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Nuclear Ban Week!

By Admin assistance

Message from WILPF International on Nuclear Ban Week:

Dear WILPFers, 

From 21 to 23 June the First Meeting of State Parties (1MSP) of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) will take place in Vienna, Austria. 

Almost one and a half years ago, the Treaty that bans the development, testing, production, transfer, possession, stationing, stockpiling, use and threat to use nuclear weapons entered into force and became international law. Since its adoption in July 2017, 86 states have signed and 61 ratified the Treaty – and more are on their way! 
 

What makes the Treaty unique?

The TPNW is the first Treaty to completely outlaw nuclear weapons. It’s also the first nuclear-related treaty to recognise the disproportionate impact of nuclear weapons on Indigenous people and on women. It is the result of years of hard work and decades of campaigning by WILPF, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), Hibakusha (survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki), diplomats from non-nuclear-armed countries, and so many more. 

With many European states increasing their military budgets in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it is now more important than ever to advocate for the universalisation and full implementation of the Treaty. This is as important as ever during this current crisis, where nuclear war hangs as a threat over us all. WILPF is encouraged that some NATO members like Germany and Norway will come to the Meeting of States Parties as observers, and we hope more governments will finally start to uphold their long-held commitments to nuclear disarmament.
 

WILPF members getting ready for Vienna

Many WILPF members from around the world and the Reaching Critical Will (RCW) team will be in Vienna, campaigning, connecting and monitoring the negotiations.

Over the past weeks, WILPF Austria and RCW have organised and coordinated members’ participation in Vienna and planned many events for WILPFers that we are sharing in today’s newsletter.

In the run-up to the conference, WILPF Sections are also keeping the momentum on the process of banning nuclear weapons. WILPF Spain, for example, campaigned for the Spanish government to attend the First Meeting of State Parties as an observer state and WILPF Italy contributed to a book on the presence of nuclear weapons in Italy. Many WILPFers from the Austrian, German, Italian, Danish, Zimbabwean, Cameroonian, and Lebanese Sections have also come together to coordinate their participation in Vienna. 

How to join – from your couch or in person in Vienna 

A lot is happening and you can also attend many of the events online. Here is an overview of exciting events – join in from wherever you are: