NoFirstUse Global campaign consultation and strategy meeting

Event Date: 26th July 2022
Location: Internet

Recent nuclear threats, no-first-use and the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference.

Also in this update:
Abolition 2000 Annual Meeting, July 23
NoFirstUse Global campaign meeting, July 26

A threat of nuclear war over the Ukraine conflict was evoked again by Russia earlier this month when Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian President and current Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, condemned the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation of Russian war crimes in Ukraine and warned that “The idea of punishing a country that has one of the largest nuclear potentials is absurd. And potentially poses a threat to the existence of humanity.“

Justice should never be squashed by such nuclear threats. The ICC should continue its important work. But nor should such nuclear threats be escalated by counter threats. Nuclear constraint, including no-first-use declarations and policies, is vital.

No-first-use and the NPT Review Conference

NoFirstUse Global is calling on nuclear armed States – in particular the five nuclear weapon States parties to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty – to adopt no-first-use policies, and to use the opportunity of the upcoming NPT Review Conference at the United Nations (August 1-26) to discuss, advance and/or announce these.

We encourage you to read No-first use of nuclear weapons: An exploration of unilateral. bilateral and plurilateral approaches and their security, risk reduction and disarmament implications, a working paper we have submitted to the NPT Review Conference, and to endorse the Open Letter Fulfil the NPT: From nuclear threats to human security if you have not already done so.

The working paper has been sent to government delegations to the Review conference. We will be presenting the Open Letter to the States Parties of the NPT on August 5th as part of the NPT plenary session which is devoted to statements from civil society.

Abolition 2000 Annual Meeting, July 23

Abolition 2000, the global civil society network for the elimination of nuclear weapons, holds its annual meeting on Saturday July 23. Everyone is invited. The meeting will include campaign updates, strategy discussion and movement building.

The strategy discussion will focus on the impact of the Ukraine war on nuclear risk reduction and disarmament, and the implications for civil society campaigns.

NoFirstUse Global was co-founded by the Abolition 2000 working group on nuclear risk reduction. Working group coordinators will be reporting on NoFirstUse Global activities at the annual meeting.
Register for the Abolition 2000 Annual Meeting