2015 sept pr IDofTN -...
Transcript of 2015 sept pr IDofTN -...
INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE TOTAL ELIMINATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS: WANEP Calls for “A Nuclear-‐Weapon-‐Free World”
Press Release Accra, 26th September, 2015
Since the first nuclear weapons testing took place on July 16, 1945, world powers have spent billions on acquiring nuclear weapons as a measure of military might with little or no consideration for the tragic effect of nuclear weapons testing on human life. Worried by the tragic consequences of nuclear testing, and the conviction that nuclear disarmament and the total elimination of nuclear weapons are the only absolute guarantee against the use or threat of nuclear weapons, the UN General Assembly designated September 26, as the “International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons". The Day which was observed for the first time in September 2014 is meant to call attention to the urgent need for the international community to support the total banning of nuclear weapons testing and to galvanize the United Nations, Member States, intergovernmental and non-‐governmental organizations, and the media to inform, educate and advocate the necessity of banning nuclear weapon tests as a valuable step towards achieving a safer world.1
The West Africa Network for Peacebuilding, WANEP in commemoration of the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons 2015 joins the global community to advocate for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons and a nuclear-‐weapon-‐free world. WANEP notes that with the 2009 Africa Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty, also known as the Treaty of Pelindaba, which provides for the prohibition of research, manufacture, acquisition, stockpiling, possession, testing, control or stationing of nuclear explosives makes Africa a nuclear weapon free zone thus banning nuclear weapons seems not to be a priority for Africa. The treaty has been ratified by 38 countries; United States signed but not ratified, and currently, no African states have nuclear weapons. South Africa developed nuclear weapons, but voluntarily dismantled the programme in the early 1990s.2
WANEP is however concerned that being a nuclear weapon free zone does not make Africa less vulnerable to intentional or unintentional use of nuclear weapons especially as a nuclear detonation does not respect geographical boundaries. Besides, the African continent has a history of nuclear weapons. Research shows that the uranium mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo was used in the Manhattan project to manufacture the first atomic bomb that was used in World War II. The nuclear-‐weapon-‐free zone was actually proposed as a response to the French nuclear weapons testing in the Hoggar Mountains of Algeria
1 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 2 Helle Winge Lausen: Africa and nuclear weapons: An introduction to the issue of nuclear weapons in Africa 2 Helle Winge Lausen: Africa and nuclear weapons: An introduction to the issue of nuclear weapons in Africa
from 1960 to 1967 which was a danger both for humans and the environment.3 Therefore, an end to nuclear weapons is a matter of global concern for Africans as well as the western and nuclear-‐armed states to resolve.
WANEP applauds on-‐going national and international efforts and commitments to the total elimination of nuclear weapons including the Treaty on the Non-‐Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-‐Proliferation Treaty (NPT), an international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and further the goal of achieving nuclear and complete disarmament. All the parties to the Treaty pledged commitment to achieving peace and security in a world without nuclear weapons while UN Secretary-‐General Ban Ki-‐moon unequivocally stated at the five-‐yearly NPT Review Conferences that: “A world free of nuclear weapons would be a global public good of the highest order,” and defined a ban on nuclear weapons as “vital”.4 All African states except for South Sudan are also parties to the Treaty.
In particular, WANEP appreciates the recent focus on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons which has found expression in the NPT Review Conferences since 20105. We stand in solidarity with the 189 State Parties who unanimously expressed their “deep concern at the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and reaffirms the need for all States at all times to comply with applicable international law, including international humanitarian law.6”
WANEP however acknowledges that as laudable as these efforts are, the pronouncements are not matched by concrete action. This was most apparent at the 2015 NPT Review Conference held at the United Nations office in New York from 27 April to 22 May, in which Parties to the Treaty failed to come to an agreement on the substantive part of the draft Final Document. WANEP is worried by the fact that the five authorized nuclear weapons states; the United States, Russia, United Kingdom, France, and China, still have 22,000 warheads in their combined stockpile and have shown a reluctance to disarm further.7
On this International Day for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, WANEP echoes the concerns of the risks of unintended use of nuclear weapons and makes the following recommendations;
• A concerted and immediate action to reduce these risks and to undertake serious commitment to the total elimination of nuclear weapons.
• Calls on the nuclear powers to make good their commitment to the total elimination of nuclear weapons as pledged by President Obama in his speech at the Prague.
• Urges the United Nations General Assembly to employ its moral authority and pressurize the big military spenders to live up to their obligations to support sustainable development and reduce spending on nuclear weapons.
3 http:/nwp.ilpi.org 4 NPT/conf.2010/50.vol 1, pp 12 & 19 5 2010 NPT Review Conference Action Plan from the Final Document adopted by 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-‐Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons 6 NPT/conf.2010/50.vol 1, pp 12 & 19 7 Wikipedia, the Free encyclopedia
• As noted by religious leaders that “the existence of nuclear weapons is a constant threat to the fabric of life and the sanctity of human life,8 WANEP calls for collective action by all and sundry to ensure that their governments and the African Union uphold their responsibility to protect and defend their citizens by endorsing the humanitarian pledge and supporting a total ban on nuclear weapons.
For further enquiries kindly contact the Executive Director of WANEP on:
Tel: +233-‐302-‐775975/77 Email: [email protected]
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………................................................................ WANEP is a leading Regional Peacebuilding organization founded in 1998 in response to civil wars that plagued West Africa in the late 1980s. We place special focus on collaborative approach, working alongside major actors, particularly governments, intergovernmental bodies and women in a bid to establish a platform for dialogue, experience sharing and learning, thereby complementing efforts at ensuring sustainable peace and development.
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8 Linnet Ngayu : African Council of Religious Leaders – Religions for Peace, August 31, 2015