Dear Friend,

In recent months, headlines have been filled with nuclear threats, a renewed arms race, and governments doubling down on “deterrence.” It’s fair to wonder: is any real progress toward disarmament being made?

The answer is yes. And it’s happening from the ground up.

Through ICAN’s Cities Appeal, more than 1,000 municipalities have taken a stand for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). What makes this especially powerful is where it’s happening: in countries whose governments are firmly in the pro-nuclear camp. Local leaders, including many in national capitals, are rejecting nuclear weapons and demanding change. Cities like Berlin, Paris, Ottawa, Oslo, and Washington, D.C. have all joined the call for their governments to support the TPNW.

Political progress doesn’t always come from the top. In fact, the most powerful movements started from the ground up. When citizens, communities, and cities lead, governments eventually have to follow. That’s the power of small wins adding up to big change.

You can help build that change where you live. Talk to your local representatives in the city council about the ICAN cities appeal. If your city hasn’t joined yet (check here), you’ll find all the tools you need to get your community on board.

This is what makes our campaign strong. We speak to governments and diplomats at the negotiating table, but they also hear the call for disarmament from their own cities, their own citizens, their own communities. Together, that progress is undeniable.

Thank you for being a part of it.

Florian Eblenkamp,
Advocacy Officer, ICAN