Dear Friend, 

2025 could be a pivotal year for our global efforts to end nuclear weapons for good. As we mark 80 years since the first-ever nuclear bomb explosion and the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, while tensions run high around the world, we know there will be a lot of attention on nuclear weapons. This is a key opportunity to change the conversation and reject nuclear weapons for good.

80 years since the start of the nuclear age, the risks are higher than ever, and we need to actively push back against the recklessly posturing leaders of the nuclear armed states and remind them that nuclear weapons never have been and never will be acceptable. This is what ICAN was set up to do, and I want to share some of our plans with you for this year.

First, we bring it back to the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons. From the commemorations of Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the Trinity test, to the 3rd Meeting of States Parties of the UN treaty banning nuclear weapons, to large-scale online campaigns we will listen to survivors, share their stories, and amplify their calls to end nuclear weapons once and for all. We will also be taking the commemoration online, with a unique digital memorial for the children lost in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki reminding everyone of the real consequences of these horrific weapons.

Fumiko "Bun" Hashizume shares her story of surviving the atomic bombing in Hiroshima at age 14 at a public event at Oslo's iconic Deichmann Library, December 2024.  Photo: ICAN | Kasper Fosser

This year we’ll see the first major scientific assessment of nuclear war since the 1980s with a new UN independent scientific panel to examine the effect of nuclear war on the climate, environment, economy and more. Why is this such a key opportunity? Because towards the end of the cold war, the scientific evidence showing precisely what a nuclear war could do was crucial to halting the terrifying arms race. We've also seen from the climate movement how effective communication of science can be a game-changer. We need to do the same for nuclear weapons this year. At ICAN we’ll be pushing to make sure this science is widely shared and understood and that this new evidence drives better policy decisions.

Meanwhile, we push governments around the world to step up to meet the urgency of this moment, and let them know that the most meaningful thing they can do to end the nuclear threat is join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Half of the world’s states already support the treaty, and this year, we will show the nuclear-armed states and their allies that the world will not allow them to continue to hide behind excuses.

ICAN has an ambitious plan to make this crucial year drive real action towards a world without nuclear weapons. We have also rallied a powerful coalition of artists, academics, policymakers, investors, and governments to champion a clear message: nuclear weapons are unacceptable, illegal, and incompatible with a safe and just world.

But with major opposition from the nine nuclear armed states and the massive companies making a profit off the nuclear industry, we need all the support we can get. Will you please consider giving a donation to help make it happen?

Thank you for continuing to stand with ICAN in 2025.

Sincerely,

Daniel Högsta
Deputy Director
ICAN