The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), meeting at the quadrennial Congress in San José, Costa Rica in August 2011,

Opposed to the continuing existence, possession, testing, development, modernization, and potential use of or threat of using nuclear weapons,

Recalling the unanimous commitment at the 2010 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference of all states party to the Treaty “to pursue policies that are fully compatible with the Treaty and the objective of achieving a world without nuclear weapons,”

Recalling also the commitment made by the nuclear weapon states at the 2000 NPT Review Conference – and reaffirmed at the 2010 NPT Review Conference – of an unequivocal undertaking to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals,

Concerned with the plans and prospects of states possessing nuclear weapons to upgrade, modernize, or otherwise refurbish their nuclear arsenals and related infrastructure,

Disturbed that the US and Russian governments made ratification of the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) contingent upon increased funding for nuclear weapons, delivery systems, and infrastructure,

Aware that increased funding for nuclear weapons will only prevent nuclear disarmament within our lifetimes and increase the risk of further proliferation and potential use of nuclear weapons,

Appalled at the decision to allocate increased funds to nuclear weapons in the midst of a global economic crisis, wherein ordinary citizens in all countries struggle to meet their basic daily needs,

Recognizing that nuclear weapons are antithetical to human security and environmental sustainability,

Emphasizing that arms control treaties should be conducive to progressive disarmament that leads to a world safer for all humanity rather than to further armament and investment in the arms industry,

Recognizing that women are internationally underrepresented in discussions, negotiations, and policymaking regarding nuclear weapons,

1. Opposes the commitments to nuclear weapon modernization made by the US and Russian governments as conditions for ratification of New START;
2. Encourages governments to ensure the broader inclusion of women as decision- and policymakers on issues related to nuclear weapons, as a step toward implementing UN Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security;
3. Calls for an immediate freeze to all projects, programmes, and plans for the modernization of nuclear weapons, delivery systems, and related infrastructure by all states who possess nuclear weapons;
4. Urges governments to redirect funds spent on nuclear weapons to meet human and environmental needs;
5. Calls on all governments to pursue policies consistent with achieving nuclear disarmament, including ceasing the development, testing, modernization, and production of nuclear weapons; reducing and eliminating nuclear weapon arsenals bilaterally, unilaterally, or multilaterally; cutting funding for nuclear weapon programmes; and engaging in a multilateral process to develop a nuclear weapon convention to eliminate and ban nuclear weapons;
6. Urges all WILPF members, WILPF sections and other civil society and non- governmental organizations to oppose nuclear weapon modernization and to oppose “deals” by political elites that include nuclear weapon modernization as a condition of implementation of treaties or agreements; and
7. Calls on the WILPF congress to decide to develop a plan on how WILPF sections can together work to ban nuclear weapons by the promotion of a nuclear weapons convention.