nuclear disarmament

Denuclearization and Peace on the Korean Peninsula

Co-organizers Solidarity of Peace and Reunification of Korea (SPARK) and People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) invite you to this important IN-PERSON discussion on Denuclearization and Peace on the Korean Peninsula! We’ll be in Conference Room B, UNHQNY.

General Focus: Analysis on the current situation on the Korean Peninsula as well as suggestions for building peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula & Northeast Asia

Speakers:

  • Hayoung Bak (Youth Team of SPARK) – Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula: Is it still possible? YES, as long as the Biden Administration ends its hostile policies against North Korea
  • Sooyoung Hwang (Manager of Center for Peace and Disarmament, PSPD): Current situation on the Korean Peninsula and why we have to end the Korean War (Video presentation)
  • Kawasaki Akira (Executive Committee Member, Peace Boat & International Steering Group Member, ICAN)
  • Ambassador Enkhsaikhan Jargalsaikhan (Chairman of Blue Banner)

Questions/Contact: Hayoung Bak, b.hayoungi@gmail.com, 818-633-6481

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngodisarm.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bknotts@uua.org or bobbinassar@yahoo.com. 

Nuclear Prayer Day – Hiroshima / Nagasaki Interfaith Peace Gathering

Namaste,

Please join us! For Nuclear Prayer Day – Hiroshima / Nagasaki Interfaith Peace Gathering on Friday, August 5, 2022, from 2:00 pm onwards, both virtually and in-person at Tillman Chapel, Church Center for the United Nations, 777 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017.

Zoom Meeting ID: 898 4657 1811

Link: us02web.zoom.us/j/89846571811 

Livestream: facebook.com/unitedreligionsinitiative

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngodisarm.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values, and Global Concerns-NY, please visit csvgc-ny.org.

2nd PyeongChang Youth Peace Challenge [registration deadline]

Dear Friends,

Greetings of peace from PyeongChang on the Korean peninsula!

We are pleased to announce that youths interested in promoting and building peace are warmly invited to “The 2nd PyeongChang Youth Peace Challenge (YPC)”.

The YPC 2022 is the peace and global citizenship education program in the form of essays and group debates for youths. It is organized in the context of the UN Decade of Action to deliver the SDGs by 2030 and the UN Declaration on the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the UN in 2020 in accordance with the PyeongChang Peace Spirit born out of the historical PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games. 

THEME

How to implement the proposals contained in the Our Common Agenda report of the UN Secretary-General (Sep. 2021) from the peace perspective as a youth in your country and/or internationally. https://www.un.org/en/un75/common-agenda   

Pre-register online by 20th December 2021 at https://forms.gle/FsvHYpoK97HsdGwF7. Orientation for early applicants at 4-6 PM on Tuesday, 21 December 2021.

Submission of the essay is due by 15 January 2022. More detailed guidelines about the essay and group debate will be sent to registered applicants by email.

For any inquiries about YPC 2022 please contact us through PyeongChangYPC2022@gmail.com. More details about the PyeongChang Peace Forum (PPF) are available at http://ppf.or.kr/en/. Summary Report (English) of the PPF 2021 is available at http://ppf.or.kr/en/board/board_view.asp?BoardID=Notice&LangType=ENG&searchtext=&page=1&SNO=615. We look forward to welcoming your participation.

In peace and solidarity,  

PyeongChang YPC 2022 Organizing Team 

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Children’s Rights-NY, please visit childrightsny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the vice chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com.

From Words to Action: The UN Secretary General’s “Our Common Agenda” Report

The UN Secretary-General’s much anticipated “Our Common Agenda” report will be presented to the General Assembly on Friday, September 10 2021 at 10am EDT.

Watch live on UN webTV at 10:00 am EDT here: media.un.org/en/webtv

The report follows the UN75 Declaration, adopted September 21 2020, when member states commemorating the 75th anniversary of the United Nations promised to fulfill 12 key commitments across the global agenda and mandated the Secretary-General “to report back with recommendations to advance our common agenda and to respond to current and future challenges.”

Reflecting the importance of the Our Common Agenda report, the Secretary-General’s office initiated preparations earlier this year that included consultations with Member States, youth representatives, UN officials, academic experts and civil society. The report on the “We the Peoples” online consultations with civil society, which generated 523 proposals for a stronger UN from 1,759 participants from 147 countries, will also be released September 10.

In a letter sent to UN missions in August, Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Co-Chair of the Coalition for the UN We Need (C4UN) and Danilo Türk, President of the Club de Madrid called on world leaders at the upcoming General Assembly High-level segment to reinforce the necessity of collective action to strengthen multilateralism.

According to Espinosa, “We recognize that responding to the challenges and threats posed by the COVID-19 pandemic is the overriding priority for governments around the world. But the pandemic also reinforces the social solidarity and awareness of humanity’s shared need to strengthen global cooperation.”

Upcoming C4UN communications will provide additional information and analysis on the Common Agenda report as well as events in September and October where the reports recommendations will be discussed in greater detail. Read the Regional Consultations report here.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bknotts@uua.org or bobbinassar@gmail.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com.

