Scaling the Nuclear Abolition Mountain: Is the United Nations up to the Task?

Abstract

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Notes 1. Five-point proposal for nuclear disarmament, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, delivered to the East–West Institute conference on The United Nations and Security in a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World, United Nations, 24 October 2008. http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/sgsm11881.doc.htm. 2. Final Document of the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Vol 1 Conclusions and recommendations for follow-on actions, adopted on 28 May 2010. http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=NPT/CONF.2010/50%20%28VOL.I%29. 3. UN Resolution 1 (1), Establishment of a commission to deal with the problem raised by the discovery of atomic energy, adopted without a vote on 24 January 1946. 4. Most recently UNGA Resolution 65/76, which calls for the commencement of negotiations leading to the conclusion of a nuclear weapons convention and which was adopted on 8 December 2010 with a vote of 133 in favour, 28 against and 23 abstaining. http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/1com/1com10/gares/A%20RES%2065%2076.pdf. 5. See Joint Statement by President Obama and President Medvedev, 1 April 2009. “We committed our two countries to achieving a nuclear free world …” http://www.fpif.org/articles/obama_and_medvedev_on_nukes; and the Joint Statement by President Obama and Prime Minister Singh of India; 8 November 2010. “The two leaders affirmed that their countries’ common ideals, complementary strengths and a shared commitment to a world without nuclear weapons give them a responsibility to forge a strong partnership to lead global efforts for non-proliferation and universal and non-discriminatory global nuclear disarmament in the 21st century.” http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/11/08/joint-statement-president-obama-and-prime-minister-singh-india. 6. NATO Strategic Concept, adopted 19 November 2010, “We are resolved to seek a safer world for all and to create the conditions for a world without nuclear weapons”. http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/official_texts_68580.htm. 7. See, for example, the US Nuclear Posture Review, April 2010, p 47: “The long-term goal of U.S. policy is the complete elimination of nuclear weapons”, “The United States should … Set a course for the verified elimination of all nuclear weapons”, http://www.defense.gov/npr/docs/2010%20Nuclear%20Posture%20Review%20Report.pdf. 8. See UK–Norway Initiative: Research into the Verification of nuclear warhead dismantlement, http://www.norway-un.org/NorwayandUN/Selected_Topics/Disarmament/UK-Norway-Iniatitive-Research-into-the-Verification-of-nuclear-warhead-dismantlement. 9. See Eliminating Nuclear Threats – A Practical Agenda for Global Policymakers, Final Report of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, Section 6.3, Rethinking other justifications for retaining nuclear weapons, available at: http://www.icnnd.org/Reference/reports/ent/default.htm and http://www.icnnd.org/Reference/reports/ent/part-iii-6.html#justification. 10. See Will a Nuclear Weapons Convention mean a different international security system? in Securing our Survival: The Case for a Nuclear Weapons Convention, IPPNW, 2007. http://icanw.org/files/sos.pdf. 11. ‘Advancing nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament’, resolution adopted by consensus at the 120th IPU Assembly, 10 April 2009. http://www.ipu.org/conf-e/120/120-1.htm. 12. Final Document of the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (see footnote 2). 13. See A Global Law to Ban Nuclear Weapons, Middle Powers Initiative, June 2011. http://www.middlepowers.org/pubs/Global_Law.pdf. 14. See, Security Without Nuclear Deterrence, Commander Robert Green, Royal Navy (Ret'd), Ashton Media and the Disarmament and Security Centre 2010; Elements of a Nuclear Disarmament Treaty, BARRY M. BLECHMAN and ALEXANDER K. BOLLFRASS (EDITORS), The Henry L. Stimson Center, 2010; Securing our Survival, see footnote 10; and the Model Nuclear Weapons Convention, UN Document A/62/650, http://inesap.org/sites/default/files/inesap_old/mNWC_2007_Unversion_English_N0821377.pdf 15. See footnote 1. 16. Speech by Manmohan Singh to International Conference ‘Towards a World Free of Nuclear Weapons’ held in Delhi on 9–10 June 2008. See http://www.ipcs.org/article/nuclear/manmohan-singh-on-nuclear-disarmament-2600.html. 17. See note 5. 18. See note 16.