Unfold Zero Newsletter
Posted: 16th December 2022
UNFOLD ZERO Newsletter
The G20 Summit & and the United Nations:
Nuclear Threats vs. a Growing Norm Against Nukes
The past 10 months has seen an increase in declared and actual nuclear threats arising from the Russia/Ukraine war, nuclear missile testing by North Korea, tensions between China and Taiwan/USA and the ongoing conflict between India and Pakistan.
It was reassuring, therefore, to see the leaders of the G20, which includes six nuclear armed states (China, France, India, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States) affirming in the G20 Bali Leaders Declaration that “The threat of use or use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible.”
The Declaration indicates a breakthrough in nuclear risk-reduction and disarmament. It consolidates a general practice against nuclear-weapons-use and elevates this to a norm which is now accepted, at least on paper, by the nuclear weapon states.
In an article The G20 & Beyond: Nuclear Threats vs. a Growing Norm Against Nukes, published yesterday by InDepth News, UNFOLD ZERO Co-founder Alyn Ware examines the significance of the Bali Declaration and how the international community can use it to advance nuclear risk-reduction and disarmament, especially through the United Nations.
G20 Bali Leaders Declaration – nuclear weapons inadmissible
“It is essential to uphold international law and the multilateral system that safeguards peace and stability. This includes defending all the Purposes and Principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and adhering to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians and infrastructure in armed conflicts. The use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible. The peaceful resolution of conflicts, efforts to address crises, as well as diplomacy and dialogue, are vital. Today’s era must not be of war.”
G20 Bali Leaders Declaration, paragraph 4
Nuclear policy v the Bali Declaration
Despite agreeing that ‘the threat or use of nuclear weapons is admissible’, the nuclear weapon states continue with practices, policies and nuclear threats that run counter to the Bali Declaration.
A briefing paper Nuclear weapons non-use BREAKTHROUGH! From taboo since 1945 to normative law as of 2022, released by NoFirstUse Global earlier this week, compares the declaration with current nuclear doctrines and suggests specific policy actions that should be taken in light of the Bali Declaration, including to:
- Align policy and practice with the norm of non-use of nuclear weapons, such as the adoption of no-first-use policies;
- Codify this norm into a binding international treaty or through a UN Security Council resolution;
- Gain universal agreement and implementation, including through the provision of security assurances to facilitate such adherence.
Implementing the Bali Declaration through the United Nations
Basel Peace Office released a ‘Food-for-Thought’ paper earlier this week exploring ways in which Switzerland (where Basel Peace Office is based) and other non-nuclear countries can advance nuclear risk-reduction and disarmament over the next 2-3 years, building on the G20 Bali Declaration and other developments which have strengthened the norm against nuclear weapons use such as UN Human Rights Committee General Comment 36 and the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
The paper focuses primarily on opportunities for advancing nuclear risk reduction and disarmament at the UN Security Council, UN Human Rights Council, upcoming Preparatory Committee Meeting for the 11th NPT Review Conference, next Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, UN Sustainable Development Goals Summit (Sep 2023) and UN Summit of the Future (Sep 2024).
Get involved through the Global Futures Forum: March 20-21, 2023
The UN Summit of the Future and its Ministerial Meeting (Sep 2023) provide specific opportunities to advance nuclear risk reduction and abolition.
UNFOLD ZERO is partnering with PNND, World Future Council and the Coalition for the UN We Need to build engagement of legislators and civil society in the UN Summit of the Future and its preparatory process. This included an inter-generational event on October 26, Nuclear disarmament, climate change and the UN Summit of the Future, at which we presented the Protect People and the Planet: Appeal for a Nuclear Weapon-Free World to the United Nations.
And it includes a Global Futures Forum to be held as a hybrid event (in New York and online) on March 20-21, 2023 plus thematic and regional consultations leading up to the forum. For more information see Global Futures Forum.Yours sincerely
UNFOLD ZERO