Dear Friend --

Here are 5 exciting developments from the campaign in the past few weeks:

1. On 23 September, Chile became the 56th state to ratify the TPNW! Read more about it here. We're already on to the work on the next country, we hope to see more progress soon. 

2. Last week, Swedish insurance group Länsförsäkringar, which has over $40 billion in assets, named the TPNW in its policy as a reason not to invest in nuclear weapons business. Our work to cut off funding for weapons of mass destruction is starting to pay off and we expect more financial institutions to follow suit.

3.  After receiving a letter from Hiroshima survivor and long-time ICAN activist Setsuko Thurlow and ICAN, the new Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said “I believe that the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is a very important treaty for a world without nuclear weapons.” This is definitely a good sign from a nuclear allied country that previously has dismissed our treaty.  

Setsuko had already met with Mr Kishida in 2018, together with ICAN partner Peace Boat, to discuss Japan’s nuclear disarmament policy and we will use the opportunity of this new Prime Minister to strengthen our work to get Japan join the treaty.

4. World leaders were loud and outspoken in their support for the TPNW at the UNGA in New York last week. High level representatives from a large number of states parties to the treaty urged other countries to sign and ratify, while  several states, including Guatemala, Ghana, Tanzania, Peru, Mongolia, and Timor-Leste announced that they are working to ratify the TPNW. For a full breakdown, check out the report my colleague Alicia wrote for our partner Reaching Critical Will’s First Committee Monitor here (page 8). 

5. Our final bit of news is a beautiful one. Allow me to present the  “Setsuko Thurlow rose, a Rose of Hope.”

This stunning rose was cultivated by world-renowned rose breeder Matilde Ferrer, in honour of Setsuko Thurlow’s life and legacy and her tireless action and advocacy for a world without nuclear weapons. Last week, it was planted in the Botanical Gardens of the University of Valencia, Spain to mark the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. While Setsuko couldn’t attend the ceremony in person, she sent a beautiful thank-you message, which you can view in its entirety here.

Our thanks and congratulations go to Setsuko for inspiring our campaigners with all that she does, and to everyone involved in making this happen, including ICAN partners Hibakusha Stories and the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW).

I hope this email made you as enthusiastic and confident as I feel in what ICAN and the #nuclearban movement can achieve together. If you want to make a contribution to our work, you can do so here. 

All the best,

Lucero Oyarzun
Digital Campaign Coordinator
ICAN

It’s time to end nuclear weapons.

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