Dear Friend --

This week, on behalf of ICAN, I had the opportunity to address the United Nations General Assembly during the civil society segment of the First Committee meetings.

In a room where tensions are rising and relations are strained, the timing of our statement could not be more opportune. Just days before, as you would be aware, the Norwegian Nobel Committee decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2024 to Nihon Hidankyo, the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Survivors.

In ICAN's statement, we reminded countries of their repeated commitments to eliminate nuclear weapons, from the founding of the United Nations and up to last month's Pact for the Future. And we called out those few dozen governments that inhibit meaningful progress to that essential goal, including by promoting "the dangerous fallacy of 'nuclear deterrence'." 

We celebrated, conversely, the work from the majority of states to implement and universalise the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) reflecting their view "that nuclear weapons are not a legitimate means of defence, but a threat to us all."

And, in conclusion, we reminded states of the message of this year's Nobel Peace Prize laureate, imploring delegates to consider the urgency of their work, for the sake of all generations:

"The hibakusha of Nihon Hidankyo were children when the US detonated two atomic bombs above them. More than 38,000 other children perished. Many more suffered, as did their descendants, in ensuing years.

"Please bear in mind their stories – please think of your children, and of future generations – when carrying out the work of this Committee.

"As Terumi Tanaka, co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, and a survivor of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, emphasised at a press conference last Friday: all of us are future hibakusha candidates. So all of us must work together to eliminate nuclear weapons. Before they eliminate us."

You may read ICAN's full statement here.

Regards,

Seth Shelden
United Nations Liaison
ICAN