DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

Excerpts from the website of the International Peace Bureau

The International Peace Bureau (IPB) calls the civil society organizations in all countries to join a Week of Global Mobilization for Peace in Ukraine (WGMPU) from Saturday 30th September to Sunday –  8th October 2023. The common goal is to call an immediate ceasefire and peace negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

As a participant in the international Ukraine coalition, IPB will compile and record all the events and incidents associated with the WGMPU on this webpage.

The interested groups will carry out their own initiatives to advance peace in Ukraine. IPB’s responsibilities are to promote all the planned activities and advertise them on the website and social media pages. You can join us with your activities using this link.

Here are the actions listed as of October 3. For links to the actions, click on the respective country on the IPB page.

➤ Austria
– IFOR & ATTAC
2 & 3 Oct. 2023: “The Ukraine War: Backgrounds and Perspectives”. Lecture by Clemens Ronnefeldt with discussion. Organiser: International Fellowship of Reconciliation. 2.10.2023, 19:00 in Linz (Wissensturm Kärntnerstraße 26); 3.10.2023, 19:00 in Vienna (C3, Alois-Wagner-Saal, Sensengasse 3)

➤ Belgium
– Vrede
24 Oct. 2023 (5pm): Koningsstraat (Congreskolom tegenover nr 77, 1000 Brussel – Stop the killing! An arms truce for Ukraine! In Belgium, the peace movement is calling for people to participate in a peace vigil at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

➤ Canada
–September 30-October 30 street vigil at 10AM – handouts and discussions on alternatives to violent responses to conflict on an international scale
Location: Arnprior District Museum 35 Madawaska Street,
Arnprior, ON K7S 2N7
– Canada-Wide Peace and Justice Network
The Canada-Wide Peace and Justice Network (CWPJN) urges people in Canada to join the global mobilization with actions across the country from October 1-8 demanding an end to the war in Ukraine.
– Hamilton Coalition To Stop The War:
September 20th: Webinar Cluster Bombs & Depleted Uranium Weapons in Ukraine: 2 More Reasons to end the War Now!
October 7th: Anti-war rally – Send a message to the Trudeau government! Where: Federal Building, 55 Bay Street North, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

➤ Czech Republic
Prague Spring II Network
7 October (10:30 – 17:00 CEST), Webinar: Social and Ecological Paths to Peace. Register here.

➤ Denmark
The Peacemovement of Esbjerg
Thursday, October 5 (5:30pm), Hovedbiblioteket Esbjerg, Nørregade 19, 6700 Esbjerg – Presentation and Debate “Ceasefire and Peace Negotiations in Ukraine“.

➤ France
– Le Mouvement de la Paix & Collectif 21 Septembre:
21 September, for the International Day of Peace
23 September, for rallies and demonstrations against nuclear weapons
26 September, the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.
Saturday October 7, everywhere in France, gatherings and demonstrations within the framework of the “World Day of mobilizations and actions for peace.

➤ Germany
IPB:
September 30th, at 13:00 CEST: Webinar – Immediate Ceasefire and Negotiations: The Development of the War in Ukraine since the International Summit for Peace (more details here)
October 1st: Conference in Frankfurt – CREATE PEACE! At 10:00 in Saalbau Gallus.
October 3rd:
Hamburg: Frieden statt Krieg! DIE WAFFEN NIEDER! A rally is planned in front of Altona station / Mercado at 13:00 followed by a demonstration to Fischmarkt.
Munich: Frieden statt Krieg! DIE WAFFEN NIEDER! From 14.00 Odeonsplatz. Munich Peace Alliance supports the International Demand: Peace through peaceful means.
Kalkar: demonstration for peace at the Bundeswehr and NATO command centre, 11:30 a.m.
Frieden und Diplomatie website with more information (in German).

➤ Hungary
– WILPF activists for peace in Europe:
29.09., 30.09., 01.10: Conference in Budapest (conference venue)

➤ India
6th of October – Peermade: discussion organized by an IPB inidividual member

➤ Ireland
– Irish Neutrality League 
28 September: In person event – Why Neutrality Neutral Ireland can play a positive role supporting ceasefire and negotiations.

➤ Israel
– Club for Social Initiatives – OneFuture
5 October (11am), In person event, Hod HaSharon Park – “An urgent summit of countries with nuclear weapons – as a way to an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. “PLEDGE never to use nuclear weapons first – NFU – No First Use agreement”. Street, open area talks with people and Parlament Members.

