Showcase: No Relief and Little Attention
Sexual violence, civilian casualties, child soldiers, wounded refugees and malnutrition — there is no shortage of suffering in Congo.
2010年1月9日土曜日
Coming months offer ‘window of opportunity’ to advance disarmament, says Ban
Coming months offer ‘window of opportunity’ to advance disarmament, says Ban
8 January 2010 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today pledged to continue his efforts to advance the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world, noting that a number of events over the next few months offer an opportunity to build on the “encouraging” developments of last year.
“Today there is a new window of opportunity in disarmament and non-proliferation,” Mr. Ban said in remarks at a roundtable meeting at UN Headquarters with the heads of international organizations dealing with disarmament. “I am convinced there is much we can do to achieve our common goal of a world free of weapons of mass destruction.”
The Secretary-General reiterated that disarmament and non-proliferation will continue to be one of his top priorities, and highlighted major events in the months ahead.
These include the upcoming session of the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva this month, the Global Zero Summit in Paris and the Munich Security Conference, as well as April’s Summit on Nuclear Security in Washington followed by the Review Conference slated for May on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Noting that the NPT is facing “a number of challenges,” Mr. Ban said that a successful outcome at the Review Conference would strengthen confidence not only in the Treaty but also for the collective global effort to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.
He also said he will continue to build support for his Action Plan for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, as well as the universality of the relevant treaties and conventions.
Presented in October 2008, the Secretary-General’s five-point action plan begins with a call for the parties to the NPT to pursue negotiations on nuclear disarmament, either through a new convention or through a series of mutually reinforcing instruments backed by a credible system of verification.
In all of these efforts, the UN and the various disarmament bodies had a role to play, he stressed. “I strongly believe in the mutual benefits of strengthened cooperation among our organizations, while fully respecting our distinct mandates and relationship agreements,” he said.
“I pledge to continue to do everything in my power to advance the goal of a world free of weapons of mass destruction. I look forward to working with all of you to make this a reality,” he told the gathering.
Among those participating in today’s meeting were the heads of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the Preparatory Commission of the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).
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8 January 2010 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today pledged to continue his efforts to advance the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world, noting that a number of events over the next few months offer an opportunity to build on the “encouraging” developments of last year.
“Today there is a new window of opportunity in disarmament and non-proliferation,” Mr. Ban said in remarks at a roundtable meeting at UN Headquarters with the heads of international organizations dealing with disarmament. “I am convinced there is much we can do to achieve our common goal of a world free of weapons of mass destruction.”
The Secretary-General reiterated that disarmament and non-proliferation will continue to be one of his top priorities, and highlighted major events in the months ahead.
These include the upcoming session of the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva this month, the Global Zero Summit in Paris and the Munich Security Conference, as well as April’s Summit on Nuclear Security in Washington followed by the Review Conference slated for May on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Noting that the NPT is facing “a number of challenges,” Mr. Ban said that a successful outcome at the Review Conference would strengthen confidence not only in the Treaty but also for the collective global effort to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.
He also said he will continue to build support for his Action Plan for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, as well as the universality of the relevant treaties and conventions.
Presented in October 2008, the Secretary-General’s five-point action plan begins with a call for the parties to the NPT to pursue negotiations on nuclear disarmament, either through a new convention or through a series of mutually reinforcing instruments backed by a credible system of verification.
In all of these efforts, the UN and the various disarmament bodies had a role to play, he stressed. “I strongly believe in the mutual benefits of strengthened cooperation among our organizations, while fully respecting our distinct mandates and relationship agreements,” he said.
“I pledge to continue to do everything in my power to advance the goal of a world free of weapons of mass destruction. I look forward to working with all of you to make this a reality,” he told the gathering.
Among those participating in today’s meeting were the heads of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the Preparatory Commission of the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).
Posted using ShareThis
2010年1月6日水曜日
Two Futures Project: It's Time
"The Two Futures Project (2FP) is a non-partisan Christian movement seeking to abolish nuclear weapons from the face of the earth. 2FP does not call for America to disarm unilaterally, but rightly advocates for multilateral, verifiable, and irreversible disarmament. This effort has been endorsed by many on the political left and right, including George Shultz, Cold War architect and former Secretary of State under Ronald Reagan.
Rather than unravel into an explanation of boring technicalities, which you would almost certainly not read, I encourage you to digest the information on the 2FP website. Tyler Wigg-Stevenson, Director of 2FP, beautifully articulates why its necessary that Christians oppose nukes. Additionally, he has done a wondrous job of outlining the path to a world free of nuclear weapons. " (quote from an article by Jonathan Merritt on Huffington Post "Are Christians Key to Anti-Nuke Movement?"
Pentagon Resisting Obama’s Plan to Reduce Nuclear Arsenal
The Los Angeles Times reports President Obama’s plan to begin phasing out nuclear weapons has run up against powerful resistance from officials in the Pentagon and other parts of the national security establishment. In April, Obama laid out his vision of a nuclear-free world in a speech in Prague. But nine months later, the administration is locked in internal debate over a top-secret policy blueprint for shrinking the US nuclear arsenal and reducing the role of such weapons in America’s military strategy and foreign policy. The US currently maintains an estimated 9,400 nuclear weapons. (from the headlines of Democracy Now!, Jan 05 2010
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