Vladimir Putin’s missile-rattling has put the nuclear threat back on the public agenda. In response, many in the political world are arguing that it is time to double-down on nuclear weapons. The mainstream media has rediscovered nuclear weapons, but their coverage rarely if every mentions the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
We* hope to change that, and we need your help.
We are asking you to sign the Statement below. It is simple and straightforward; it declares that the Treaty exists and that it provides a pathway out of mutually assured destruction. It also calls on the media to include the Treaty in its coverage of the nuclear threat.
Once you have signed the Statement, we hope you will make plans to release it to the media on June 7. We will be releasing the Statement nationally, with a list of all endorsers. And we will publish it in the Delaware newspaper that President Biden reads each day.
The Statement is below. Individuals can sign it. Organizations can sign it. If your organization signs it, we hope you will distribute it to your membership so they can sign it as well.
Here is where to sign it. You will also find a link on the signing page to a media template you can use/adapt for June 7 and a link to a copy of the statement you can download.
Finally, SHARE THE STATEMENT with everyone you can think of. It is a great conversation starter. You can point them to nuclearbantreaty.org — there is a button on the front page of the site that takes them to the Statement. Thank you for doing this simple but important thing.
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STATEMENT ON THE EXISTENTIAL THREAT OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS
AND ON THE TREATY ON THE PROHIBITION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS
The power to initiate a global apocalypse lies in the hands of the leaders of nine nations.
As 122 nations of the world indicated when they adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in July, 2017, this is unacceptable.
As concerns about the threat of nuclear weapons re-enter the public consciousness, it is important to know that humankind is not without an answer to the nuclear threat. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which entered into force on January 22, 2021, provides a clear pathway to the elimination of the nuclear threat.
We call on all nuclear armed states to take immediate steps to:
• engage the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons,
• attend the First Meeting of States Parties, and
• sign, ratify and implement the Treaty.
We also call on the US media to recognize the existence of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and to include the Treaty in discussions, articles, and editorials regarding the nuclear threat and methods available to address it.
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* Who are we? The Nuclear Ban Treaty Collaborative is a decentralized effort by a broad range of people and groups who have been working for the abolition of nuclear weapons—some for weeks and some for decades. The Collaborative formed around the entry into force of the Ban Treaty. We have only one point of focus—getting the Ban Treaty, signed, ratified and implemented, and we have several Working Groups who are coming at this objective from different perspectives. Learn about us at nuclearbantreaty.org.