Intergenerational Dialogue on Gender, Peace and Disarmament

UNFOLD ZERO, Youth Fusion and Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (PNND) cordially invite you to join an inter-generational dialogue on March 8 highlighting the roles of women in the peace, disarmament and security fields, and the importance of including gender approaches to these issues in order to build more effective and sustainable security for all.

The dialogue will be conducted in four mini-panels, each one with a highly experienced woman leader and a youth advocate introducing the sub-topics: Women in disarmament, Shifting security frameworks from nuclear deterrence to common security, Disarmament and sustainability, Nuclear disarmament and a feminist foreign policy, and Nuclear disarmament & grassroots/interfaith action.

The event will also include the launch of the PNND Gender, Peace and Security program, which consolidates and builds upon the work PNND has been doing on gender and nuclear disarmament since their establishment in 2003.

We welcome both women and men to the event. A gender approach is about inclusivity, cooperation and expanding our notions of security. It is not about setting women against, or in competition with, men.

The dialogue will be held by zoom on International Women’s Day, Monday March 8 at 18:30 CET (12:30 Eastern Time USA/Canada). Click here to register.

Speakers
Moderator: Michaela Sorensen (Denmark), UN Youth Association of Denmark. PNND Program Officer on Gender, Peace and Security.

Introduction to the PNND Gender, Peace and Security Program: Vanda Proskova (Czech Republic). Vice-Chair, PragueVision Institute for Sustainable Security. PNND Program Officer on Gender, Peace and Security.

Closing Comments: Alyn Ware (Czech Republic/New Zealand), PNND Global Coordinator.

 

Youth speakers

  • Kehkashan Basu, (UAE/Canada) Founder of Green Hope Foundation, UN Human Rights Champion, Winner of the 2016 International Children’s Peace Prize & Winner of the First-Ever Voices Youth Gorbachev-Shultz Legacy Award for Nuclear Disarmament 
  • Vanessa Lanteigne, (Canada) National Coordinator of Voice of Women, One of the winners in the 2020 UN #75Words4Disarmament Youth Challenge
  • Lejla Hasandedic-Dapo, (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Europe Liaison Officer for United Religions Initiative. Board member of European Interfaith Youth Network
  • Yasmeen Silva, (USA) Partnerships Manager for Beyond the Bomb, Team member of the 2020 Count the Nuclear Weapons Money action in New York
  • Nico Edwards, (Sweden/UK) PNND Gender, Peace and Security Program Officer

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-NY, please visit ngocsw.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. For information on the NGO Committee on Peace (Vienna), contact the Chair: Helga Kerschbaum | Pax Romana | helga.kerschbaum@aon.at

An NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security Discussion: Spending to Increase Nuclear Danger

Join the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security as we discuss how in the midst of an economic and public health crisis, the US is set to spend hundreds of billions on new nuclear weapons which could never be used, add nothing to national security, and actually increase the risk of nuclear war. Funding for these extremely dangerous weapons systems will come up soon in Congress. The NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace and Security presents three leaders to clarify the key issues and discuss possible plans of action.

Register here!

Speakers:

Bruce Knotts has directed the Unitarian Universalist Office at the United Nations since 2008. Before that, he served as a diplomat with the U.S. Department of State with notable service during the Nairobi Embassy bombing 1998, Embassy Khartoum, Sudan, Regional Refugee Coordinator for West Africa and Deputy Chief of Mission in The Gambia. His final tour was in the Bureau of International Organization at the Department of State.

Dr. John Burroughs is Senior Analyst for the New York City-based Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy. He has represented LCNP in Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty meetings and negotiations on the Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons. His articles and op-eds have appeared in publications including Fordham International Law Journal, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Arms Control Today, Newsweek, and Newsday.

Jackie Cabasso has been Executive Director of the Western States Legal Foundation, based in Oakland, California, since 1984. In 1995 she was a “founding mother” of the Abolition 2000 Global Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons, and she continues to serve on its Coordinating Committee. Since 2007 she has served as an Executive Advisor to Mayors for Peace. In the U.S., she is a National Co-convener of United for Peace and Justice. Jackie was the 2008 recipient of the International Peace Bureau’s Sean MacBride Peace Award.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Peace (Vienna), email its Chair,  Helga Kerschbaum at helga.kerschbaum@aon.at

Target 2045: A New Rallying Call for Nuclear Weapons Elimination

Target 2045: A new rallying call for nuclear weapons elimination

Co-sponsors: In-Depth News, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, UNFOLD ZERO and #wethepeoples2020

A number of calls have been made recently, by non-nuclear governments and civil society organisations, to the nuclear armed and allied countries to commit to achieving the global elimination of nuclear weapons at least by 2045, the 100th anniversary of the United Nations (if not sooner). These include recent statements to the UN High Level Meeting on the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, and global appeals launched by #wethepeoples2020 and World Beyond War.

