For Immediate Release
Blair Fitzgibbon, 202-503-6141, blair@blairfitzgibbon.com
Nuclear Weapons Ban Monitor Launches as Global Watchdog on UN Treaty
WASHINGTON - Monday, at the United Nations in New York, Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) launch the Nuclear Weapons Ban Monitor 2018, the first report of a newly established watchdog for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). The report shows unprecedented support for the Treaty, which is well on its way to entering into legal force. The report tracks the progress of the historic nuclear ban treaty, adopted at the UN in 2017, and monitors progress on compliance with the TPNW.
Read the Nuclear Weapons Ban Monitor here: http://www.icanw.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Nuclear-Weapons-Ban-Monitor-WEB.pdf
The report highlights the “hidden nuclear-weapon states, mainly in Europe, that are enabling a new arms race and calls on European leadership in changing course through supporting the TPNW.
Grethe Østern, Editor of the Nuclear Weapons Ban Monitor said:
"Nuclear-armed states and some of their allies are trying to prevent the ban treaty from becoming international law. But the ban treaty is well on its way to entering into force. It has broad support in all regions of the world apart from Europe. We believe the ban treaty will enter into force by the end of 2019."
Beatrice Fihn, Executive Director of ICAN, the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize laureate noted:
"The remarkable success of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons over the past year shows the vast majority of nations support an end to these weapons of mass destruction. We cannot rely on the whims of a few erratic and insecure leaders but must look to international consensus and international law to achieve the goals of non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament."
The launch event will take place at the United Nations on Monday, October 29, 2018 from 1:15 – 2:30pm EDT in Conference Room A. The event is hosted by The Permanent Missions of Austria, Ireland & New Zealand with Norwegian People’s Aid & the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.
Speakers include:
Grethe Østern (Norwegian People’s Aid), Editor, Nuclear Weapons Ban Monitor
Stuart Casey-Maslen, Policy and Research Coordinator, ICAN
Ambassador Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger, Austrian Permanent Representative, Geneva
Frank Groome, Deputy Director, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Section, DFAT Dublin
Katy Donnelly, New Zealand Deputy Permanent Representative, Geneva
Highlights of the report:
- The world supports the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. 127 states, or more than three-fifths of the world’s nations support the TPNW. 70 states have signed or adhered to the Treaty and a further 57 voted for adoption of the Treaty at the UN in July 2017
- The TPNW is being ratified at a record pace. States are ratifying the TPNW faster than any other treaty regulating weapons of mass destruction (WMD). While it took 450 days for the NPT to get 20 states parties, the TPNW had reached 19 at 371 days after it opened for signature despite strong pressure against the TPNW from nuclear-armed-states.
- Support for the TPNW is global. In most regions, the number of states supporting the TPNW far outweighs detractors. An incredible 91% of states in the Americas support the TPNW. Europe is the one region that bucks the trend of strong Treaty support.
- 157 states are already in compliance with the TPNW. There are only 40 states, mostly in Europe that are holding the world back from ending the catastrophic threat of nuclear weapons.
- There are 31 “hidden nuclear-weapon states” that are complicit in the new arms race. These states support the use of nuclear weapons on their behalf, 5 host nuclear weapons on their soil, and some are home to companies developing nuclear weapons or nuclear weapons parts.
- The nuclear crisis could be solved if Europe showed leadership. 30 European states have policies that contravene the TPNW. By supporting the TPNW they could shift the security order away from nuclear weapons and apply incredible pressure on the nuclear-armed states to disarm.
Available for Comment:
- Grethe Østern, Editor, Nuclear Weapons Ban Monitor (New York City)
- Beatrice Fihn, Executive Director of ICAN, 2017 Nobel Peace Prize recipient (Reykjavik, Iceland Oct. 29-31)
Websites:
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The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) is a coalition of more than 400 non-governmental organisations in 95 countries. We are calling on governments to launch negotiations on a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons, which would place them on the same legal footing as chemical and biological weapons and help pave the way to their complete elimination.
