Hi Friend --

It’s been a really difficult year, and we’ve all watched in shock and horror how threats to use nuclear weapons has been used to terrorise the whole world and enable a brutal, inhuman and illegal invasion. 

It's easy to feel like international law and forums like the United Nations are unable to  have an impact at times like this. But that is far from the truth. This will be a long email, but I really want to explain how regular people like you helped ICAN, governments and international organisations like the United Nations, the ICRC and others to prevent nuclear war this year. 

Last year. the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) entered into force. This made using and threatening to use nuclear weapons illegal under international law for the first time. 

In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, threatened to use nuclear weapons and put its nuclear forces on high alert status. 

Here’s how the Treaty helped stop Russia from using nuclear weapons:

1. States, international organisations and civil society supporting the TPNW gathered in Vienna to respond to the threats and increasing risk of nuclear war. On 22 June, the 65 member states of the TPNW issued the strongest condemnation of threats to use nuclear weapons that a UN body has ever done, declaring that any use of nuclear weapons would be unacceptable, and setting the bar high for how governments must respond to Russia’s threats. 
2. Then 147 states at the United Nations declared in New York on 22 August that the use of nuclear weapons is unacceptable “under any circumstances”. 
3. Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary-General of NATO said on 27 September that “any use of nuclear weapons is absolutely unacceptable”. This is the first time a NATO Secretary General has said this. 
4. German Chancellor Scholtz mirrored this on 8 October, “We need to give a clear answer to nuclear threats: They’re dangerous for the world, and the use of nuclear weapons is unacceptable”.
5. China's President Xi said on 4 November echoed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons by calling on the world to “jointly oppose the use of, or threats to use, nuclear weapons.”
6. Indian Prime Minister Modi cancelled a summit with Putin in Shanghai reportedly over objections to Russian threats to use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine invasion. 
7. In Indonesia on 16 November, the G20, which includes many nuclear armed and nuclear endorsing states, asserted that threats and use of nuclear weapons is “inadmissible”, a clear paraphrasing of the language set in Vienna by the TPNW states parties. 

The strong global condemnation of nuclear threats and use of nuclear weapons is based on the new law we achieved through the TPNW, and ICAN has worked tirelessly to advocate, promote, and mobilize our network to enable this progress. 

The strength and universality of this response took Russian leadership aback, and in late October, we saw Putin walk back his threats. And both the US State Department and German Chancellor Scholtz concluded that the strong international condemnations shifted Russia’s behaviour. 

We are by no means clear of the danger -- the risk continues to be very high and as we have experienced this year, the situation can change very quickly in any of the nuclear armed states based on the whim of one of their leaders. 

We will not be safe until all nuclear weapons are eliminated, but for now, please do not forget that our work - and the support you have given us - has contributed to preventing nuclear weapons from being used this year. 

Our strategy of banning and delegitimising nuclear weapons, and creating a strong norm against them to allow for their elimination is working.

And it’s working because of you. 

So while it may seem dark at the moment, please know that you help us make a huge difference and together we might have saved the world this year!

If you want to make a financial contribution to our 2023 Rapid Action Fund in order for us to do more of this work, you can make a donation here. 

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I’m grateful for your support, and wish you all the best for the New Year. 

Beatrice Fihn
Executive Director
ICAN

It’s time to end nuclear weapons.

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