➤ Italy
– Europe for Peace and Rete Pace e Disarmo:
Saturday September 30 (3pm), Turin – Centro Studi Sereno Regis, via Garibaldi 13 – Conference “Get out of the war system and build a peace policy“;
Monday October 2 (6pm), Modena – Galleria Europa, piazza Grande n. 17 – Conference “War? I have an objection“.
Saturday October 7 – National demonstration ‘Together for the Constitution‘, in Rome;
Mobilisation in several cities. More information will be provided over the next two weeks.
“Ceasefire and negotiation to save life and build peace”
– Comitato Pace e non più Guerra
Saturday September 30 (4pm), Teatro Ghione Roma Italy. “Peace, Land and Dignity Assembly“;

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➤ Mexico
– Grupo Renovador México del Foro Social Mundial/Mexico Renewal Group of the World Social Forum
October 7 16.00 Mexican Time (3am UTC) mobilisation at the Hemiciclo Juárez, Ave Juarez, Mexico City and afterwards Assembly 17:30 Mexican time (4am UTC) at the Sindicato de Electricistas Avenida Insurgentes Norte Mexico

➤ Nepal
– Youth for Human Rights Campaign Nepal
Event in office

➤ Nigeria
– Living Values Children Education Foundation/International Youth Summit On Peace and African Unity
30th September: Roundtable Dialogue: Building Capable States In The World in Lagos

➤ Norway
– Fredsinitiativet 2022 (Norwegian Peace Initiative 2022), International Women’s Leauge for Peace and Freedom – Norway (IKFF) and Stop NATO:
7th October: Demonstration in Oslo – there will be speeches in front of the Norwegian Parliament Stortinget, then a march via the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Russian Embassy. Among other speakers: Aslak Storaker, Norwegian representative of the IPB. 

➤ Philippines
– Philippine Initiative on Critical and Global Issues:
October 7 (9am), Metro Manila Zone One Tondo Organization – Community, Art for Peace Workshop.
October 7 (10am), online, Webinar on Zoom and FB Live “WEAPONS AND NUCLEAR POWER IN SPACE – Keep Space for Peace Week”.
– Peace Women Partners and ZOTO: October 8 (9am), Urban Poor Community in Metro Manila – Art workshop, teach in.

➤ Spain
– ATTAC:
5 of October, 19:00 CEST – Plaça de la Mare de Déu Valencia-España: Street action called by the Assemblea Popular Vàlencia Contra les Guerres (Vàlencia Popular Assembly Against the Wars).
– Federación Unión Africana:
30 of September, 17:00 CEST – València, Calle del Marqués de Montortal, 65 – 46019. Workshop What we talk about when we talk about peace.

➤ UK
– Lancaster Friends Meeting House:
27 September (12pm) – Meeting House Lane, Lancaster, Quaker meeting for worship followed by meal and discussion.
“Our desire for peace unites every person from Ukraine to the UK”
– Côr Gobaith:
30 September (11am) – Street choir at Owain Glyndwr Square, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Cymru
“Safwn gyda chi – We stand with you”
3 October 2023 (12pm) Peace vigil for Ukraine in Owain Glyndwr Square, Aberystwyth – A chance to do a simple action to show your support for peace in Ukraine. Bring banners and placards! “Stronger Together “
– The Peoples Assembly:
30 Sep. – 2 Oct. 2023: “National Demonstration and Festival of Resistance
1 Oct. 2023 (12 pm): “National Demonstration” at Oxford Rd.

➤ USA

– Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment
October 3, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM First Parish on 35 Church Street in Watertown, in person event.
– Defuse Nuclear War
Sep. 17: March for Peace at the joyful 46th annual Willy Street Parade!
Bring the kids! Bring the adults! Find us easily by coming at 10:30 am to 1025 Williamson St, in the rear next to Nature’s Bakery parking lot. Or look for us and our banners at 10:45 in the crowded parade staging area at 926 Williamson St. Parade steps off at 11:00. We’ll have lots of peace banners, flags and signs, or you can bring your own. 
Sep. 21 – 5 pm – 7:45 pm International Day of Peace Movie & Letter Party to Defuse Nuclear War & for Peace in Ukraine – Hawthorne Library, 2707 E Washington Ave.
Defuse Nuclear War & for Peace in Ukraine have called for national and international weeks of action Sept 24 – Oct 8. Events will be held throughout this country and across the world. In Madison we will host four events.  In this first event, we will stream a movie or a webinar, then cooperate to craft letters to editors or commentaries related to the topics that are being highlighted nationally in the two weeks of action. Info on all the events: https://worldbeyondwar.org/madison/

Sep. 24 – 3:00 – 4:30 pm, Debate: Is War in Ukraine Justified?
Madison Watch Party for World BEYOND War’s conference — No War 2023: Nonviolent Resistance to Militarism – RSVP to warabolition@gmail.com for location.
In this 1.5 hour friendly debate, moderated by Marcy Winograd of CODEPINK, we’ll hear 3 perspectives debated: 1) Russia had no choice but to invade Ukraine, argued by former CIA analyst Ray McGovern, 2) Ukraine had no choice but to fight Russia, argued by journalist James Brooke who works as the Ukraine/Russia columnist for The New York Sun, and 3) Russia and Ukraine both had options better than war, argued by WBW Executive Director David Swanson.  In this third event, we will watch a live-streamed debate by experts on the war in Ukraine.

