UNFOLD ZERO Newsletter

Posted: 6th August 2026

In this issue
* Nuclear weapons and international law: 30th anniversary of the ICJ case
* SIPRI Yearbook 2026: Increased nuclear risks and weapons deployments
* Hiroshima and Nagasaki Days, August 6 and 9
* 2026 Appeal for a nuclear-weapon-free worl

We are in a period of increased nuclear risks, and important nuclear-weapons-related anniversaries. If ever there was a time to elevate our actions to prevent nuclear war and advance nuclear abolition, it is now.

Last month (July 8) was the 30th anniversary of the historic International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on the (Il)legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons. This week are the 81st anniversaries of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. August 29 is the International Day Against Nuclear Tests.

Nuclear weapons and international law: 30th anniversary of the ICJ nuclear weapons case

Prof. Dr. Machiko Kanetake, Academic Director of the Asser Institute, speaking in the opening session of the conference. Other speakers (from left to right): Philippe Couvreur, ICJ Judge ad hoc and former ICJ Registrar; Phon van den Biesen, Co-President of International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA); and Dr. Deepshikha Kumari Vijh, Executive Director of Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy and Director of the UN office for IALANA.

 

On July 8, 1996, the ICJ delivered an historic Advisory Opinion (AO) on the Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons, in which it affirmed that the threat or use of nuclear weapons is generally contrary to international law, and that there is a universal and unconditional obligation to pursue, and bring to a conclusion, negotiations on nuclear disarmament in all its aspects.

The AO has helped consolidate a norm of non-use of nuclear weapons, possibly preventing such use. It has also contributed to the development of law protecting future generations, and has provided inspiration for subsequent advisory opinions on critical global issues, including the recent ICJ Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of States with Respect to Climate Change.

On July 8-9, 2026, UNFOLD ZERO and 26 other organizations held a commemoration conference in The Hague entitled The Relevance of International Court of Justice Advisory Opinions: Nuclear Weapons, Climate Change and other Global Issues. The event brought together a mix of diplomats, lawyers, legal scholars, legislators (parliamentarians and mayors), students, young professionals, and members of civil society organizations engaged in peace, disarmament, environment and human rights issues.

For further information, see:

1. From Hiroshima to the Hague: 30th Anniversary of historic nuclear weapons case commemorated in the Hague, by Abolition 2000, July 8, 2026.
2. World Court Project: Achieving the 1996 Ruling on Nuclear Weapons, by Colin Archer, Yorkshire CND, July 9, 2026.
3. Judge Weeramantry and the ICJ cases on nuclear weapons and climate change, 4-minute video message to the July 8-9 Hague Conference by Solomon Yeo, Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change.
4. How a civil society movement took the nuclear armed States to the World Court – and won, 10 minute video and slide show presentation.
5. A tribute to leaders of the World Court Project on Nuclear Weapons and International Law, 6 minute video message from Dr Kate Dewes and Commander Robert Green (Royal Navy, retired) to the 2026 Hague event

SIPRI Yearbook 2026: Increased nuclear risks and weapons deployments

On June 8, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released the 2026 SIPRI Yearbook on Armaments, Disarmament and International Security (Click here for the Executive Summary).

Key findings of SIPRI Yearbook 2026 are that “states are increasingly relying on nuclear weapons as instruments of national power—reversing decades of efforts to reduce the numbers and role of nuclear weapons—even as the risks of miscalculation and escalation are rising.“

“‘The dangers associated with nuclear weapons are growing due to advances in weapon technology, the breakdown of nuclear arms control and heightened geopolitical tensions, among a range of other factors,” said SIPRI Director Karim Haggag. “The evidence is growing that the nuclear weapon states are sidelining, and even walking away from, their disarmament commitments and are instead flexing their nuclear muscles,” said Hans M. Kristensen, Associate Senior Fellow with SIPRI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme.

For more information, see Increasing focus on nuclear weapons amid heightened escalation risks: new SIPRI Yearbook out now.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki Days, August 6 and 9

August 6 is the anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. August 9 is the anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki. Every year there are commemorative actions and events on these dates. In 2026, these include:

• 2026 World Conference against A and H Bombs, Hiroshima and Nagasaki;
• US commemorative events (collated by Back from the Brink)
• UK commemorative events (collated by Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament)
• Appeal for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World (organized by NuclearAbolitionDay.org)
• #Cranes for our Future: Fold an origami crane for peace.
   

2026 Appeal for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World

September 26 is the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons (Nuclear Abolition Day). Last year, an open coalition of civil society organizations from around the world launched NuclearAbolitionDay.org to build civil society cooperation and enhance the political traction of Nuclear Abolition Day.

One of the activities was the Joint Appeal, which was presented to the UN High Level Meeting on 26 September 2025, and to the UN First Committee on 17 October 2025. On May 1, 2026 it was presented to the NPT Review Conference. Further endorsements are being gathered for presentations to the UN in September and October 2026.

We encourage you to endorse the appeal if you have not already done so, and circulate this notice to colleagues inviting them to endorse.
 Endorse the Nuclear Abolition Day Appeal

Some endorsers of the Appeal

Yours sincerely
UNFOLD ZERO