Celebrating Feminists’ Voices, Inspiring Global Peace

Women Have Banned the Bomb!

3 August 2017

History was made on 7 July when nuclear weapons were banned under international law. 122 governments adopted a new treaty at the United Nations making the possession of these horrific weapons of mass destruction illegal, along with other related activities such as testing, using, developing, or assisting with nuclear weapons (which includes financing or planning to use the weapons, among other things). The treaty also includes provisions for assisting victims of nuclear weapons use and testing, and environmental remediation. It is the first treaty to recognise the disproportionate impact of nuclear weapons on indigenous people and on women.

WILPF is a vociferous supporter of nuclear abolition, and has been an advocate of the ban since the idea was first conceptualised. Through our role as a steering group member of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), we have mobilised across the globe through advocacy, developing policy briefs and conducting research, monitoring discussions and negotiations, and speaking out on media and social media.

The Women’s March to Ban the Bomb

WILPF was the official host of the Women’s March to Ban the Bomb, a global public mobilisation event that took place on 17 June as treaty negotiations resumed at the United Nations. We worked closely with women representing peace, disarmament, women’s rights, indigenous, environmental, and human rights communities to coordinate this epic event.

While the primary march and rally took place in New York City, there were about 150 diverse solidarity actions all over the world!

WILPF Ghana organised a solidarity event in Accra that included a peace walk and community engagement event.

“The beauty of our event lies in the fact that though we were few in numbers, our voice was heard loud. It is our hopes that through this campaign, world leaders will be embolden to negotiate for the strongest Treaty in scope and commit to implement all obligations under the treaty.”

WILPF group in Afghanistan created a postcard featuring a strong call to action for a nuclear weapons ban.

WILFP Afghanistan Group’ visual for “The time is now to Ban the Bom”

Solidarity walks were organised in three regions of Cameroon that generated showing a diversity of people standing up for the ban.

WILPF Cameroon’s solidarity event.

There were approximately 20 solidarity actions across the United States, some of which – such as in San Jose, Milwaukee and St Louis – were hosted by WILPF. Women from the WILPF US played a central role with overall coordination of the event, including New York, and either hosted or supported many of the nearly 20 solidarity actions that took place across the country.

WILPF Australia collaborated with ICAN partners on a national day of action that saw solidarity events take place in eight cities. This included marches in Brisbane, Sydney, and Adelaide; a rally in Canberra and a vigil in Hobart. More events took place in Darwin and Perth, and the largest was in Melbourne.

Solidarity rallies in Australia

In Scotland, there were a total of five events organised by WILPF Scottish Branch and Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

Bairns not Bombs by WILPF and the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

At the New York event, around 1,000 committed people came out to march despite heavy rain and wind. The march was followed by a rally outside of the UN where an inspiring line-up of women addressed the determined crowd. Among them was Kozue Akibayashi, the President of WILPF International, who along with fellow speaker Aiyoung Choi has crossed the Korean demilitarised zone in the name of peace.

“The sufferings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have continued through generations. It is time for the governments to listen to the voices of women calling for elimination of nuclear weapons,” stated Kozue Akibayashi.

© David Field and Eric Espino

More activities took place in Bolivia, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Spain, Thailand, and across the UK that included meet-ups, marches, seminars, and photo actions.

From action on the streets to advocacy in the conference room

Of course, WILPF’s participation in the negotiations also extended into the UN meeting rooms. Our disarmament programme, Reaching Critical Will, provided daily monitoring and analysis of the talks through its publication, the Nuclear Ban Daily. We delivered two statements to the conference during the sessions that were allocated to civil society; and provided the overall coordination for these sessions, which required liaising with dozens of organisations throughout the meeting. We helped facilitate speaking slots for nuclear weapon survivors, parliamentarians, activists, and academics from around the world.

Reaching Critical Will’s programme director, Ray Acheson, moderated a side event that looked at the effect of nuclear weapons use and testing on women.

© ICAN

This is an important aspect of nuclear violence that is often overlooked, but is now referenced in the preamble of the new treaty, along with reference to the importance of women’s participation in disarmament. The inclusion of these points in the final version of the treaty is significant and was one focal point of our advocacy, as we saw the related language strengthened over the course of the negotiations.

We were also deeply involved in advocacy with governments in the years leading up to the development of this treaty and during the negotiations. We wrote some of the seminal briefing papers on this treaty and provided expert analysis throughout the proceedings, helping wherever possible to shape the treaty’s language and approach to certain issues. We pushed for a strong, comprehensive treaty to make a difference in the world.

The Scottish team of six in New York for the Women’s March and the negotiations included four WILPF members, who also co-hosted a side event presented the Scottish view on the ban and nuclear weapons more broadly.

