International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) is the only international medical organization dedicated to preventing nuclear war and abolishing nuclear weapons.

We are a non-partisan federation of national medical organizations in 60 countries, representing tens of thousands of doctors, medical students, other health workers, and concerned citizens who share the common goal of creating a more peaceful and secure world freed from the threat of nuclear annihilation.

The organisation won the UNESCO Peace Education Prize in 1984 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985, reaching millions with our message that nuclear weapons are medically and morally reprehensible, and transforming public perceptions about nuclear deterrence and concepts of "winnable" nuclear war.

Internationally our physicians use thoroughly researched studies, education and advocacy to expose the radioactive and toxic legacy of the nuclear age, put a human face on the victims of nuclear weapons and testing, oppose a new generation of nuclear weapons, and prevent nuclear terrorism.

The organization’s headquarters are in Boston, Massachusetts.

The beginnings

IPPNW was founded in December 1980 by cardiologists Dr Bernard Lown of the Harvard School of Public Health and Dr Evgueni Chazov of the USSR Cardiological Institute. They warned the public of the medical and environmental dangers of nuclear war. They produced books and articles for professional journals and popular media. The organization was awarded and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985.

By the mid-1980s, it had around 145,000 members and by the early 1990s around 200,000 members from over 60 countries.

Our priorities

At its Congress in Helsinki, Finland on September 7, 2006, the IPPNW Board approved a 5-point program intended to unite affiliates and physician activists around a common set of activities toward the abolition of nuclear weapons, the prevention of war, and the prevention of small arms violence.

The following is an outline of the federation's 2007 program:

1. International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)

IPPNW's medical message about the consequences of nuclear war and the necessity of a Nuclear Weapons Convention that can make abolition a political reality will be in the forefront of a multi-year global campaign to educate the public and policymakers about the urgency of the contemporary nuclear threat.

Near-term campaigning opportunities will include:

• advocating for cancellation of the Trident replacement in the UK
• removal of US tactical nuclear weapons from Europe
• joining with other non-government organisations to seek a new advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on whether the nuclear weapon states are complying with their disarmament obligations under the non-Proliferation Treaty.

2. International Conference on Nuclear Proliferation and Health

In October 2007 IPPNW organized a major medical conference in London, "Nuclear Weapons: The Final Pandemic-Preventing Proliferation and Achieving Abolition". The goals of the conference were to reassert the centrality of the medical message regarding nuclear weapons and IPPNW's role as the messenger; to persuade the media to examine the contemporary nuclear threat from a medical and public health perspective; and to reconnect the larger medical community to the issues of nuclear weapons and nuclear war prevention.

IPPNW will produce a new research study on health aspects of both vertical and horizontal proliferation, taking a close look at the weapons and policies of the existing nuclear weapon states, new and potential nuclear weapon states, and the danger of nuclear terrorism.

3. Aiming for prevention

IPPNW's program on small arms violence offers a crucial public health perspective on the deaths and injuries attributable to small arms and light weapons worldwide. "One Bullet Stories," which put a human face on the consequences of small arms violence, are the cornerstone of a program built around research, education, policy design and development, and care and rehabilitation of victims. While the Aiming For Prevention program will maintain its emphasis on the regions of Latin America, Africa, and South Asia in 2007, we will promote increased involvement by affiliates and physician activists in the Global North.

4. Global health alerts/letter writing campaigns

This new public education tool organized around the message "War is bad for your health" will comprise two-to-three alerts each year on a particular aspect of war and health. Each alert will come with a set of materials that affiliates can use as the basis for presentations, lectures, workshops, and media campaigns. A special feature of the program will be 3-4 e-mail/Web-based letter-writing campaigns around high priority IPPNW issues.

5. Medical student development

Since medical students not only represent the future of the international physicians movement, but are already making some of the most effective contributions to current programs and campaigns, IPPNW will make a high-priority investment in the student movement at every level: programmatic, financial, and leadership development, and will support student participation in every aspect of the federation's work.