UNFOD ZERO Newsletter
Posted: 14th April 2026
UNFOLD ZERO Newsletter
And upcoming events:
April 16 and 24: European Regional Futures Forum
April 16: The ICJ Advisory Opinion on the Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons 30 years on: What Legacy and What Now?
From April 27 until May 22, States Parties to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) – which includes most countries in the world – will be meeting at the United Nations in New York for the 2026 NPT Review Conference. The Review Conference comes at a time of increased nuclear threats arising from armed conflicts involving nuclear armed States, in particular the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the US/Israel invasion of Iran. This will make the deliberations and negotiations in New York very difficult, but also extremely important.
UNFOLD ZERO will be actively involved in the NPT Review Conference including in promoting the calls from the Nuclear Abolition Day Appeal which will be presented to the Conference (see below), and in cosponsoring a number of side events including:
- April 27: Reducing the risks of nuclear war: a multi-faceted approach
- May 5: Can Common Security replace Nuclear Deterrence?
- May 8: Building traction for nuclear abolition through the UN Day for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
European Regional Futures Forum
Online, April 16 and 24
The European Futures Forum - an initiative of the Coalition for the UN We Need (C4UN) – will bring together European civil society organizations, youth representatives, policy experts, and partners to reflect on the future of the multilateral system in the context of the UN80 reform process and the Pact for the Future.This online forum will combine an Expert Briefing (on 16 April, 14:00-15:45 CEST) with an interactive Civil Society Consultation (on 24 April, 11:00-12:45 CEST) to identify regional priorities, accountability gaps, and actionable recommendations across key areas, including sustainable development, peace and security, digital governance, and youth engagement.
Together with other Regional Futures Forums, the outcomes will feed into the Global Futures Forum in July 2026 in New York and shape preparations for the 2027 SDG Summit and the 2028 Review of the Pact for the Future.
- Register for Session 1 - April 16
- Register for Session 2 - April 24
Nuclear Abolition Day Appeal to be presented to the NPT
Appeal has already been endorsed by more than 800 organizations and an additional 1200 civil society leaders from 99 countries
The Nuclear Abolition Day Appeal, which was presented to the UN High Level Meeting on the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on September 26, 2025, has been extended into 2026 for further presentation, including to the 2026 NPT Review Conference. We encourage you to endorse the appeal if you have not already done so. Already more than 800 organizations and an additional 1200 civil society representatives from 99 countries have endorsed (see endorsers list).
The appeal calls for States to:
- Affirm that the threat or use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible;
- Undertake concrete measures to reduce nuclear risks, including standing down nuclear forces and adopting policies never to initiate a nuclear war;
- Pledge to achieve the global elimination of nuclear weapons no later than 2045 (the UN’s centennial anniversary), and immediately commence multilateral negotiations to implement this pledge;
- Cut nuclear weapons budgets, and end public and private investments in the nuclear weapons industry;
- Redirect these funds to strengthen the United Nations, advance peacekeeping and conflict resolution, accelerate steps to protect the climate, and meet human and economic needs as required under Article 26 of the UN Charter.
Some endorsers of the Appeal
April 16: The ICJ Advisory Opinion on the Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons 30 years on: What Legacy and What Now?
07:00 (Mexico City) / 08:00 (New York) / 14:00 (Geneva) / 15:00 (Nairobi) / 17:00 (Astana)Register HERE
This opening webinar in a series by Lex Mundi Nova will explore the story of the campaign that led to the 1996 ICJ Advisory Opinion on the Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons, as well as key questions including: What were the Court’s key findings, based on the law and facts at its disposal and what did the Court leave unsaid? What has changed in international law and practice since? And in public perceptions? What were the structural biases in the law constraining nuclear weapons then, and what are they today?
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Phon van den Biesen
Co-President, International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA), retired public interest lawyer, Amsterdam -
Seth Shelden
General Counsel and United Nations Liaison, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), New York -
Ilya Ilanov
Doctoral Researcher, University of Geneva -
Christine Chinkin
Professor of International Law and founding Director of the Centre for Women, Peace and Security, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) -
Louise Arimatsu
Distinguished Policy Fellow, Centre for Women, Peace and Security, LSE
A sustainable solution to the Iran conflict?
At the time of publication of this UNFOLD ZERO update, talks between Iran and the United States to end the war have collapsed, and the US has announced a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. Prior to the talks, President Trump threatened that “a whole civilization will die” if Iran and US do not reach a peace deal, a threat which US Senator Ed Markey has highlighted as a gross violation of international law. Nuclear weapons policies and practices are a major part of the US/Israel conflict with Iran. Indeed, a primary reason provided by the US and Israel for attacking Iran was to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons. However, this is insufficient justification for military attacks, rendering the attacks against Iran illegal under international law (see Over 100 International Law Experts Warn: U.S. Strikes on Iran Violate UN Charter and May Be War Crimes, Just Security, April 2, 2026).
The attacks are also ill conceived. Even if a ceasefire is reached, it will be unlikely to remove the risk of Iran building nuclear weapons in the future, unless there is also progress to reduce threats to Iran that are stimulating them to consider a nuclear weapons program. These include the nuclear weapons of Israel, potential nuclear weapons program of Saudi Arabia and the possibility of further military attacks in the future from the US.
Decades ago, Iran proposed a regional Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone. This proposal has more recently been extended to include other weapons of mass destruction, and picked up by the UN General Assembly. In 2018 the UNGA established a UN Conference on Establishing a Middle East Zone free from Nuclear Weapons and other Weapons of Mass Destruction. The conference holds annual sessions, normally in late November or early December.
UNFOLD ZERO has been actively supporting the establishment of such a zone, along with other civil society organizations and networks including the Middle East Treaty Organization. Support by the United States and Israel for such a Middle East Nuclear-Weapon Free Zone would be a much better approach than continuing with nuclear and conventional threats against Iran. However, so far, neither the US nor Israel have joined the UN deliberations on the initiative.Yours sincerely
UNFOLD ZERO