Fulfil the NPT: From nuclear threats to human security. Open Letter sent to States Parties to the NPT
Posted: 26th January 2022
Fulfil the NPT: From nuclear threats to human security.
Open Letter sent to States Parties to the NPT
An Open Letter, urging nuclear weapons states to adopt no-first-use and other policies to ensure a nuclear war is never fought, was delivered on Monday (January 24) to the five nuclear weapons States parties to the NPT (the ‘nuclear five’: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States) as well as the other parties to the NPT. Copies were also sent to the four nuclear armed states that are not NPT members (India, Israel, North Korea and Pakistan).
The Open Letter, entitled Fulfil the NPT: From nuclear threats to human security, was organized by NoFirstUse Global. It has been endorsed by over 1100 signatories from 71 countries, including parliamentarians and Nobel laureates, former government ministers and ambassadors, former military commanders and high level officials of the United Nations, as well as leading scientists, religious leaders, business leaders, medical professionals and other representatives of civil society.
Nuclear weapons cannot solve the human security issues of today
“Nuclear weapons threaten current and future generations. They cannot resolve the conflicts between countries, and they are counter-productive to the human security issues of today and tomorrow – the COVID pandemic, climate crisis, food security, cybersecurity, and achievement of the sustainable development goals. It’s time to fulfil the NPT and the goal established by the UN in 1946 to eliminate nuclear weapons globally.”
Maria Fernanda Espinosa (Ecuador). President of the 73rd UN General Assembly. Member of the World Future Council and former Foreign Minister of Ecuador. Endorser of the Open Letter.
“Nuclear weapons threaten current and future generations. They cannot resolve the conflicts between countries, and they are counter-productive to the human security issues of today and tomorrow – the COVID pandemic, climate crisis, food security, cybersecurity, and achievement of the sustainable development goals. It’s time to fulfil the NPT and the goal established by the UN in 1946 to eliminate nuclear weapons globally.”
Maria Fernanda Espinosa (Ecuador). President of the 73rd UN General Assembly. Member of the World Future Council and former Foreign Minister of Ecuador. Endorser of the Open Letter.
What should the nuclear weapon States do?
The Open Letter, which is also available in French with the list of endorsers, calls on nuclear weapon states to:- end the nuclear arms race by stopping nuclear weapons production;
- phase out the role of nuclear weapons in security policies starting with adopting no-first-use policies;
- commit to eliminating their nuclear weapons no later than 2045 – the 75th anniversary of the NPT;
- shift budgets and public investments from the nuclear weapons industry to supporting public health, climate stabilization, and sustainable development.
Start negotiating nuclear abolition now!
“The Non-Proliferation Treaty has been respected by the non-nuclear-countries, but the nuclear-countries have not respected their obligations. As a citizen of a non-nuclear-country I am particularly offended by their refusal to start the negotiations for achieving the global elimination of nuclear weapons.”
Professor Giorgio Parisi (Italy). 2021 Nobel Laureate in Physics. Endorser of the Open Letter.
“The Non-Proliferation Treaty has been respected by the non-nuclear-countries, but the nuclear-countries have not respected their obligations. As a citizen of a non-nuclear-country I am particularly offended by their refusal to start the negotiations for achieving the global elimination of nuclear weapons.”
Professor Giorgio Parisi (Italy). 2021 Nobel Laureate in Physics. Endorser of the Open Letter.
Nuclear dangers increase
The Open Letter was prompted by growing tensions between nuclear weapons states, nuclear weapons maintined in a state of high readiness, and a renewed nuclear arms race in which all of the Nuclear Five countries are modernizing their nuclear arsenals. These conditions have elevated the risk of nuclear war breaking out, whether by malice (intentional escalation), miscalculation, misinformation, malfeasance (unauthorised use), or malfunction (accidental use).Last week the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists announced that its Doomsday Clock would remain set at 100 seconds to midnight for the third year in a row — closer to midnight than ever in its history – attesting to a continued high level of risk from today’s nuclear arsenals and nuclear policies.
Reagan Gorbachev dictum: From rhetoric to policy action
“It’s high time the five Permanent Members of the UN Security Council sat down and had a serious discussion of how to reduce the risks of nuclear war, including such concepts as No First Use and Sole Purpose. After all it is only days since they collectively re-affirmed the Reagan / Gorbachev view that a nuclear war cannot be won and must not be fought.”
