The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) – 2015-10-22 21:43:55

Special to Environmentalists Against War

120 Nations Have Signed the Humanitarian Pledge
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)

(October 20, 2015) — As of today the ICAN campaign notes that 120 nations have signed the Humanitarian Pledge. http://www.icanw.org/pledge/

Stigmatize, Prohibit and Eliminate Nuclear Weapons

Nuclear weapons are the only weapons of mass destruction not yet explicitly prohibited under international law. The Humanitarian Pledge is a commitment by nations to fill this unacceptable “legal gap.” It offers a platform from which they can — and must — launch negotiations on a treaty banning nuclear weapons.

The Pledge was issued on 9 December 2014 at the conclusion of the Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons, attended by 158 nations. This important document provides governments with the opportunity to move beyond fact-based discussions on the effects of nuclear weapons to the start of treaty negotiations.

Outlawing nuclear weapons is not a radical proposition: it enjoys widespread support among nations, and is the logical and necessary course of action in light of the indiscriminate and catastrophic effects of any use of these weapons. ICAN is calling on all nations to endorse the Pledge and join negotiations for a ban.

Humanitarian Pledge
In light of the important facts and findings that have been presented at the international conferences in Oslo, Nayarit and Vienna, and after careful consideration of the evidence,

We, the States supporting and/or endorsing this pledge, have come to the following inescapable conclusions and make the subsequent pledge to take them forward with interested parties in available fora, including in the context of the NPT and its 2015 Review Conference:

Mindful of the unacceptable harm that victims of nuclear weapons explosions and nuclear testing have experienced and recognising that that the rights and needs of victims have not yet been adequately addressed,

Understanding that the immediate, mid- and long-term consequences of a nuclear weapon explosion are significantly graver than it was understood in the past and will not be constrained by national borders but have regional or even global effects, potentially threatening the survival of humanity,

Recognizing the complexity of and interrelationship between these consequences on health, environment, infrastructure, food security, climate, development, social cohesion and the global economy that are systemic and potentially irreversible,

Aware that the risk of a nuclear weapon explosion is significantly greater than previously assumed and is indeed increasing with increased proliferation, the lowering of the technical threshold for nuclear weapon capability, the ongoing modernisation of nuclear weapon arsenals in nuclear weapon possessing states, and the role that is attributed to nuclear weapons in the nuclear doctrines of possessor states,

Cognisant of the fact that the risk of nuclear weapons use with their unacceptable consequences can only be avoided when all nuclear weapons have been eliminated,

Emphasizing that the consequences of a nuclear weapon explosion and the risks associated with nuclear weapons concern the security of all humanity and that all states share the responsibility to prevent any use of nuclear weapons,

Emphasizing that the scope of consequences of a nuclear weapon explosion and risks associated raise profound moral and ethical questions that go beyond debates about the legality of nuclear weapons,

Mindful that no national or international response capacity exists that would adequately respond to the human suffering and humanitarian harm that would result from a nuclear weapon explosion in a populated area, and that such capacity most likely will never exist,

Affirming that it is in the interest of the very survival of humanity that nuclear weapons are never used again, under any circumstances,

Reiterating the crucial role that international organisations, relevant UN entities, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, elected representatives, academia and civil society play for advancing the shared objective of a nuclear weapon free world,

We regard it as our responsibility and consequently pledge to present the facts-based discussions, findings and compelling evidence of the Vienna Conference, which builds upon the previous conferences in Oslo and Nayarit, to all relevant fora, in particular the NPT Review Conference 2015 and in the UN framework, as they should be at the centre of all deliberations, obligations and commitments with regard to nuclear disarmament,

We pledge to follow the imperative of human security for all and to promote the protection of civilians against risks stemming from nuclear weapons,

We call on all states parties to the NPT to renew their commitment to the urgent and full implementation of existing obligations under Article VI, and to this end, to identify and pursue effective measures to fill the legal gap for the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons and we pledge to cooperate with all stakeholders to achieve this goal,

We call on all nuclear weapons possessor states to take concrete interim measures to reduce the risk of nuclear weapon detonations, including reducing the operational status of nuclear weapons and moving nuclear weapons away from deployment into storage, diminishing the role of nuclear weapons in military doctrines and rapid reductions of all types of nuclear weapons,

We pledge to cooperate with all relevant stakeholders, States, international organisations, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movements, parliamentarians and civil society, in efforts to stigmatise, prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons in light of their unacceptable humanitarian consequences and associated risks.

The following 120 nations have formally endorsed the Pledge so far:
1. Afghanistan
2. Andorra
3. Angola
4. Antigua and Barbuda
5. Argentina
6. Austria
7. Bahamas
8. Bahrain
9. Barbados
10. Belize
11. Benin
12. Bolivia
13. Botswana
14. Brazil
15. Brunei
16. Burkina Faso
17. Burundi
18. Cabo Verde
19. Central African Republic
20. Chad
21. Chile
22. Colombia
23. Comoros
24. Congo
25. Cook Islands
26. Costa Rica
27. Côte d’Ivoire
28. Cuba
29. Cyprus
30. Djibouti
31. Dominica
32. Dominican Republic
33. Ecuador
34. Egypt
35. El Salvador
36. Eritrea
37. Ethiopia
38. Fiji
39. Ghana
40. Grenada
41. Guatemala
42. Guinea
43. Guinea-Bissau
44. Guyana
45. Haiti
46. Honduras
47. Indonesia
48. Iran
49. Iraq
50. Ireland
51. Jamaica
52. Jordan
53. Kazakhstan
54. Kenya
55. Kiribati
56. Kuwait
57. Kyrgyzstan
58. Lebanon
59. Lesotho
60. Liberia
61. Libya
62. Liechtenstein
63. Macedonia
64. Madagascar
65. Malawi
66. Malaysia
67. Malta
68. Marshall Islands
69. Mauritania
70. Mauritius
71. Mexico
72. Mongolia
73. Namibia
74. Nauru
75. Nicaragua
76. Niger
77. Nigeria
78. Niue
79. Palau
80. Palestine
81. Panama
82. Papua New Guinea
83. Paraguay
84. Peru
85. Philippines
86. Qatar
87. St. Kitts and Nevis
88. St. Lucia
89. St. Vincent and the Grenadines
90. Samoa
91. São Tomé and Príncipe
92. San Marino
93. Saudi Arabia
94. Senegal
95. Serbia
96. Seychelles
97. Sierra Leone
98. Singapore
99. Somalia
100. South Africa
101. Sri Lanka
102. Suriname
103. Swaziland
104. Tajikistan
105. Tanzania
106. Thailand
107. Timor-Leste
108. Togo
109. Trinidad and Tobago
110. Tunisia
111. Tuvalu
112. Uganda
113. United Arab Emirates
114. Uruguay
115. Vanuatu
116. Venezuela
117. Viet Nam
118. Yemen
119. Zambia
120. Zimbabwe

Last updated: 21 October 2015
Latest endorsers: Comoros, Burkina Faso, Namibia, Nauru, Tanzania, Ghana, Mongolia