“We worked hard and had a great experience with other peace women – and men,” said Janet Fenton. “The whole group appreciated the feminist understanding of disarmament articulated at side events and as included in the final treaty text.”

Amy Christison witnessed the way that civil society and diplomats worked hard together and how their knowledge, awareness and subsequently passion for change, grew substantially, proving the value of the civil society input and push for a strong treaty. Dagmar Topf Aguiar de Mederios found it heart-warming to see so many people joining forces for the cause, noting that even terrible weather on the March only added to peoples’ spirits and determination. Isobelle Smith, a 14 year old in Scotland at the time of Hiroshima, and forever affected, said that to be at the United Nations 72 years later for the successful outcome was truly wonderful.

Gabriella Irsten from WILPF Sweden attended the negotiations, and brought her experience and expertise on disarmament issues to advocate with many participating governments, including Sweden, which was one of the few European governments present.

“The road to this victory at the UN headquarters was long and it’s the result of 70 years of activism and goal-oriented organisation. The ban treaty is also bigger than itself. Nuclear weapons symbolises a patriarchal power structure based on threat and violence. With the ban treaty we have managed to challenge the global patriarchal world order that we today see. The treaty is strong and robust and we finally have an effective instrument to help us reach our ultimate goal of the total elimination of nuclear weapons.”

Two members from WILPF Italy were also attending the negotiations in New York representing a vocal civil society movement that in Italy is putting pressure on the Government to participate constructively in the nuclear disarmament process (Italy didn’t participate in the negotiation of the treaty).

“The negotiations that led to the adoption of the Treaty gave me the proof of the rightness of what Emily Balch (the first WILPF International Secretary and Nobel Peace Prize in 1946) said at WILPF’s Founding Congress in The Hague: ‘Determination is power’. And we have exercised this power and will continue to exercise it” said Giovanna Pagani. “Our advocacy in Italy will now be very intense and it will aim at breaking the wall of the media and the political silence on nuclear issues”.

WILPF members in New York City attending the historic negotiations on a treaty to ban nuclear weapons

What next?

The new treaty is a normative one that is strongly rooted in concern about the humanitarian and environmental impact of nuclear weapons. It was adopted by vote with 122 countries voting in favour and only one – the Netherlands – against. It will open for signature on 20 September 2017 in New York during the high-level opening of the UN General Assembly. Fifty countries must ratify it for the treaty to enter into force. Learn more about the treaty by reading this guide.

We must keep up the pressure! The support expressed for the treaty over the last several years continues into this new phase where we will need to work even more closely with states and legislators to join and implement it, including the nuclear-armed states that have so far boycotted this process.

WILPF will continue to be at the forefront of these efforts. Here’s how you can take action:

  • Click here to see how your country voted.
  • If it voted yes, encourage your government to sign the treaty at a high level when it opens for signature in September. Engage with parliamentarians to support the ratification phase that follows signature.
  • If your country did not participate in the talks, or voted against its adoption, keep up the dialogue by pointing to the important impact that this agreement will make.
  • Keep up the writing, tweeting, and other social media pressure! Follow @RCW_ and #nuclearban.

“This treaty is an amazing feat of collective action by people who came together to do something that had not been tried before,” wrote Ray Acheson, RCW Director in her final editorial for the Nuclear Ban Daily. “Like anything created by people, it has its imperfections. But it’s a good start on the road to abolition, and it gives a glimpse of what is possible in this world. That, all on its own, has meaning.”

 

Share the post

Matt Mahmoudi

Matt Mahmoudi (he/him) is a lecturer, researcher, and organizer. He’s been leading the “Ban the Scan” campaign, Amnesty International’s research and advocacy efforts on banning facial recognition technologies and exposing their uses against racialized communities, from New York City to the occupied Palestinian territories.

Berit Aasen

Europe Alternate Regional Representative

Berit Aasen is a sociologist by training and has worked at the OsloMet Metropolitan University on Oslo. She has 40 years of experience in research and consultancy in development studies, including women, peace, and security, and in later years in asylum and refugee studies. Berit Aasen joined WILPF Norway five years ago. She is an alternate member of the National Board of WILPF Norway, and representing WILPF Norway in the UN Association of Norway, the Norwegian 1325 network and the Norwegian Women’s Lobby. Berit Aasen has been active in the WILPF European Liaison group and is committed to strengthening WILPF sections and membership both in Europe and relations across continents.

Your donation isn’t just a financial transaction; it’s a step toward a more compassionate and equitable world. With your support, we’re poised to achieve lasting change that echoes through generations. Thank you!

Thank you!

