At the First Committee on International Peace and Security of the UN General Assembly, delegates voted to study the impacts of nuclear war, for the first time since 1989.
Picture courtesy of ICAN
The United Kingdom yesterday stood with Russia and France and voted against a resolution to study the impacts and effects of Nuclear War.
Some of the nuclear-armed states and their allies actively lobbied against this study, possibly out of concern that more knowledge on what these weapons of mass destruction do would further erode any citizens’ support for having nuclear weapons. However, the vast majority of states (144) – ranging from those that lead on disarmament and have been impacted by nuclear weapons testing in previous decades to those whose policies support the use of nuclear weapons – chose to commission this critical study.
Melissa Parke, Executive Director for ICAN welcomed the study: “This new study is an opportunity to bring our understanding of the impact of nuclear war out of the 1980s and into the 21st century. As the world becomes increasingly more interconnected, we need to make sure that policy decisions are based on science- not dogma and scaremongering. This study is a chance to bring that science together and guide us towards the future we want.”
The UN-mandated panel will be tasked with “examining the physical effects and societal consequences of a nuclear war on a local, regional and planetary scale, including, inter alia, the climatic, environmental and radiological effects, and their impacts on public health, global socioeconomic systems, agriculture and ecosystems, in the days, weeks and decades following a nuclear war” and publish a comprehensive report.
While there is already a wealth of robust research on the effects of nuclear weapons, this has not been comprehensively brought together in 35 years. In this time, there has been major progress in climate and scientific modelling tools and this new study will allow scientists to review the improvements in our understanding of the effects of nuclear war. There have also been major societal and planetary changes, and the resolution recognises “today’s level of interconnectedness and the likelihood of global events having complex, cascading impacts on global systems and societies,” as well as “the fragility of those systems and our planetary boundaries.”
NEXT STEPS
The 21 panel members will be appointed by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, and have been tasked to “engage and receive inputs from the widest possible range of stakeholders, including civil society, affected communities, and peoples from around the world” to truly understand the effects of a nuclear war at different scales (global, regional, individual). It will receive the support and expertise of all UN agencies and international organisations.
Having passed the First Committee, the resolution will pass to the Fifth Committee for a review of its budgetary implications and be submitted again to the full UN General Assembly in December. Once the panel is appointed, work will be carried out during 2025 and 2026 with a final report expected in 2027.
Such a comprehensive study on the physical effects and societal consequences of a nuclear war will be central to raising public awareness and mobilising public opinion in efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons.
BUT WHY DID THE UK VOTE AGAINST IT?
The UK have decided to stand with Russia and not support this extremely important study. The US abstained, but China voted for the study. If you speak to Nuclear Veterans and their families, they will tell you why, they do not want the truth to be told about the effects of their testing program.
Including the affected communities in this study is extremely important and not something that the UK Government wants. Despite the Labour Party now being in charge, the denials remain the same. The MOD have always claimed that they will review any new evidence that is correctly researched and peer reviewed, this study will be one they cannot ignore.
The truth will be told, the effects of nuclear war will now be investigated by a panel of experts, unfortunately this report will not be expected until 2027. We have lost hundreds of Nuclear Veterans and descendants so far this year. 2027 will be too far for many of our members, but this report is very important. It is essential to make sure that decisions made are based on science. The UK cannot stop this report from being published, they will probably not accept it as they have done with other studies such as the Massey Study, but we continue to put pressure on the UK Government and hold them to account.
We have written to the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Secretary asking for an explanation as to why they chose to not support the study. We will ensure that the impacted communities have a voice in this study. Please write to your MP and ask them to ask the Foreign Office and MOD why they decided to vote against this extremely important study.
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