Abolition 2000 held its 22nd Annual Assembly on May 1 as governments arrived in Vienna for a 2-week conference on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament – the 2017 Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT Prep Com).
Abolition 2000 members from around the world discussed the current political environment – a time of great uncertainty and concern about the risks of nuclear war, but also the opportunities for progress that are emerging, such as the UN negotiations for a nuclear prohibition treaty and the 2018 UN High Level Conference on Disarmament.
Report from the Abolition 2000 Interfaith working group
There were dynamic reports on Abolition 2000 projects, working groups and affiliated campaigns, including De-alerting and nuclear risk reduction, Don’t Bank on the Bomb, Economic Dimensions of Nuclearism, ICAN, Interfaith action, International law and nuclear weapons, Mayors for Peace, Missile control, Nuclear Weapon Free Zones, Nukes Out of Europe, Parliamentary Outreach, Peace and Planet, UNFOLD ZERO and Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space. (To join a working group contact info@baselpeaceoffice.org).
New working group
The Assembly established a new working group to build support from civil society and governments for the United Nations High Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament, which will take place in 2018. This follows on from successful UN High Level Conferences on Sustainable Development (2015) which achieved agreement on 17 Sustainable Development Goals, Climate Change (2015) which achieved the Paris Agreement and Refugees and Migrants (2016) which achieved the New York Declaration.
Presentation to the Abolition 2000 AGM by the Strategic Concept for Removal of Arms and Proliferation (SCRAP)
Action statements
The participants at the assembly adopted a statement alerting governments and civil society to the risks of nuclear weapons being used by accident, miscalculation or even by intent. The statement calls on governments to take all nuclear weapons off alert, and adopt additional measures to reduce the risks of nuclear weapons being used pending their elimination.
The Assembly also gave support to an exciting Women’s March and Rally to Ban the Bomb which will be held in New York on June 17, during the United Nations negotiations for a nuclear ban treaty. The March and Rally will bring together people of all genders, sexual orientations, ages, races, abilities, nationalities, cultures, faiths, political affiliations and backgrounds to support the negotiations. Abolition 2000 has contributed financially to the march, and member organisations are promoting the March and associated events including a conference in New York on June 18 entitled No Nukes, No Wars, No Walls, No Warming, organised by Peace and Planet.
Abolition 2000 members stopping a missile from being launched under the church where the Annual Meeting took place
Abolition 2000 dynamic new website
The Abolition 2000 Annual Meeting was happy to note the recent launch of the newly designed abolition 2000 website which is available in English and Spanish, and shortly in French. Expressions of interest in working on other languages should be sent to Tony Robinson tonymrobinson@gmail.com. The Assembly also affirmed a Global Council of over 60 nuclear disarmament activists from around the world, and a coordinating committee of 12 members.
‘I had hoped that this meeting would revitalize the network and it exceeded my expectations. This was one of the most substantive and productive Abolition 2000 meetings ever. Jackie Cabasso, Co-founder Abolition 2000