United Nations' Third Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)

Posted: 5th February 2025

Dear friends,

We are seeking endorsements widely from groups for the following policy recommendations that will be submitted to the United Nations’ Third Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). These were drafted by members of Affected Communities and Allies Working Group, Manhattan Project for a Nuclear-Free World, Diné No Nukes, Congolese Civil Society of South Africa, et al.

To endorse as a group, please fill out the following google form. https://forms.gle/s91fLDua2CMMkxcK7 by Wednesday, February 12.

Purpose

The above working papers will be submitted to the U.N.’s Third Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) that will be held from March 3 to March 7, 2025, at the UN headquarters in New York.

Articles 6 and 7 of the TPNW seek to achieve humanitarian goals on victim assistance, environmental remediation, and international cooperation of communities impacted by “use or testing of nuclear weapons”. Preamble of the TPNW emphasizes States Parties’ “inalienable right” to nuclear energy. States Parties to the TPNW are seeking to establish a trust fund for victim assistance and environmental remediation.

Key messages of Working Paper 1 on Articles 6 and 7 and Preamble:

Each nuclear-affected community carries painful history, and while the indifference of the global nuclear industrial complex towards communities’ suffering and ruin continues, we proclaim the universal responsibility to prevent nuclear harm by directly questioning the premise and rhetoric of international organizations, which create victims, impede victim assistance, and have a history of ‘atoms for peace’ advocacy.
The methodology that some international organizations use to study health effects of exposure to ionizing radiation appears to be influenced by industry demands to promote nuclear activities.
Abandoned uranium mines, uranium tailings, and wastes from uranium-related activities contaminate Indigenous Peoples’ lands, waters, winds, and foods, causing devastating environmental and health impacts. In some countries, Indigenous Peoples and their ecosystems are under ongoing pressure to be the solution to the world’s energy and waste problems, especially nuclear waste.
We recommend deleting the misleading language in the preamble of the TPNW regarding nuclear energy.

Key messages of Working Paper 2 on Trust Fund:

The goal of the Trust Fund is to restore victims of the use or testing of nuclear weapons and to end the victimization by the use or testing of nuclear weapons.
Considering the UN Charter obligations to decolonize Indigenous Peoples, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples presents the minimum standard for Trust Fund operation.
To end the cycle of harm and violence from nuclear applications that impact humans and the environment, the Trust Fund should promote processes that lead to compensation and restoration of dignity and decision-making power.
We recommend that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) lead the UN System to support victim assistance at all stages.
We call for the equal political participation of affected communities in planning and delivering victim assistance.

To endorse as a group, please fill out the following google form. https://forms.gle/s91fLDua2CMMkxcK7 by Wednesday, February 12.

Best,

Mari Inoue

Manhattan Project for a Nuclear-Free World