Hiroshima survivor Setsuko Thurlow has issued an appeal to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to publicly acknowledge Canada’s extensive participation in the creation of the atom bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. She asked that the Prime Minister issue a statement of regret on behalf of the Canadian government for the immense deaths and suffering inflicted on the two cities and asked that Canada ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Support for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons continues to grow, with Sudan becoming the 82nd nation to sign the landmark agreement on 22 July. Its signature follows ratifications earlier this month by Fiji and Botswana. Only 10 more ratifications are needed to reach the threshold of 50 ratifications to enable the treaty’s entry into force.

In a press statement celebrating the 11th anniversary of the entry into force of the Pelindaba Treaty, the African Commission on Nuclear Energy (AFCONE) reiterated its call to all African Union Member states to join the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear weapons as a way to build on the commitments to nuclear disarmament outlined in the Treaty of Pelindaba, which declares Africa a Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone. 

Botswana has become the 40th nation to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons – a landmark global agreement negotiated in 2017 to outlaw the worst weapons of mass destruction and establish a framework for their total elimination. Only 10 more ratifications are now needed to reach the threshold of 50 ratifications for the treaty’s entry into force.

The Pacific island state of Fiji has become the 39th nation to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The Fijian ambassador to the United Nations, Satyendra Prasad, announced the ratification at an event on 7 July to mark the third anniversary of the adoption of the landmark agreement by a large majority of the world's nations. He said the treaty has particular resonance in the Pacific as a region that has suffered from decades of nuclear testing by colonial powers.

The 75th Anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima (Aug 6) and Nagasaki (Aug 9) is a moment of remembrance, reflection and -- importantly -- action. Here are the materials that have been produced by ICAN and other partners which you may use for campaigning around the 75th Anniversary commemorations. Feel free to use these resources for your efforts in the run-up to August 6th and 9th, but please take note if you need to credit the author, photographer, etc., as indicated.

On 6 June 2020, Lesotho ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, becoming the third member of the Southern African Development Community to do so, after South Africa and Namibia. The landmark treaty, which comprehensively outlaws the worst weapons of mass destruction and establishes a framework to eliminate them, will enter into legal force once 12 more nations have ratified it.

$72.9 billion. That’s how much nine countries spent on nuclear weapons in 2019. In a just-released report, ICAN produced the first estimate in nearly a decade of global nuclear weapon spending, taking into account costs to maintain and build new nuclear weapons.