Lord David Hannay (United Kingdom). Co-chair of the UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Global Security. Former UK Ambassador to the United Nations. Endorser of the Open letter.
“It’s high time the five Permanent Members of the UN Security Council sat down and had a serious discussion of how to reduce the risks of nuclear war, including such concepts as No First Use and Sole Purpose. After all it is only days since they collectively re-affirmed the Reagan / Gorbachev view that a nuclear war cannot be won and must not be fought.”
Lord David Hannay (United Kingdom). Co-chair of the UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Global Security. Former UK Ambassador to the United Nations. Endorser of the Open letter.
Stop playing with fire!
The Open Letter notes that first-use options are literally playing with fire in very combustible situations, and have nearly led to a nuclear war being initiated by mistake or miscalculation. On the other hand, unilateral no-first-use declarations, bilateral no-first-use agreements and/or a multilateral no-first-use agreement can reduce these risks.These can be followed by nuclear force restructuring and operational controls to implement no-first-use policies, and to build credibility and confidence in the policies to further reduce nuclear risks.These ideas are expanded further in a NoFirstUse Global working paper to the NPT entitled No-First Use of Nuclear Weapons: An Exploration of Unilateral, Bilateral and Plurilateral Approaches and their Security, Risk-reduction and Disarmament Implications which was sent to the States Parties of the NPT along with the Open Letter.
Consequences of first use of nuclear weapons?
“Submerged on patrol, commanding officers of strategic submarines have no way of knowing why they have been ordered to fire, what the target is, or the consequences on civil population of doing so. As such, I was not prepared to launch a first strike with Polaris missiles from my submarine in the 1970’s and remain strongly opposed to First Use of any nuclear weapons.”
Commander Robert Forsyth (United Kingdom). Royal Navy, retired. Endorser of the Open Letter.
“Submerged on patrol, commanding officers of strategic submarines have no way of knowing why they have been ordered to fire, what the target is, or the consequences on civil population of doing so. As such, I was not prepared to launch a first strike with Polaris missiles from my submarine in the 1970’s and remain strongly opposed to First Use of any nuclear weapons.”
Commander Robert Forsyth (United Kingdom). Royal Navy, retired. Endorser of the Open Letter.
No-First-Use opens the door to abolition.
The Open Letter argues that the adoption of no-first-use or sole purpose policies could open the door to the nuclear armed states and their allies joining negotiations for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons.If nuclear weapons continue to be required to deter against a range of threats – not only nuclear weapons – then countries relying on nuclear deterrence will not agree to eliminate the weapons while these other threats still exist. However, if the only purpose of a country’s nuclear weapons is to deter against the nuclear weapons of others, then the country can agree to join a verified nuclear disarmament process as long as all other nuclear armed countries participate.
No-First-use a Game Changer!
“If a pledge of no first use of nuclear weapons were accepted by all nuclear weapons states, it could produce a revolutionary turn initially leading to the erosion of nuclear weapons and finally to the complete elimination of such weapons of mass destruction from our planet, for the benefits of all its inhabitants and international security at large.”
Vladimir P. Kozin (Russia). Member of the Russian Academies of Military Sciences and Natural Sciences. Endorser of the Open Letter.
“If a pledge of no first use of nuclear weapons were accepted by all nuclear weapons states, it could produce a revolutionary turn initially leading to the erosion of nuclear weapons and finally to the complete elimination of such weapons of mass destruction from our planet, for the benefits of all its inhabitants and international security at large.”
Vladimir P. Kozin (Russia). Member of the Russian Academies of Military Sciences and Natural Sciences. Endorser of the Open Letter.
Open for endorsement until August
The Open Letter will remain open for endorsement until August to keep the pressure on the nuclear weapon states and in preparation for a presentation to the NPT States Parties at the 10th NPT Review Conference.
NoFirstUse Global is a network of organizations, academics, policy makers and civil society advocates working cooperatively for the adoption of no-first-use policies by nuclear-armed States, the support for such policies from nuclear allied countries, and the implementation of such policies to help achieve broader nuclear risk-reduction, non-proliferation and disarmament measures.