Sep. 30 – 9:30 am – 11:00 am Speak-out at Dane County Farmers Market
Rotary Park, N Hamilton & Pinckney, the outdoor performance space by the entrance of the Children’s Museum.  In this third event, will speak-out to Defuse Nuclear War and for Peace in Ukraine. We will broadcast our messages “a viva voce” to the market-goers!

Sep. 30 – 12 pm – RALLY – TAKE ACTION FOR PEACE IN UKRAINE! Stop the killing – Ceasefire Now! Negotiations for Peace, Not Endless War Saturday, Rally and March from Downtown Crossing to Boston Common.

Oct 1 – 7:00 – 8:00 pm Candlelight Vigil for Peace in Ukraine for People of Faith and Conscience. Capitol Square – State Street Steps. 

Oct 26, 6 pm – National Bird about illegal drone murder.
Central Library, 201 W Mifflin St, Room 302. Discussion following the film. Free popcorn. RSVP if you can to warabolition@gmail.com. In this fourth event, people of faith and conscience will vigil with candles at the Capitol. Madison Veterans for Peace, Chapter 25 and Madison for a World BEYOND War are launching a New Antiwar Film Series. 

Nov 30, 6 pm – Theaters of War: How the Pentagon and CIA took Hollywood.
Central Library, 201 W Mifflin St, Room 302. Discussion following the film. Free popcorn. RSVP if you can to warabolition@gmail.com. Madison Veterans for Peace, Chapter 25 and Madison for a World BEYOND War are launching a New Antiwar Film Series.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article by Jake Johnson in Common Dreams (reprinted according to terms of Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) license)

Leading medical journals published a joint editorial late Tuesday (August 1) calling on world leaders to take urgent steps to reduce the risk of nuclear war—and eliminate atomic weapons altogether—as the threat of a potentially civilization-ending conflict continues to grow.

The call was first issued in The Lancet, The BMJ, JAMA, International Nursing Review, and other top journals. Dozens of other journals are expected to publish the editorial in the coming days ahead of the 78th anniversary of the U.S. nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

(Editor’s note: As of August 10, 100 medical journals have signed on to the editorial as listed here.

Protesters hold anti-nuclear war signs as they gather in the viewing area at an air base on May 21, 2022 in Lakenheath, England. (Photo: Martin Pope/Getty Images)

The editorial begins by noting that the hands of the Doomsday Clock are closer to midnight than ever before, reflecting mounting nuclear tensions amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Current nuclear arms control and nonproliferation efforts are inadequate to protect the world’s population against the threat of nuclear war by design, error, or miscalculation,” the editorial reads. “Modernization of nuclear arsenals could increase risks—for example, hypersonic missiles decrease the time available to distinguish between an attack and a false alarm, increasing the likelihood of rapid escalation.”

The editorial cautions that even a “limited” nuclear conflict involving just hundreds of atomic weapons—a small fraction of the global arsenal—”could kill 120 million people outright and cause global climate disruption leading to a nuclear famine, putting two billion people at risk.”

“A large-scale nuclear war between the U.S. and Russia could kill 200 million people or more in the near term and potentially cause a global ‘nuclear winter’ that could kill 5-6 billion people, threatening the survival of humanity,” the editorial continues. “Once a nuclear weapon is detonated, escalation to all-out nuclear war could occur rapidly. The prevention of any use of nuclear weapons is therefore an urgent public health priority and fundamental steps must also be taken to address the root cause of the problem—by abolishing nuclear weapons.”

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Chris Zielinski of the World Association of Medical Editors said in a statement that the joint publication is “an extraordinary development” given that medical journals typically “go to great lengths to ensure that the material they publish has not appeared in any other medical journals.”

“That all of these leading journals have agreed to publish the same editorial underlines the extreme urgency of the current nuclear crisis and the need for prompt action to address this existential threat,” said Zielinski.

The editorial was released as parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons convened in Vienna in preparation for the 2026 treaty review conference. Last year, the 10th review conference of the nonproliferation treaty ended without a consensus agreement as Russia opposed a draft summary document.

All the while, the global nuclear stockpile continued to grow.

According to recent research by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the nine nations currently known to possess nuclear weapons had 9,576 working nukes at the start of 2023, up slightly from the 9,490 total in January of last year.

