The Network

Abolition 2000 is an international network of organisations and individuals working for a global treaty to prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons. Abolition 2000 is open to all organisations endorsing the Abolition 2000 Founding Statement. The Network provides a forum for the exchange of information and development of joint initiatives and campaigns. We meet once a year and communicate on an ongoing basis via a number of e-mail lists and through conferences, teleconferencing, and periodic mailings.

The Mission

The goals of Abolition 2000 are outlined in the founding statement which was adopted in New York in April 1995 during the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review and Extension Conference.

The primary goal of Abolition 2000 is to move governments to negotiate a nuclear weapons convention (a global treaty to prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons). However, in 1995 we recognised that it would take some time to move governments to negotiate and implement such a treaty. Therefore, the Abolition 2000 founding statement also called for interim measures including:

• A pledge by governments not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons;
• Negotiation of a treaty to ban nuclear tests;
• A nuclear weapons freeze, i.e. no new nuclear weapons systems;
• A ban on the production of weapons-usable radioactive materials;
• Monitoring of all nuclear facilities and establishment of an international registry of all weapons-usable radioactive materials;
• Creation of additional nuclear weapon free zones;
• Affirmation of the illegality of threat or use of nuclear weapons publicly and through the International Court of Justice;
• Establishment of an international renewable energy agency;
• Ensuring the participation of civil society in the process of nuclear disarmament.

The founding statement has been endorsed by over 2000 civil society organisations world-wide.

Abolition 2000 successes

• Nuclear Weapons Convention: Over 130 countries now support Abolition 2000’s proposal for a nuclear weapons convention, and vote in support of the annual United Nations resolution calling for the start of negotiations. We have secured even greater support from the world’s parliaments. In 2014, the Inter Parliamentary Union Assembly adopted a resolution supported by all 168 parliaments (including most of those from the nuclear-armed and allied countries) supporting a nuclear weapons convention. Abolition 2000 members have also been instrumental in a Model Nuclear Weapons Convention, which has been circulated by the UN Secretary-General to UN members as a guide to multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations.

• Nuclear test ban: Abolition 2000 members were active in the negotiations which achieved the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1996. We promote full ratification of this treaty, as well as additional measures, in order to end all nuclear tests for all time.

• Nuclear-weapon-free zones (NWFZ): Abolition 2000 members were active in the establishment and entry-into-force of the South East Asia, African and Central Asian NWFZs, and in moving the nuclear-weapon States to sign the additional protocols where-by they commit to respecting the zones.

• Illegality of the threat or use of nuclear weapons: Abolition 2000 members were active in the International Court of Justice case which in 1996 affirmed the general illegality of the threat or use of nuclear weapons, and an unconditional obligations to negotiate for their elimination. We have been active in implementation of the ICJ decision through UN resolutions, promotion at the NPT Review Conferences, parliamentary motions, legal actions in court, ‘citizen-led weapons inspections’ of illegal nuclear-weapon facilities (i.e. any nuclear weapons facility), and public events.

• International Renewable Energy Agency. Abolition 2000 members drafted a Model Statute for an International Sustainable Energy Agency (ISEA) and lobbied for its establishment. In 2009, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) was established with its headquarters in Abu Dhabi.

Abolition 2000 projects

Abolition 2000 has initiated a number of special projects, usually through working groups established at Abolition 2000 annual meetings.

• Mayors for Peace outreach. In 1999, Abolition 2000 established a project to help build membership of Mayors for Peace, a global network of cities which calls on governments to eliminate nuclear weapons through a nuclear weapons convention. We helped Mayors for Peace grow from approximately 800 member cities in 1999 to over 8000 member cities today through our extensive network of member organisations around the world.

• Nuclear weapons public opinion polls. From 2005-2007, Abolition 2000 member organisations commissioned a number of public opinion polls in nuclear-armed and allied countries, all of which showed majority support for a nuclear weapons convention.

• Parliamentary actions. In 2009, Abolition 2000 established a working group to assist Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament to engage parliamentarians around the world in nuclear disarmament initiatives and to change nuclear weapons policies of governments.

• International signature petition. In 2010, Abolition 2000 member organisations gathered over 17 million signatures on a petition calling for a nuclear weapons convention, and presented these to the Chair of the 2010 Conference of States Parties to the Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT Review Conference). The final agreed document of the NPT Review Conference affirmed the responsibility of States Parties to build the framework for a nuclear-weapon-free world, noting the proposal to do this through a nuclear weapons convention.

• Economics and nuclear weapons. In 2012, Abolition 2000 established a working group on Economic Dimensions of Nuclearism to focus on reducing nuclear weapons budgets and redirecting these to meet social and economic needs.

• Peace and Planet. In 2014, Abolition 2000 helped establish Peace and Planet, a global network of peace, environment and justice organisations working to prevent war, abolish nuclear weapons, and re-allocate military budgets to meeting sustainable development goals. Peace and Planet organised the very successful rally and march at the UN in April 2015, and initiated global actions such as Global Wave 2015 (Wave goodbye to nuclear weapons) and Chain Reaction 2016.

• Missiles and Space. In 2016, Abolition 2000 established a project to develop a model treaty on regulation of missiles and prevention of an arms race in space.

Click here for more background on the history and actions of Abolition 2000.

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