This August marks 77 years since the United States detonated two nuclear weapons over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing a combined total of 214,000 people and exposing countless more to the devastating side effects of radiation exposure.
As the world marks this sombre anniversary, government representatives from 191 countries around the world will convene for the Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
The conference will take place from 1–26 August at the United Nations’ Headquarters in New York City, where members of WILPF’s Reaching Critical Will (RCW) disarmament programme will be in attendance to monitor and analyse outcomes from the event.
What is the NPT?
An international treaty with a goal to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons and achieve nuclear disarmament, the NPT entered into force in 1970 and has 191 states parties – including five nuclear-armed states. The NPT is reviewed every five years.
Unfortunately, the nuclear-armed states have refused to comply with their legal obligation to disarm, undermining the credibility of the NPT and creating tensions among its members.
In the lead-up to this year’s review conference, RCW has been coordinating the development of joint civil society statements to NPT states parties, sharing information about civil society participation in the event, and creating a wide range of other advocacy and education tools. Access RCW’s resources on the 2022 NPT Review Conference.
There is no feminist peace without denuclearisation
WILPF has long been a leading advocate of denuclearisation and disarmament – the cornerstones of lasting feminist peace.
In 2017, decades of campaigning by RCW, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), Hibakusha, and many other groups and activists led to the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), the first agreement to completely outlaw nuclear weapons. The Treaty entered into force in January 2021 and held its First Meeting of States Parties in June 2022. Since its adoption, 86 states have signed the TPNW and 66 have ratified it, with more on the way.
Today, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to escalate and Russian leaders have threatened the use of nuclear weapons, it is imperative to continue demanding that all countries in the world commit to total and universal disarmament. As the Declaration adopted by TPNW states parties in June says, “The risks posed to all humanity by the existence of nuclear weapons are … so grave that immediate action is needed to achieve a world without nuclear weapons. This is the only way to guarantee that they are never used again, under any circumstances. We cannot afford to wait.”
WILPFers demand action
In the lead-up to the NPT Review Conference in August, we asked WILPFers from Sections around the world to share their thoughts on the outcomes they would like to see emerge from the month-long event. Check out their responses below.
WILPF Sweden
“The states parties need to commit to stop modernising their arsenals at once, and start the process of actually disarming. The only way to keep the world safe from nuclear weapons is to get rid of them. I also want to see more states, including Sweden, commit to action through showing support of the TPNW and the humanitarian and environmental obligations the Treaty provides, such as giving support to survivors and cleaning up after nuclear tests.”
– Elin Liss, WILPF Sweden
WILPF US
“There will be five WILPF US members attending the first week of the NPT review. We will use Reaching Critical Will’s NPT briefing book to inform our delegates about the most important messages on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament to pass on to official delegates. We will also help write a joint statement for the August 5th session dedicated to NGO statements, focusing on Article 6 of the Treaty and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.”
– Cherrill Spencer, Co-Chair, WILPF US Disarm/End Wars Committee
Korea
“I want the Parties to the Treaty to commit to join the TPNW to achieve what they have agreed as Article VI of the Treaty. In line with Article VI, I want each of the nuclear-armed states in the Treaty to commit to establish their own effective measures for nuclear disarmament, including investment of their resources for it sincerely as much as they have/had invested for their nuclear weapon systems.”
– YouKyoung Ko, Consultant, Korea Peace Now! Campaign
WILPF Canada
“I want states, including my country Canada, to bring money and political will to the NPT Review Conference. More resources are needed to fulfill the requirements of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Disarmament requires dedicated human and financial resources to make progress.”
– Tamara Lorincz, WILPF Canada