The U.S.—the only country that has ever used nuclear weapons in war—and Russia control roughly 90% of the world’s nuclear arsenal.

None of the nuclear-armed countries have backed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, a legally binding international agreement that bars signatories from using, threatening to use, developing, stockpiling, or transferring atomic weaponry.

The new editorial argues that must change if the world is to step back from the brink of catastrophe.

“The health community has had a crucial role in efforts to reduce the risk of nuclear war and must continue to do so in the future,” the editorial states. “In the 1980s the efforts of health professionals, led by the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), helped to end the cold war arms race by educating policymakers and the public on both sides of the Iron Curtain about the medical consequences of nuclear war. This was recognized when the 1985 Nobel peace prize was awarded to the IPPNW.”

Noting that IPPNW and other groups played critical roles in the development of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the editorial calls on health professionals worldwide to “join with the IPPNW to support efforts to reduce the near-term risks of nuclear war, including three immediate steps on the part of nuclear-armed states and their allies: first, adopt a no first use policy; second, take their nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert; and, third, urge all states involved in current conflicts to pledge publicly and unequivocally that they will not use nuclear weapons in these conflicts.”

“We further ask them to work for a definitive end to the nuclear threat by supporting the urgent commencement of negotiations among the nuclear-armed states for a verifiable, timebound agreement to eliminate their nuclear weapons,” the editorial adds. “The nuclear-armed states must eliminate their nuclear arsenals before they eliminate us.”

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

A press release from the International Peace Bureau

The International Peace Bureau (IPB) has announced our intention to nominate three exceptional organizations for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize: the Russian Movement of Conscientious Objectors, the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, and the Belarusian organization “Our House”. The decision to nominate these three organizations is a testament to their unwavering dedication in advocating for the right to conscientious objection to military service and promoting human rights and peace in their respective countries.

The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the world’s most esteemed awards, recognizing individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the pursuit of peace and harmony. The nomination period for the 2024 prize will open on 1 September 2023 and the nominations will be promptly submitted for consideration.

The Russian Movement of Conscientious Objectors (https://stoparmy.org/), the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement (http://pacifism.org.ua/), and the Belarusian Our House (https://news.house/) have demonstrated unparalleled excellence and dedication in their efforts as defenders of peace, conscientious objection, and human rights, especially after the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine began on 24 February 2022 and despite the considerable stigmatization each organization has faced since.

The fundamental right to conscientious objection to military service is an inherent human right, protected under the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion as safeguarded by Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). This right remains inalienable, even during periods of public emergency, as explicitly stated in Article 4(2) of the ICCPR. Embracing conscientious objection is a concrete means of contributing to peace. Hence, it becomes imperative to emphasize and safeguard this fundamental human right, especially during times of war.

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Even in the face of escalating threats, the three movements persist in their dedication to aiding individuals who resist war and military mobilization. Their focus is particularly on supporting those who endure persecution, torture, and imprisonment. This commitment encompasses all instances of forced and violent recruitment into participating armies, as well as the persecution of conscientious objectors, deserters, and non-violent anti-war demonstrators.

“We are humbled and honored to nominate these three remarkable movements for the Nobel Peace Prize. Their courage in championing the right to conscientious objection and their tireless efforts to promote peace and human rights serve as an inspiration to us all,” said Philip Jennings, Co-President of IPB.

By nominating these three movements, we seek to raise awareness about the importance of the right to conscientious objection, fostering peace and human rights. Furthermore, we hope that the announcement of this intended nomination will remind and pressure governments and nations across the globe to respect the right to conscientious objection in their own countries and provide alternatives to military service for those that object. This includes the right to asylum for conscientious objectors forced to flee their own countries in order to avoid military service.

We call other organizations and particularly Nobel Peace Laureates from across the globe to support this nomination. Together our voices in support for conscientious objection can protect those who are selflessly putting their lives on the line to defend their beliefs and their compatriots who reject war and violence.

The selection process for Nobel Peace Prize laureates is highly competitive and is conducted by esteemed committees dedicated to recognizing peace efforts worldwide. We firmly believe that these three movements stand among the most deserving candidates for this prestigious recognition.

About IPB

The International Peace Bureau is dedicated to the vision of a World Without War. Our current main programme centres on Disarmament for Sustainable Development and within this, our focus is mainly on the reallocation of military expenditure.  We are a Nobel Peace Laureate (1910); over the years, 13 of our officers have been recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize.

For media inquiries or further information, please contact:
International Peace Bureau
info@ipb-office.berlin
+49 (0) 30 1208 4549
Marienstraße 19-20 10117, Berlin – Germany

(Editor’s note:To publish a comment on this article, send to coordinator@cpnn-world.org with title, “comment on IPB”.)