06 Jun First Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

On June 21-23 the countries who have ratified or signed the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) will meet for the first time to discuss how to implement the Treaty. Civil society organizations such as the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) are planning events leading up to the Meeting. Veterans For Peace and the Golden Rule Project are members of ICAN and encourage Golden Rule supporters to help raise public awareness and media attention about the Ban Treaty in your area.

If you want to write a letter to the editor or your Senator, you might use wording from the recent Statement on the Existential Threat of Nuclear Weapons and on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

The above link will download the document. The text is below as well.
The Golden Rule Project and several chapters signed on to the statement, as has the VFP Nuclear Abolition Working Group.

As such, we encourage you to take action in the days and weeks ahead. Please help raise public consciousness and media attention about the Ban Treaty in the United States.

Here are some upcoming actions:

June 2: Attend an online Media Workshop focusing on preparing Press Releases in advance of June 7 (and beyond!) Click here to register!

June 7-21: Lead actions at local nuclear facilities, military sites, or federal buildings promoting the Statement on the day of its nation-wide release. (Resources forthcoming)

June 7-21: Send out Press Releases to local and national outlets and spread the word on your social media calling attention to the TPNW, and the many public signers to the campaign Statement. The diversity of perspectives by individuals and groups give this works its power!

June 12: Join the online June 12 Legacy program marking the 40th anniversary of the million-person Demonstration for Nuclear Disarmament and Human Needs in New York City. Join the online Defuse Nuclear War livestream, designed as a catalyst for grassroots organizing.

June 18: Participate in the Poor People’s and Low-Wage Workers’ Moral March on Washington in Washington D.C., promoting the TPNW and nuclear abolition as a critical part of the wider movement for peace and justice in this country and beyond.

June 21-23: First Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW in Vienna
We deeply appreciate your determination to achieve a peaceful and just world without nuclear weapons and look forward to working together. Thank you for joining this campaign, and please spread the word!

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.