Hi Friend --

I'm writing to you from New York, where governments are gathered for the 10th review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. With only one week left to go, I'm here to give our followers a behind the scenes look at what is happening (so make sure you're following us on social media, using the buttons below). And since I’m here, I wanted to update you on where things stand too.

To be honest, at ICAN we've got some concerns about what will come out of this meeting. Even before the NPT RevCon started, it was clear that the nuclear-armed states were violating the treaty, but didn't want a big deal made out of that. In the past weeks, we've seen a lot of countries trying to mask irresponsible behaviours behind frankly insane statements such as the US’ claims that theirs are "responsible” nuclear threats. We've also faced serious efforts to keep civil society voices out of the room. Meanwhile, the risks of nuclear weapons use have never been higher. It’s more important than ever that this meeting achieves a strong outcome. 

That's not to say it's all lost. Far from it. So many countries have spoken up loudly, condemning the recent nuclear saber-rattling and demanding real action on disarmament. The statement from the TPNW states earlier this week was simply fantastic. Once again it's clear that the majority of the world's states want to get rid of nuclear weapons.

What needs to happen now is for this energy to survive the negotiation table next week and be translated into a powerful outcome document that:

• includes timelines and measurable benchmarks for the implementation of any agreed commitments on nuclear disarmament

• condemns all threats to use nuclear weapons, and

• recognises the risks and catastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons

So far, the drafts we’ve seen aren’t giving us much hope. For a deep dive into what a successful outcome of the NPT would actually look like, please check out this article by my colleague Richard.

There's still a full week left to go, and of course, all ICAN campaigners on the ground and TPNW supporting states are going to keep pushing. That’s why we’re here. If you want to help us from home, here is a social media toolkit we created to help you spread the word.

And as I mentioned at the top, I’m going to keep giving you updates on what’s happening on the ground on ICAN’s social media. We’re starting today, with an instagram live at 13:30 ET, and we’ll also have some other opportunities for you to join us live next week. Of course, if timezones don’t work for you, you can always catch up as we’ll leave up the recordings. Just make sure you’re following us:

Hope to see you online!

Venessa Hanson
Social Media Officer
ICAN

It’s time to end nuclear weapons.

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