UNFold Zero – 2017-10-22 15:33:21
http://www.unfoldzero.org/26-september-2015/#governments
ACTION ALERT: UN to Vote in
One Week on Nuclear Disarmament Summit!
Call on your country to support the
new UN initiative for nuclear disarmament
UNFold Zero
(October 19, 2017) — The Non-Aligned Movement, representing 120 countries, submitted a draft resolution to the United Nations General Assembly late last week laying out the general mandate and dates for a special United Nations process to advance comprehensive nuclear disarmament — a United Nations High-Level Conference for Nuclear Disarmament.
The conference, which is like a summit, will take place at the United Nations in New York from May 14-16, 2018. It could build support among non-nuclear countries for the new Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and also build traction and progress on nuclear-risk reduction and disarmament measures to be undertaken by the nuclear-armed States. (Three of the nuclear armed States are already supporting the draft resolution).
Call on Your Government to Support the Resolution
UNFOLD ZERO asks you to contact your government and urge them to support the resolution, if they are not already doing so, and to announce that they will attend the UN High-Level Conference at the highest level.
Click here for a sample letter plus contact details for presidents/prime ministers, foreign ministers and UN ambassadors of UN member countries.
SAMPLE LETTER TO WORLD LEADERS TO SUPPORT
THE UN RESOLUTION ON THE 2018 HIGH-LEVEL CONFERENCE
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists earlier this year moved the hands of the ‘Doomsday Clock’ to 2½ minutes to midnight — indicating how close humanity is to a nuclear catastrophe.
In the week of October 26 — November 2, the UN General Assembly will take action (vote) on disarmament issues, including on a draft resolution (L45) which sets the dates, locations and mandate of a unique event to address such nuclear dangers and advance nuclear disarmament — the 2018 UN High Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament.
THE LETTER
Dear . . . .
I/we urge you to use this occasion to support nuclear risk-reduction and disarmament measures. In particular, I/we call on you to:
* Support the UN resolution on the 2018 UN High Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament;
* Announce that you will personally participate in the High-Level Conference, and do what-ever is in your power at the Conference to prevent nuclear weapons being used, and to achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world:
* Announce also that you will sign the new Treaty on the Prohibition on Nuclear Weapons at the UN High-Level Conference. [Note: This point is for governments that have not already signed the treaty];
At the United Nations this year, please support the 2018 UN High Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament, and other actions to prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons.
Thank you
[your name]
Success of UN High-Level Conferences
The High-Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament follows in the footsteps of other UN High Level Conferences on key issues for humanity that have had considerable success in building agreements and commitments.
These include the conference on Sustainable Development (2015) which achieved agreement on 17 Sustainable Development Goals; Climate Change (2015) which achieved the Paris Agreement; Refugees and Migrants (2016) which achieved the New York Declaration and Oceans (2017) which achieved the 14-point Action Plan to Protect our Oceans.
The key to success of these conferences was inclusion of all key governments (represented at head of State or ministerial level) as well as inclusion of the range of civil society sectors. The 2018 UN High Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament aims for the same inclusivity.
The proposed mandate is to advance ‘effective measures’ for nuclear disarmament. This can include incremental measures on which it’s possible to get agreement and action by nuclear-armed and allied countries. And it includes more comprehensive measures, which non-nuclear States can support, such as the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (‘ban treaty’).
And the draft resolution highlights the important role that civil society – including non-governmental organizations, academia and parliamentarians – will play in the conference.
100 Signatories to the Ban Treaty by the UNHLC?
One proposal which has merit is to set a goal of 100 signatories to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons by the end of the 2018 UNHLC (currently there are 53 countries who have signed).
The conference is being held at the United Nations, which is the depository for the treaty. It therefore provides an opportunity for the Heads of State or Foreign Ministers to sign the treaty when they attend the UNHLC.
2018 UN HIGH-LEVEL CONFERENCE ON NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT
The United Nations has decided to hold a High Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament in 2018 in order to enhance progress toward the achievement of a nuclear weapons convention — a global treaty to prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons.
Similar UN High Level Conferences held over the past few years have been very successful, including the conference on Sustainable Development (2015) which achieved agreement on 17 Sustainable Development Goals; Climate Change (2015) which achieved the Paris Agreement; Refugees and Migrants (2016) which achieved the New York Declaration and Oceans (2017) which achieved the 14-point Action Plan to Protect our Oceans.
UNFOLD ZERO, in cooperation with the Basel Peace Office, PNND and Abolition 2000, are building civil society, parliamentary and government support for the 2018 UN High Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament, and to influence the agenda and ensure success.
Ideas Proposed for the Agenda of the 2018 UN Conference:
* Encouraging states to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons;
* Calling on the nuclear-armed States (and allied states) to adopt measures at the conference on nuclear-risk reduction and transparency, including lowering the operational readiness to use nuclear weapons, and adopting no-first-use policies;
* Moving the nuclear-armed States to announce, at the conference, an end the modernisation of nuclear weapons, and new agreed cuts in their stockpiles;
* Renewing the UN process an establishing a Middle East Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone;* Supporting the establishment of a North East Asian NWFZ.
Developments:
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe — which includes the parliaments of France, Russia, UK, USA, all NATO countries and other European Countries — has called
‘on all participating OSCE States to participate in the 2018 UN international conference on nuclear disarmament at the highest level, to include parliamentarians in their delegations to the conference and to pursue the adoption of nuclear risk reduction, transparency and disarmament measures at the conference.’
See OSCE Parliamentary Assembly calls for nuclear weapons stand-down.
A joint cross-party letter on Dialogue, detente and nuclear disarmament, sent from European parliamentarians to NATO and the OSCE leaders on July 14, 2017, includes a call on NATO and OSCE to support the 2018 UN High Level Conference.
Documents:
* UN Resolution 71/71 (2016), re-affirming the decision to hold the UN High Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament;
* UNFOLD ZERO working paper on the NPT and the 2018 UN High Level Conference
* Food for thought paper on the NPT, Ban Treaty and the 2018 UNHLC
Events:
Consultation meetings on the UN HLC, January — March 2017
* New York
* Geneva
* Vienna
* Berlin
* London
* Washington DC
* Side-event at the 2017 NPT Prep Com in Vienna
The Ban Treaty and the 2018 UN High Level Conference, side-event on June 30, 2017, at the UN during the ban treaty negotiations
Civil Society Coordination
UNFOLD ZERO and our partner organizations have been coordinating the civil society preparation and action for the UNHLC, in cooperation with the Abolition 2000 working group on the 2018 UNHLC. This has included consultation meetings, promotional events, social media actions and a global webinar conference on Oct 11-12 based out of our hub in New York (right next to the UN).
Join the Abolition 2000 Working Group:
Abolition 2000, the global network to eliminate nuclear weapons, has established a Working group on the 2018 UN High Level Conference. To join the working group contact info@baselpeaceoffice.org
Click here to join the Abolition 2000 working group.
Thank you again for taking action for a nuclear-weapon-free world by contacting your government to support the UN resolution and to announce they will attend the UNHLC at the highest level.
Together we can make this unique event a resounding success.Yours sincerely,
UNFOLD ZERO
UNFOLD ZERO is a platform for United Nations (UN) focused initiatives and actions for the achievement of a nuclear weapons free world. It’s a project of Basel Peace Office, Mayors for Peace 2020 Vision Campaign, PNND, PragueVision, Aotearoa Lawyers for Peace and Global Security Institute.
UNFOLD ZERO, c/o Seminar für Soziologie, Universität Basel, Petersgraben 27, Basel CH-4051
