Common Security v. Nuclear Weapons: How to replace the current reliance on nuclear deterrence with sustainable security for all

A side event at the 2023 NPT Prep Com
United Nations – Vienna
Room M4 and online

Register for online participation

Co-Chairs:

• Amy Oloo (Kenya)
  Executive Director, World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy
• Vanessa Lanteigne (Canada)
  Rotary Fellow. Program Officer, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament

Speakers:

• John Vlasto (UK)
  Executive Committee Chair, World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy
• Bill Kidd MSP (Scotland)
  Co-President, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament
• Dr Jennifer Allen Simons, C.M., Ph.D., LL.D (Canada)
  Founder and President, The Simons Foundation Canada
  
• Alyn Ware (New Zealand/Czech Republic)
  Peace and Disarmament Program Director, World Future Council
  Global Coordinator, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament

Event Outline:

An event to discuss the ideas and proposals in the joint statement to the NPT Prep Com entitled Common Security and Nuclear Deterrence: How to replace the current reliance on nuclear weapons with sustainable security for all.

The statement calls on the nuclear armed and allied states to replace their reliance on nuclear deterrence with common security alternatives, including mechanisms to facilitate negotiation, mediation, arbitration, adjudication, regional organizations and the application of international law to ensure fairness and security for all.

The statement encourages, in particular, better use of the International Court of Justice with the objective of universal acceptance of its jurisdiction. It also proposes that the NPT establish a subsidiary body to outline the full range of theoretical and actual security threats which nuclear deterrence is designed to address, explore common security (and conventional military) alternatives to nuclear deterrence to address these threats, and make recommendations on the transition from nuclear deterrence to non-nuclear security.

Some of these ideas are being advanced in a new project LAW not War: Legal Alternatives to War towards universal jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice which will be discussed at this event.