{"id":14956,"date":"2025-05-24T11:43:03","date_gmt":"2025-05-24T10:43:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=14956"},"modified":"2025-05-24T11:46:17","modified_gmt":"2025-05-24T10:46:17","slug":"fostering-dialogue-for-disarmament-ahead-of-non-proliferation-of-nuclear-weapons-review-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/diplomatic-world\/fostering-dialogue-for-disarmament-ahead-of-non-proliferation-of-nuclear-weapons-review-conference\/2025\/05\/24\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Fostering dialogue for disarmament ahead of Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons review conference"},"content":{"rendered":"

UNITED NATIONS, May 20 2025 (IPS)\u00a0<\/span>– The argument for nuclear disarmament is perhaps more relevant than it has been since the end of World War II, especially in a world where there is a growing gulf between nuclear states and between nuclear states and those who don\u2019t have the weapons.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

In an event held at the sidelines of the Preparatory Committee for the\u00a02026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)<\/a>\u00a0(April 28-May 9), a panel of experts deliberated over how nuclear disarmament must be achieved in the modern day. The panel was co-organized by\u00a0Soka Gakkai International (SGI)<\/a>\u00a0and the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan to the United Nations in New York.<\/p>\n

As new conflicts break out and pre-existing conflicts seem to drag on and escalate, there is a greater need for global parties to reach consensus on security matters, including the place of nuclear weapons in a post-Cold War era. William Potter, the director of the\u00a0James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies<\/a>, expressed concern about the \u201cerosion\u201d of the norms for nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo say the least, the world is in a state of disarray. It\u2019s hard to distinguish traditional allies from adversaries,\u201d said Potter.<\/p>\n

Potter remarked on a \u201cgrowing gulf\u201d between nuclear states\u2014countries that possess nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction\u2014and non-nuclear states when it comes to the urgency with which the issue of nuclear disarmament needs to be addressed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not the nuclear weapon itself\u2026 rather, the true adversary lies in the thinking that rationalizes and justifies the use of nuclear weapons,\u201d said Chie Sunada, SGI\u2019s Director of Disarmament and Human Rights. \u201cIt\u2019s the dangerous mindset to annihilate others when they\u2019re perceived as a threat or an obstacle to their objective. It is that way of thinking that disregards the sanctity of life, [which] we must collectively defend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even as some global powers debate over relaxing the restrictions on nuclear weapon deployment, there are still effective, diplomatic tools that are being employed to promote disarmament. One such example is the Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zones, as codified in region-specific treaties.<\/p>\n

Countries across Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia agree not to possess nuclear arms or conduct testing. For non-nuclear states, these zones allow them to \u201c[assert] their agency\u201d and \u201cthe right to dictate how their regional security is formulated,\u201d according to Gaukhar Mukhatzhanova, Japan Chair for a World Without Nuclear Weapons (VCDNP). She further added that these nuclear-free zones limit the freedom of action of nuclear states by forcing them to respect the treaties that protect them.<\/p>\n

The panel also advocated for giving more credence to a \u2018no first use\u2019 policy, in which a nuclear power refrains from using nuclear weapons when engaged in warfare with another nuclear power.<\/p>\n

So far, China is the only nuclear power and P5 Member State that has a \u2018no first use\u2019 policy, meaning they would only use nuclear weapons in retaliation against a nuclear attack.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

India has a \u2018no first use\u2019 policy, but it includes a caveat that allows for a response to biological or chemical weapons.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the other P5 members\u2014the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, and France\u2014along with other nuclear powers, such as Pakistan and North Korea, maintain policies that permit the first use of nuclear weapons in a conflict.<\/p>\n

By giving further credence to a \u2018no first use\u2019 pledge that countries can adopt, this could prevent misunderstandings and miscalculations that could lead to a devastating result. In such deliberations on nuclear treaties, there need to be what Director and Deputy to the High Representative of the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), Adedeji Ebo, referred to as \u201cconfidence-building dialogues,\u201d which can be achieved through enhancing reporting and transparency measures.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s PrepComm began with a discussion on the issue. Alexander Kmentt, Director of the Disarmament, Arms Control, and Non-Proliferation Department of the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, argued that in NPT deliberations, nuclear states seemed to have greater political priority and are more inclined to maintain the status quo because their possession of nuclear weapons provides them a sense of security. This presents a power imbalance.<\/p>\n

Meetings like this year\u2019s NPT PrepComm and the Meeting of State Parties on the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons must also create environments where delegations and other stakeholders are well-informed and can speak with authority.<\/p>\n

Ebo argued that non-nuclear states are \u201cindispensable\u201d for \u201cachieving meaningful progress in nuclear disarmament.\u201d<\/p>\n

Umbrella states\u2014countries that have nuclear protection agreements with nuclear powers\u2014should leverage their positions and extend support to non-nuclear states in their nonproliferation stances.<\/p>\n

There is a need to \u201cdemystify the nuclear conversation,\u201d Ebo remarked. Diplomats and other experts that will deal with nuclear issues need to be properly informed about this matter. He also spoke of the potential power that comes from regular citizens and grassroots movements to hold their elected leaders accountable on the matter of nuclear disarmament. By bringing this issue to the attention of their elected officials, it becomes \u201cdifficult to ignore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe nuclear issue is too important to be left to the states alone,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Disarmament and nonproliferation education is being carried out through nongovernmental organizations and advocacy groups, such as SGI.<\/p>\n

Since 1957, nuclear disarmament has been part of SGI\u2019s broader agenda for promoting the culture of peace. Sunada remarked that education plays a role in fostering \u201cpowerful, transnational solidarity\u201d among people. To that end, SGI has organized and facilitated speaking engagements with\u00a0hibakusha<\/em>\u2014survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings\u2014to share their experiences with both Japanese and foreign audiences, along with workshops that reach over 10,000 people a year.<\/p>\n

The panel recognized efforts toward nuclear disarmament through global diplomacy and grassroots movements. For nuclear treaties to be upheld and respected, perhaps at their core there should be a shared understanding of what constitutes a\u00a0nuclear<\/em>\u00a0taboo<\/em>, whether it prohibits the first use of nuclear weapons in warfare or if it is a complete prohibition.<\/p>\n

Mukhatzhanova pointed out that understanding seems to vary among different groups, from policymakers and diplomats to academia and the general public and suggested that it could be beneficial to deliberate and debate on common ground for the NPT 2026 Review Conference.<\/p>\n

Source:Dialogue Ahead of Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Review | Inter Press Service<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UNITED NATIONS, May 20 2025 (IPS)\u00a0– The argument for nuclear disarmament is perhaps more relevant than it has been since the end of World War II, especially in a world where there is a growing gulf between nuclear states and between nuclear states and those who don\u2019t have the weapons. In an event held at […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14957,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[24,2409,2428,6058],"tags":[152,861,1835,2037,3544,3928,4445,4678,7662,8936,9615,9617,9618,9619,9620],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Katsuhiro-Asagiri.jpeg","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14956"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14956"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14956\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14958,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14956\/revisions\/14958"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}