extremes, and by a nuclear weapon, however ”successfully” that weapon might be used.
Today, as Fiji joins the Treaty, we hear a wise and sensible opinion on the way forward. We need to learn from those ”unimportant” little nations, from indigenous peoples, from ”ignorant” children and young people – because we sure ain’t getting any wisdom from the world ”leaders”
Antinuclear 