Press release: June 3, 2010

This Saturday several thousand people will take part in 50 simultaneous actions in 25 countries as a response to the Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference, which concluded last Friday.

The demonstrators aim to build public and political support for the negotiation of a comprehensive treaty banning nuclear weapons — a Nuclear Weapons Convention.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today released a video message of support to those who are participating in the global day of action. “I know how hard you work. It’s not easy to swim against the tide. But the tide is turning. People everywhere are rejecting nuclear weapons,” he said.

Mr. Ban first expressed support for a Nuclear Weapons Convention in October 2008. During last month’s review of the NPT, more than two-thirds of all states called for such a treaty. However, four of the nuclear-weapon states — the United States, Russia, France and the United Kingdom — were unwilling to support the idea of a nuclear weapons ban.

Mr. Ban said today: “Critics and sceptics cannot imagine a world without nuclear weapons. People said the same about the struggle for civil rights and the fight against slavery. These were changes that also seemed impossible until they happened. The movement to abolish nuclear weapons is on the right side of history. We will continue to fight for this great cause.”

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), which represents more than 200 non-government organizations, is coordinating the day of action. “We have treaties outlawing biological weapons, chemical weapons, landmines and cluster bombs. It’s time for governments to negotiate a treaty banning and eliminating the most destructive weapons of all, nuclear weapons,” said Tim Wright, a spokesperson from the UN office of ICAN.

“The Non-Proliferation Treaty has now been in force for 40 years, yet there are still more than 23,000 nuclear weapons in the world, and not one nuclear-armed country appears to be preparing for a future without them. Clearly, we need a new approach. If governments are serious about achieving a world without nuclear weapons, they will begin negotiations now on a comprehensive nuclear disarmament treaty, with benchmarks and timeframes for implementation,” he said.

Actions on Saturday will include a nuclear abolition rock concert in Stockholm, Sweden; demonstrations at nuclear weapons facilities in the United Kingdom; an anti-nuclear soccer match in Manzini City, Swaziland; an evening street performance in Melbourne, Australia; a protest at the Vandenberg air force base in California; a candlelight vigil in Hiroshima, Japan; silent protests across France; and a nuclear abolition workshop in Mozambique.

Action details and Secretary-General’s message: www.nuclearabolition.org