Melissa Torres

VICE-PRESIDENT

Prior to being elected Vice-President, Melissa Torres was the WILPF US International Board Member from 2015 to 2018. Melissa joined WILPF in 2011 when she was selected as a Delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women as part of the WILPF US’ Practicum in Advocacy Programme at the United Nations, which she later led. She holds a PhD in Social Work and is a professor and Global Health Scholar at Baylor College of Medicine and research lead at BCM Anti-Human Trafficking Program. Of Mexican descent and a native of the US/Mexico border, Melissa is mostly concerned with the protection of displaced Latinxs in the Americas. Her work includes training, research, and service provision with the American Red Cross, the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Centre, and refugee resettlement programs in the U.S. Some of her goals as Vice-President are to highlight intersectionality and increase diversity by fostering inclusive spaces for mentorship and leadership. She also contributes to WILPF’s emerging work on the topic of displacement and migration.

Jamila Afghani

VICE-PRESIDENT

Jamila Afghani is the President of WILPF Afghanistan which she started in 2015. She is also an active member and founder of several organisations including the Noor Educational and Capacity Development Organisation (NECDO). Elected in 2018 as South Asia Regional Representative to WILPF’s International Board, WILPF benefits from Jamila’s work experience in education, migration, gender, including gender-based violence and democratic governance in post-conflict and transitional countries.

A woman in a blue, black, and white dress smiles radiantly in front of a leafy green background.

Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo

PRESIDENT

Sylvie Jacqueline NDONGMO is a human rights and peace leader with over 27 years experience including ten within WILPF. She has a multi-disciplinary background with a track record of multiple socio-economic development projects implemented to improve policies, practices and peace-oriented actions. Sylvie is the founder of WILPF Cameroon and was the Section’s president until 2022. She co-coordinated the African Working Group before her election as Africa Representative to WILPF’s International Board in 2018. A teacher by profession and an African Union Trainer in peace support operations, Sylvie has extensive experience advocating for the political and social rights of women in Africa and worldwide.

WILPF Afghanistan

In response to the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban and its targeted attacks on civil society members, WILPF Afghanistan issued several statements calling on the international community to stand in solidarity with Afghan people and ensure that their rights be upheld, including access to aid. The Section also published 100 Untold Stories of War and Peace, a compilation of true stories that highlight the effects of war and militarisation on the region. 

IPB Congress Barcelona

WILPF Germany (+Young WILPF network), WILPF Spain and MENA Regional Representative

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Mauris facilisis luctus rhoncus. Praesent eget tellus sit amet enim consectetur condimentum et vel ante. Nulla facilisi. Suspendisse et nunc sem. Vivamus ullamcorper vestibulum neque, a interdum nisl accumsan ac. Cras ut condimentum turpis. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia curae; Curabitur efficitur gravida ipsum, quis ultricies erat iaculis pellentesque. Nulla congue iaculis feugiat. Suspendisse euismod congue ultricies. Sed blandit neque in libero ultricies aliquam. Donec euismod eget diam vitae vehicula. Fusce hendrerit purus leo. Aenean malesuada, ante eu aliquet mollis, diam erat suscipit eros, in.

Demilitarisation

WILPF uses feminist analysis to argue that militarisation is a counter-productive and ill-conceived response to establishing security in the world. The more society becomes militarised, the more violence and injustice are likely to grow locally and worldwide.

Sixteen states are believed to have supplied weapons to Afghanistan from 2001 to 2020 with the US supplying 74 % of weapons, followed by Russia. Much of this equipment was left behind by the US military and is being used to inflate Taliban’s arsenal. WILPF is calling for better oversight on arms movement, for compensating affected Afghan people and for an end to all militarised systems.

Militarised masculinity

Mobilising men and boys around feminist peace has been one way of deconstructing and redefining masculinities. WILPF shares a feminist analysis on the links between militarism, masculinities, peace and security. We explore opportunities for strengthening activists’ action to build equal partnerships among women and men for gender equality.

WILPF has been working on challenging the prevailing notion of masculinity based on men’s physical and social superiority to, and dominance of, women in Afghanistan. It recognizes that these notions are not representative of all Afghan men, contrary to the publicly prevailing notion.

Feminist peace​

In WILPF’s view, any process towards establishing peace that has not been partly designed by women remains deficient. Beyond bringing perspectives that encapsulate the views of half of the society and unlike the men only designed processes, women’s true and meaningful participation allows the situation to improve.

In Afghanistan, WILPF has been demanding that women occupy the front seats at the negotiating tables. The experience of the past 20 has shown that women’s presence produces more sustainable solutions when they are empowered and enabled to play a role.