The Inter Parliamentary Union debates the nuclear weapons issue at its 129th session
The Inter Parliamentary Union, a global organisation of over 160 parliaments, will meet in Geneva March 16-20 for its 130th Assembly at which it will consider a ground-breaking draft resolution Towards a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World: The Contribution of Parliaments.
The resolution has been drafted by co-Rapporteurs Blaine Calkins (a member of parliament from Canada) and Yolande Ferrer Gómez (a member of parliament from Cuba) following nearly a year of discussion sessions and informal consultations on the topic.
Blaine Calkins MP (Canada), Co-rapporteur for the IPU topic on nuclear disarmament
Approximately 800 parliamentarians from the IPU member parliaments (which includes most of the nuclear-armed States and their allies), will meet in Geneva for the Assembly. The draft resolution, and a number of amendments to it, will be discussed in the IPU Standing Committee on Peace and International Security.
What will your parliament say?
Will your parliamentary representatives argue for a strong resolution? Will they support the current draft text that calls on parliaments to “urge their governments to start deliberations and negotiations on a nuclear weapons convention or on a package of agreements to help achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world, as outlined in the United Nations Secretary-General’s five point proposal and noted in the 2010 NPT Review Conference Action Plan.”
Saber Chowdhury, PNND Co-President and Chair of the IPU Standing Commission on Peace and International Security
Or will they succumb to the pressure from at least one of the Nuclear Weapon States to water down the resolution to focus instead on the ‘step-by-step approach‘ which, according to a draft amendment by France, ‘is the main path to follow to effectively advance towards nuclear disarmament‘ through the ‘the Conference on Disarmament with the responsibility to conduct future negotiations.’ With the Conference on Disarmament blocked for 17 years already, no wonder France says ‘future’ negotiations. Maybe they mean in the 22nd Century?
Contact your parliamentary delegation to the Inter Parliamentary Union and urge them to support a strong and effective resolution instructing their parliaments to take effective action to prohibit nuclear weapons and achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world.
Uta Zapf, key-note speaker for the PNND panel at the IPU Assembly, with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Following the scheduled adoption of the resolution, PNND will host a panel, co-sponsored by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, on implementation of the resolution. The panel will focus in particular on The Humanitarian Imperative and Cooperative Framework to achieve a Nuclear Weapons Free World.
For more information contact info@pnnd.org and www.pnnd.org or see
World body of parliaments to consider nuclear disarmament resolution: Parliaments called to take action,
IPU Press Release: Key commitments on safer world and election of new Secretary General to dominate 130th IPU Assembly