This target of 2045 appears far into the future for those of us who believe that nuclear disarmament can and should be achieved much earlier. However, setting a goal of 2045 could provide a global rallying call to build a stronger movement, and would avoid being dismissed as unrealistically early by those who rely on nuclear deterrence. (See 2045: A New Rallying Call for Nuclear Abolition, In-Depth News, Oct 22, 2020)

This webinar will explore the political value of setting 2045 as the target date by which the global elimination of nuclear weapons should be achieved, if not before.

Register here!

Speakers:

H.E. Mr Magzhan Ilyassov, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United Nations

Mr. Saber Chowdhury, MP, Honorary President, Inter-Parliamentary Union, Co-President, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament

Mr. Ramesh Jaura, Editor-in-Chief & Director-General, IDN-InDepth News, flagship agency of the non-profit International Press Syndicate group

Ms. Vanda Proskova, Vice-Chair, PragueVision Institute for Sustainable Security, Co-chair, Abolition 2000 Youth Network

Chair: Mr. Alyn Ware, Member, World Future Council, Global Coordinator, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bknotts@uua.org or bobbinassar@gmail.com. 

#75Words4Disarmament Congratulatory Event

#75Words4Disarmament Congratulatory Event by the #Youth4Disarmament Initiative
On Friday 23 October, watch the event live here: Join the Webex Event

If prompted, enter the following info:
Event number: 173 015 6470
Event password: WDYC2020

Background: In commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations, the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs held the “#75Words4Disarmament Youth Challenge”, which was launched on 12 August, the International Youth Day, and was closed on 26 September, the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.

The “#75Words4Disarmament Youth Challenge” invited young people around the world to express what disarmament means to them and their communities in 75 words. The challenge provided an opportunity to think about disarmament not as an abstract concept, but as a practical means to help prevent armed conflict and promote peace and security.

The challenge was open to young people between the ages of 13 and 29, with three age groups: 13 to 18 years (middle and high school), 19 to 24 years (college and graduate school) and 25 to 29 years (early career professionals). The five winners from each group were selected by the panel of judges and will be announced at the congratulatory event at 9 a.m. (EDT) on Monday, 26 October, marking the Disarmament Week.

At the event, the winners will be announced by the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs and the young people’s concerns and cares for disarmament and ways for further youth engagement will be shared.

Our distinguished speakers:

Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs
H.E. Mr. CHO Hyun, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the UN
Ms. Isa Begemann, UN Youth Champion for Disarmament
First Prize Winners

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Children’s Rights, please email the co-chair at marjones@nyc.rr.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com.

{Virtual} International Day Against Nuclear Tests 

DGC Civil Society Unit

SAVE THE DATE: International Day Against Nuclear Tests
Virtual Event

Organized by the President of the General Assembly with support from the Office for Disarmament Affairs

Date: 26 August 2020
Time: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Watch online at http://webtv.un.org
More info: www.un.org/en/observances/end-nuclear-tests-day
Established to commemorate the closure of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site on 29 August 1991, the International Day Against Nuclear Tests is marked around the world each year with events highlighting the effects of nuclear explosions and the need for their cessation to achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world.

Photo: Licorne test, 1971, French Polynesia. The Official CTBTO Photostream

[Virtual Tribute] 75th memorial of Hiroshima bombing in the context of BLM

From Tulsa to Hiroshima: The Urgency of Denuclearization to the Necessity of Abolition in America

MIDHEAVEN has partnered with Hiroshima City, Heart of Peace Hiroshima, Hopitow (Hopi Nation),
and others to produce a global virtual tribute with live performances & discussions exploring revolutionary love, radical freedom and listening.

Context: On August 6th, 1945, America detonated a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Today, in the midst of America’s racial crisis there is an opportunity to excavate the root cause of the ideals that have defined America’s actions from its founding: nuclear war is only possible and permissible in a society where the rot of slavery remains. In this historic memorial, Japanese and Black/Brown/Indigenous Peoples share an understanding and agenda as radical change agents for peace.

Access & participate in the tribute here and/or here on August 6

Agenda

CHAPTER 1: HISTORY OF ANTI-PEACE (8:00am – 10:00am EST)
+ Tulsa bombing
+ Hiroshima bombing
+ War’s destruction
+ Reflections via art of the era
+ A people’s history of the United States

CHAPTER 2: REALITY OF WAR (10:00am – 12:00pm EST)
+ Statistics and infographics: people struggling with war
+ Testimony from survivors & scientific/military community
+ War’s negative effects on the environment & our lives

CHAPTER 3: IMAGINATION OF PEACE
(12:00pm – 2:00pm EST)
+ A world with peace as a priority
+ Artistic dreams of utopia: a path forward
+ Statistics and infographics: who & what stops progress

CHAPTER 4: WAR ECONOMY (2:00pm – 4:00pm EST)
+ The investment in war
+ What economic disparity does to the population and the long term effects
+ Testimony from everyday people on the economic effects of war & the aftermath

CHAPTER 5: THE PEACE ECONOMY (4:00pm – 6:00pm EST)
+ Historical view of a way forward
+ Current views
+ Statistics and infographics: actions to take now

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CoNGO Notes: For information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. For information on the NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns-NY, visit csvgc-ny.org.  For information on the NGO Committee on Peace-Vienna, 

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