ICRC: Is the world
ready to face a nuclear war? No. So let’s ban the bomb
11
FEBRUARY 2019
Geneva (ICRC-IFRC) –
Seventy-four years after nuclear weapons obliterated the Japanese cities of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the risk that nuclear weapons will again be used is
growing.
Far from taking steps to fulfil
their long-standing nuclear disarmament obligations, nuclear-armed States are
today upgrading their arsenals, developing new kinds of nuclear weapons and
making them easier to use. And military incidents involving nuclear and
nuclear-allied States are occurring with alarming frequency.
The International Committee of
the Red Cross (ICRC) is deeply concerned about a worrying erosion of the
nuclear disarmament and arms control framework. Recent decisions contribute to
a worrying trend toward a new nuclear arms race and, consequently, an increased
risk of nuclear weapons use. The ICRC calls on concerned States and those in a
position to influence them to reverse this distressing trend.
To stem the rising tide of
nuclear risks in world politics, the ICRC, the International Federation of Red
Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the wider International Red Cross
and Red Crescent Movement are today launching a global campaign. The video
campaign aims to draw further attention of the public to the catastrophic
humanitarian consequences of a nuclear war, and ultimately encourage people to
urge their governments to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of
Nuclear Weapons.
What would you choose? Live or die?
The public is invited to
sign up and learn more about the campaign here: notonukes.org
“Any risk of nuclear weapons
use is unacceptable. The Treaty represents a beacon of hope and an essential
measure to reduce the risk of a nuclear catastrophe,” said the ICRC President
Peter Maurer.
Seventy countries have so
far signed the TPNW, while 21 have ratified or otherwise acceded to the Treaty.
“In many countries, Red
Cross and Red Crescent National Societies are working with governments,
national parliaments and civil society to facilitate rapid accession to the
Treaty. We will continue working with our network to advocate for a world
without nuclear weapons. Nothing could prepare the world for the horrors of a
nuclear war. After 74 years, we still haven’t learnt the lesson of suffering,
devastation and death of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” said the IFRC President
Francesco Rocca.
“Citizens, parliaments and
civil society all have a crucial role to play in efforts to reduce the risk of
nuclear weapons use. At this moment of growing international tension, I call on
everyone to act with urgency and determination to bring the era of nuclear
weapons to an end,” said Maurer.
Nuclear weapons are the most
devastating and destructive weapons ever invented. The Japanese Red Cross and
the ICRC witnessed this first-hand in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, as they
tried to bring relief to the dying and injured. The nuclear blasts killed tens
of thousands of people, destroying medical facilities, and leaving behind
appalling conditions for survivors. To this day, Japanese Red Cross hospitals
continue to treat victims of cancer, including leukemia, attributable to
radiation from the 1945 atomic blasts.
The well-documented evidence
of the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons casts
significant doubt on whether these weapons could ever be used in accordance
with international humanitarian law. On this basis, the International Red Cross
and Red Crescent Movement has consistently called for nuclear weapons never to
be used again and for their complete prohibition and elimination.
Note to
editors/reporters: Kathleen Lawand, ICRC expert in arms issues,
can provide more information on nuclear weapons.
For further information,
please contact:
Donations can be sent
to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD
21218. Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class
has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles.
The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject
class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their
lives." Eugene Victor Debs
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