News on Nukes

Will our generation see the abolition of nuclear weapons – or a disastrous spiral of proliferation ending in a nuclear catastrophe? In May this year there is an historic opportunity to start the process of nuclear abolition – before it is too late. Members of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which include nuclear-weapon-States and non-nuclear-weapon-States, will be meeting at the United Nations to review the treaty and decide on next steps for nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.

The Peace Foundation is establishing Ban All Nukes Generation (BANg) Aotearoa, a youth-led nuclear abolition campaign with a special focus on the 2010 Non Proliferation Treaty Review Conference.

The primary aim of BANg Aotearoa will be to encourage the New Zealand government to take a lead in promoting the proposal for a global nuclear abolition treaty (a Nuclear Weapons Convention). The current position of the government is that it is too early to start work on such a treaty because not enough of the Nuclear Weapon States agree. However, New Zealand had no problem supporting negotiations to ban other inhumane weapons (chemical weapons, biological weapons, landmines and cluster munitions) even before all other governments had agreed. New Zealand has dropped the nuclear disarmament ball, and needs to pick it up again and run with it.

BANG Aotearoa will organize an appeal to the government, public advertisements, articles in media, speakers for youth groups, flash actions, a dedicated space on ENACT (www.enact.org.nz), and a debate in the parliament buildings. BANg will also link to other related initiatives including a survey on youth attitudes to nuclear weapons and youth-led activities overseas including those of BANg USA, BANg Europe, Students for a Nuclear Weapons Free World and Arms Down - the Religions for Peace Youth Disarmament Campaign.

BANG Aotearoa will also promote and support youth representation on government delegations to the NPT Review Conference and other key international meetings.

1. Would you be interested in joining BANG and promoting BANG amongst your youth constituents?
2. Would you be interested in circulating the youth survey on nuclear weapons to your youth constituents (survey details are below)?
3. Would you like a BANG speaker to address your group?
4. Do you have any suggestions or contacts that would help BANG?

Yours sincerely

BANG Aotearoa
Contacts:
National: Anna Skinner, anna@peacefoundation.org.nz
Auckland: Wilson Chau wcha160@aucklanduni.ac.nz
Wellington: Anna Skinner, anna@peacefoundation.org.nz
Christchurch and South Island: Natasha Barnes natasha.j.barnes@gmail.com


Survey on youth attitudes to nuclear weapons

A survey on youth attitudes to nuclear weapons is being organized and conducted by Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a non-governmental organization with the United Nations for peace, culture and education. It has been designed by students in Japan to assess the attitudes of youth and students towards nuclear weapons. It is being conducted in the United States of America, United Kingdom, Brazil, South Africa, the Philippines, South Korea, Japan and New Zealand. A report on the results of this survey will be presented to the United Nations at the Non-Proliferation Treaty review meeting in May. Question 11 has been added to the New Zealand survey to assess the attitudes of youth and students towards the NZ government’s efforts for nuclear abolition.

Please contact Joycelyn Foo joycelynlfoo@yahoo.co.nz if you are interested in circulating the survey to your youth constituents.