International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons

International Campaign
to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
2 Place de Cornavin
1201, Genève, Switzerland
+41 22 788 20 63
info@icanw.org
icanw.org
To Speakers of Parliament whose
States are not Parties
Geneva, 28 July 2020
Dear Madam Speaker,
Dear Mr. Speaker,
This year, 2020, marks the 75th anniversary of the horrific atomic bombings of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki (6 and 9 August). It is with deep concern that we note the
enduring presence of some 14,000 nuclear weapons around the world today. Nuclear
weapons are the most dangerous weapons on earth. Their use would have
unacceptable human, environmental and economic consequences, and the risk of
proliferation is a threat to all. We believe that these weapons must be abolished and
the funds for their development and deployment rediverted to meeting genuine human
security needs and mitigating the humanitarian and economic impact of the COVID-19
pandemic.
This call to action is urgent, not only due to the danger that these weapons represent,
but also by the fact that this is one of the last anniversaries in which the survivors of
the atomic bombings – the “hibakusha” – are going to be able to have their message
heard. After all, they should remind us that victims of nuclear weapons are not an
abstract possibility; they have already caused immeasurable harm to them. The great
suffering that the hibakusha have endured should not be repeated, and we must
ensure that their appeal does not fall on deaf ears.
In 2014, the IPU adopted a landmark resolution on parliaments’ role in achieving a
nuclear-weapon-free world which urged parliaments to work with their governments to
promote a nuclear-weapon-free world and use all available tools to monitor the
implementation of disarmament commitments. Since then, on 7 July 2017, a large
majority of governments adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
(TPNW), which shares the same goals and is the first legally binding international
agreement to comprehensively prohibit nuclear weapons, with the aim of achieving
their total elimination.
For States parties, the TPNW prohibits the development, testing, production,
stockpiling, stationing, transfer, use and threat of use of nuclear weapons, as well as
assistance and encouragement to the prohibited activities. For nuclear-armed States
that would join the TPNW, it provides for a time-bound framework for negotiations
leading to the verified and irreversible elimination of its nuclear weapons programme.
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The TPNW is the cornerstone of efforts to achieve nuclear disarmament and non-
proliferation – a cause that requires unremitting active support and dedicated efforts
by all States. Currently, 40 States have ratified the TPNW; in order to come into force,
it requires signature and ratification by at least 50 States.
In light of the increasingly volatile geopolitical context, and since your country has not
yet joined the TPNW, we are writing to ask for your support to raise awareness of
the treaty among the members of your Parliament and to help generate a
constructive debate on nuclear weapons, proliferation risks and disarmament.
The IPU, alongside TPNW champion organizations – such as the International
Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), which was awarded the 2017 Nobel
Peace Prize – is committed to providing you with advice or support should the need
arise.
As a parliamentarian, you represent the people of your country, who desire peace,
development and security. You play a key role in the implementation and ratification of
the international agreements concluded by your country. In this context, we believe
that dialogue and transparency within and among parliaments will foster efforts to
counter the world's biggest threat, the threat of nuclear weapons, and bring about
sustainable security for the generations of today and tomorrow.
We thank you in advance for your support.
Yours sincerely,
Gabriela Cuevas Barron Martin Chungong Beatrice Fihn
President Secretary General Executive Director, ICAN