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    Npt11ngo Hall

    Uploaded by

    Abdullahi Mustapha
    G

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 3

    1.

    Abolition Is theOnly Way:Introduction to the NGO presentations

    Convenors: Xanthe Hall, IPPNW; John Loretz, IPPNW; Urs Cipolat, Tri-Valley CAREs; Diane
    Perlman, PsySR
    Speaker: Xanthe Hall, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

    Why are we always here and what do we want?

    Non-Governmental Organisations have an important role to play in international


    decision-making. The participation of civil society in shaping our world and guarding its
    most precious ideas and values is vital. While governments remain the ultimate
    decision-makers, it is NGOs that allow citizens across the globe to partake in the political
    process and make their voices heard. Together with the Mayors, from whom you have
    already heard, we represent millions of people worldwide. Opinion polls show that
    these people want to live without the scourge of nuclear weapons, in a world where
    governments are mature enough to resolve conflicts with more effective, non-lethal
    methods. This is why we endorse the Mayor's campaign "2020 Vision".

    NGOs working for nuclear disarmament have, year after year, participated in the
    Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Conferences in order to promote the transition to a
    nuclear weapon-free world with three obligations of non-proliferation, disarmament
    and the abolition of nuclear weapons. The treaty contains all three obligations and does
    not make a hierarchy of them. We consider them all equally important to the survival of
    our world.

    Some say we should not admit that the NPT is in crisis for fear of undermining it. We
    disagree. In order to make the Treaty work as it was intended, we must recognise that it
    has long been in crisis. Secretary-General Annan's High-level Panel on Threats,
    Challenges and Change did just that. In its recent report, it stated that "the nuclear non-
    proliferation regime is now at risk because of lack of compliance with existing
    commitments, withdrawal or threats of withdrawal from the Treaty on the Non-
    Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to escape those commitments, a changing
    international security environment and the diffusion of technology." The Panel's final
    conclusion is especially alarming: "We are approaching a point at which the erosion of
    the non-proliferation regime could become irreversible and result in a cascade of
    proliferation."

    We consider it our common responsibility at this Conference to stop the further erosion
    of the NPT and to strengthen the Treaty. Even though the NPT is in crisis, it remains a
    fundamental stepping-stone on the way towards a safer, nuclear weapon-free world.
    The NPT has set the global norms for non-proliferation and disarmament for 35 years,
    and the vast majority of its members continue to comply with its obligations without
    question. We commend these countries and appeal to all NPT member states to work
    tirelessly toward the preservation and strengthening of the Treaty.

    This opening statement is a collective product of all NGOs participating in this


    Conference. It sets out, simply, our reasons why we believe that nuclear weapons in
    today's world are of no use at all, to anyone, for any reason. Later you will hear our
    main recommendations. We urge you to consider these reasons and recommendations in

    4
    your deliberations about the future of the NPT.

    A. Why Nuclear Weapons are Obsolete

    1.) The finger is still on that button


    The Cold War is over. Yet thousands of nuclear weapons remain on hair trigger alert in
    the US and Russia. These could go off by accident, as a result of human error, or through
    unauthorised use, killing millions.

    2.) On offer: Nuclear Weapons for Everyone


    Israel, India, Pakistan, North Korea. That makes nine nuclear weapon states, despite the
    NPT. Who will be the next nuclear weapon state? If the NPT falls apart, will we be
    forced to live in a world with dozens of countries armed with nuclear weapons and no
    controls? Already nuclear technology is being sold on the black market.

    3.) A smoker cannot forbid others to smoke


    No state wants other states to get hold of nuclear weapons. Neither do we. Mohammed
    El-Baradei, Director-General of the IAEA, said: "As long as you continue to have
    countries dangling a cigarette from their mouth, you cannot tell everybody not to smoke
    with a high degree of credibility". And yet the nuclear weapon states are modernising
    their own arsenals. The US is even planning new types of nuclear weapons. The Nuclear
    Posture Review and one budget request after another make this undeniable. New and
    existing nuclear weapons (for example Mininukes and Bunker Busters) might be used in
    "preventive" warfighting against hardened underground targets. The suggestion that the
    collateral damage could thereby be minimised, reduces the threshold for the use of such
    weapons. Expert studies have shown that, however small, these weapons would still
    produce high levels of fallout and remain weapons of mass destruction that kill and
    contaminate with radiation. Moreover, our information indicates that the nuclear earth
    penetrator would not be have a small yield at all.

    4.) Nuclear weapons don't stop people from dying


    The big threats that our world is facing today cannot be averted through possession of
    nuclear weapons. Mass destruction takes place daily without any bombs going off at all.
    There can be no military protection for the victims of respiratory diseases, diarrhoea,
    malaria, hepatitis, measles, and AIDS. Or of environmental degradation, starvation,
    poverty, or climate change. Or civil war, using small arms and machetes. These are the
    real killers. Security against these threats cannot be provided by nuclear weapons. What
    we need is clean water, nutrition, health, education and a safe place to live. The tsunami
    in South Asia showed us that spending money on a tsunami warning system could have
    saved many lives. So why are we spending billions on missile defence and nuclear
    weapons instead of investing in technology to promote human security? On the other
    hand, every single disarmament measure is a step towards confidence and trust-
    building and frees more resources for real security measures.

    5.) You are the nuclear target


    If you point nuclear weapons at anyone, then they are pointed at you. The possession of
    nuclear weapons is an invitation for others to acquire them and threaten you with them.

    6.) After the fact: There is no medical aid


    Once the worst has happened – whether an all-out nuclear war caused by accident or a
    "limited" nuclear war – health services will break down. The number of burns alone
    would overwhelm the most well-equipped burns unit. Assuming there are any burns
    units. Or people to staff them. Radiation sickness will follow. Many people will die a
    terrible death without any medical relief at all. In a "conventional" war or a major

    .S
    disaster, such as the December tsunami, health services are barely able to cope and often
    break down. In a nuclear war there would be no chance at all.

    7.) Nuclear weapons cannot deter terrorists


    A suicide bomber or an attacker armed with a carpet knife who is prepared to give his
    life for his cause cannot be deterred by any kind of threat, including a nuclear threat. On
    the contrary, the very existence of nuclear weapons and fissile materials from which to
    make them leaves the world more vulnerable to attack from non-state actors.
    Radioactive materials - whether legally or illicitly acquired - can be used either for
    making a nuclear weapon or for use in a radiological weapon.

    Abolition is the only way

    The goal of this opening statement is to show you why we believe that nuclear weapons
    in the 21 5` century are obsolete. At the end of these presentations, we intend to also
    provide you with a set of carefully deliberated recommendations on how to move
    forward toward the elimination of nuclear weapons worldwide.

    More collectively prepared NGO presentations will now follow. These include NGO
    expert analyses of topics you will be discussing over the next few weeks. Many NGOs
    will present additional events and briefings on these topics during the Conference.
    These are interspersed with the "voices" of the people, including those of indigenous
    peoples, youth, and the hibakusha. Even though numerous, all of our interventions
    today underscore the centrality of the NPT and the categorical imperative of achieving a
    nuclear weapon free world.

    At the end of this session, we will have the opportunity for a direct exchange - there will
    be time set aside for "interactivity" between you - the States parties - and us, the citizens
    of the world who have dedicated our lives to the abolition of nuclear weapons. We
    thank you for attending this session, and we appreciate your rapt attention. For the
    information, perspectives and analysis you are about to hear will not only inform your
    debate, but it will enable you to use this Review Conference to get us that much closer to
    a nuclear weapon-free world.

    From where you are now, the global abolition of nuclear weapons may seem a long way
    off. But it is the only way. And the sooner you start, the sooner you'll get there. As
    NGOs, we are here not only as a voice of civil society reminding you to get on with the
    job, but also a source of technical, scientific and medical knowledge at your disposal.
    The closer we are able to work together toward our common goals of peace, security and
    sustainability, the more likely it is that we will achieve them. And achieve them we
    must.

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.


    2. Transparency

    Convenors: Sarah Estabrooks, Project Ploughshares; Rhianna Tyson, WILPF


    Speaker: Alexandra Sundberg, WILPF

    At this Seventh Review Conference, all States parties and non-governmental


    organizations are primarily concerned with one aspect of the Treaty: compliance.
    Whether prioritizing compliance to Article VI, I, II or IV, in order to strengthen the
    Treaty - as you are mandated here to do – we must seek ways to build confidence in
    universal compliance to the Treaty.

    Ic

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