Treaty to Ban Nuclear Weapons: Invitation to global commemoration event, January 25

| January 24, 2021 | Leave a Comment

Many of us around the world breathed a sigh of relief on  January 20 as the United States nuclear football‘ (the briefcase with nuclear weapons codes and communication links for the President to launch a nuclear attack) was passed from Mr Trump to the new US President Joe Biden. The change of administration in the US, combined with the Democrats now controlling the US Congress, provide new opportunities to make progress on nuclear risk-reduction and disarmament.

Tomorrow (Jan 22), the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) enters-into-force, and two days later will be the 75th anniversary of United Nations Resolution 1 (1). The resolution, adopted by consensus, established the goal of a world free from nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.

We invite you to a global online forum on January 25 to commemorate these events. The forum will include presentation of civil society appeals and parliamentary resolutions.  Click here to register.

January 25 Forum Speakers

  • H.E. Ms Tatiana ValovayaDirector-General of the UN in Geneva, Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament, Personal Representative of the UN Secretary-General to the CD;
  • Hon Ms Maria Fernanda EspinosaMember of the World Future Council. President of the 73rd UN General Assembly. Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science;
  • Dr Randy RydellExecutive Adviser, Mayors for Peace. Former senior political affairs officer at the UN Office of Disarmament Affairs;
  • Ms Kehkashan BasuMember of the World Future Council. Founder of Green Hope Foundation, UN Human Rights Champion, Winner of the 2016 International Children’s Peace Prize & Winner of the First-Ever Voices Youth Gorbachev-Shultz Legacy Award for Nuclear Disarmament;
  • Ms Vanda ProskovaCo-convenor of Youth Fusion, Vice-Chair of PragueVision Institute for Sustainable Security, Co-moderator of #wethepeoples2020, Global civil society youth speaker for the 2020 UN High Level Meeting on the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.

Registration: Click here to register.

Parliamentary action

Parliamentarians around the world are taking action to commemorate the TPNW entry-into-force and the 75th anniversary of UN Resolution 1 (1). One example is Parliamentary Motion S5M-23890 introduced  in the Scottish Parliament by Bill Kidd MSP. The motion says:

“That the Parliament notes the Entry into Force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) on 22 January 2021; understands that this treaty specifically prohibits states parties from developing, testing, producing, manufacturing, acquiring, possessing, deploying, using or threatening to use nuclear weapons, and from assisting or encouraging such acts; believes that the TPNW will reinforce existing international law obligating all states not to test, use or threaten to use nuclear arms, and understands that the Entry into Force of the TPNW will take place only two days before the 75th anniversary of UN General Assembly Resolution 1 (1), which was adopted by consensus, to ensure the elimination from national armaments of atomic weapons and all other weapons adaptable to mass destruction.”

 

*All information from the Unfold Zero newsletter.

The views and opinions expressed through the MAHB Website are those of the contributing authors and do not necessarily reflect an official position of the MAHB. The MAHB aims to share a range of perspectives and welcomes the discussions that they prompt.