Urgent appeal for a nuclear weapon free world, 26-11-2019, Peace Palace, The Hague, Netherlands                    

Tuesday 26 November 2019 from 1 to 6 PM, the NVMP* marks its 50th anniversary by a meeting in the Hague Peace Palace, titled Urgent appeal for a nuclear weapon free world. Experts, politicians, diplomats and civil society will underline the seriousness of the current global situation and provide concrete ideas and suggestions on how the Netherlands, together with other countries, can take meaningful steps towards a nuclear-weapon-free world, especially during the 2020 Review Conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The program will follow the classic medical scheme:

Diagnosis: the imminent new nuclear arms race, increasing the risk of an (un)intended nuclear war with unimaginable medical-humanitarian suffering without hope for help;

Prognosis: how dangerous is the current situation and how urgent the need to act before it is too late;
Therapy, two-fold: first stabilization to avert the risk of a sudden (unintended) nuclear conflict (e.g. by de-alerting, de-targeting, no-first use), followed by the only fundamental solution: elimination of nuclear weapons in accordance with Article VI NPT: prevention.

• The Dutch minister of Foreign Affairs Stef Blok will open, followed by speakers like:
• Izumi Nakamitsu, United Nations Under-Secretary-General, High Representative of Disarmament Affairs;
• Setsuko Thurlow, Hiroshima survivor;
• Ira Helfand, USA, co-president IPPNW (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War);  
• Sergey Batsanov, Council Member, Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affaires, former USSR and Russian Ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva;
• Tom Countryman,  US Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation (2011-2017) now Chairman Arms Control Association;
• Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and High Commissioner Human Rights, now chair of  The Elders, independent global leaders working together for peace and human rights;
• Eirini Lemos-Maniati, Deputy Director, Arms Control, Disarmament and WMD Non- Proliferation Centre NATO
• Beatrice Fihn, Executive Director of ICAN (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Nobel Peace Prize 2017);
• Sico van der Meer, Nuclear Weapon expert at the Dutch Clingendael Institute.

The event will be concluded by a panel discussion, chaired by Jan Hoekema, former chair Dutch Mayors for Peace, and by the presentation of a Peace Palace Appeal. Chair: Peter Buijs, NVMP. Language: English.

REGISTRATION IS CLOSED. YOU DO HOWEVER CAN FOLLOW THE LIVESTREAM ON 26/11 FROM 13.00 H:

https://player.cloud.wowza.com/hosted/dmjbvh7m/player.html

* NVMP – Artsen voor vrede (Physicians for Peace), 1969-2019, Dutch affiliate of IPPNW (International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War, Nobel Peace Prize 1985)

This meeting is made possible by:

Furthermore our sincere gratitude goes to all who in whatever way – financially or otherwise – have contributed in making this conference possible.