Parliamentary action plan highlights key multilateral disarmament processes and provides examples of parliamentary actions to reduce nuclear-risks, prevent nuclear proliferation and achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world.
The Plan was developed by PNND in consultation and cooperation with the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
The Parliamentary Action Plan for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World was launched at a special session of the 137th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) which was held in St Petersburg, Russia from Oct 14-18.
The Action Plan higlights key multilateral nuclear disarmement processes, and includes 14 key nuclear disarmament actions that can be taken by parliamentarians. See Summary of the Parliamentary Action Plan.
Some of these are actions that parliamentarians from non-nuclear countries can take to implement national and regional prohibitions on nuclear weapons, including ratification measures for the new Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Others are actions that parliamentarians from nuclear armed and allied countries can take to reduce the risks of nuclear weapons being used, and move their governments to adopt incremental disarmament measures, phase out the reliance on nuclear deterrence and negotiate for nuclear disarmament.
And some actions in the Plan are those that parliamentarians from any country can take to build public awareness and political will for the achievement of a nuclear-weapon-free world.
The plan draws from reports and resolutions on nuclear disarmament adopted by the IPU in 2009 and 2014, as well as resolutions of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and a series of consultations undertaken by PNND in key capitals and UN centres during 2016-2017.
The Plan encourages parliamentarians from States that join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, to implement the treaty in their parliaments by prohibiting the threat, use, production, stationing and testing of nuclear weapons in their territories.
Such actions would not impact directly on the policies and practices of the nuclear-armed States, but would reinforce a norm against nuclear weapons.
The Action Plan suggests that States Parties to the nuclear prohibition treaty could also adopt measures that are not specifically required by the treaty, but which would would impact considerably on the nuclear armed States. These measures include prohibiting transit of nuclear weapons through their territories (ports, airfields, territorial waters and airspace), and prohibiting the financing of nuclear weapons.
PNND provided information to the UN negotiations on how a national prohibition on transit of nuclear weapons can work, drawing primarily from the experience of the New Zealand nuclear weapons ban. See The Ban Treaty, Transit and National Implementation.
PNND has joined with the World Future Council and International Peace Bureau in a project 'Move the Nuclear Weapons Money' which provides information about
The Action plan includes a number of actions that parliamentarians in nuclear-armed and allied States can take to reduce the risks of nuclear weapons use and advance nuclear disarmament measures. These includes proposals on de-alerting, no-first use, stockpile reduction, verification, transparency, establishing additional nuclear-weapon-free zones, and supporting nuclear disarmament negotiations.
The Plan includes examples of such actions in national parliaments and in inter-parliamentary bodies including the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
The Action Plan reports on proposals and parliamentary actions for the establishment of nuclear-weapon free zones in the Middle East, Europe and North East Asia.
The NE Asia proposal is particularly relevant as a possible solution to the nuclear crisis unfolding in the region over North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile development.
The Action Plan focuses on key multilateral forums where parliamentarians can advance nuclear disarmament, including the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conferences, and the United Nations.
The Plan highlights the unique opportunity provided by the 2018 UN High Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament. Similar UN High Level Conferences (HLCs) over the past few years have been very successful in adopting global agreements on sustainable development goals (2015), climate change (2016), refugees and migrants (2016) and oceans (2017).
The 2018 HLC on Nuclear Disarmament could build considerable political will for nuclear disarmament, if governments attend at the 'highest level'. It could provide a forum to elevate the nuclear prohibition treaty, make progress on nuclear risk-reduction and disarmament measures by the nuclear armed States, and advance regional measures such as nuclear-weapon-free zones in the Middle East and North-East Asia.
See The ban treaty, NPT and the 2018 UN High Level Conference.
The Action Plan also includes a number of actions that parliamentarians can take to increase public awareness and build political will for nuclear disarmament. These include:
