Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons – First Meeting of States Parties – 21 to 23 June 2022

Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons,

The First Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons will take place in Vienna, Austria from 21 to 23 June 2022. Originally scheduled for January 2022, this meeting was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background

In 2017 the United Nations convened a conference to negotiate a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination. The conference took place from 27 to 31 March and from 15 June to 7 July in New York. Continue reading Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons – First Meeting of States Parties – 21 to 23 June 2022 →

Anzac Day Reflection 2022

Anzac Day, War Commemoration, , , ,
Clr Justine Langford. Click to enlarge.

This year’s Anzac Day Reflection was held in Richardson’s Lookout – Marrickville Peace Park. This was the fifth time that the event has been held in Marrickville Peace Park since 2014, with no event occurring in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Organised by the Marrickville Peace Group, the event attracted around 50 people. In the spirit of genuine remembrance, these events offer participants the opportunity to ask some hard questions, such as how our nation became involved in wars abroad, what purposes were actually being served, and what mistakes were made in prolonging hostilities. Continue reading Anzac Day Reflection 2022 →

ICAN Petition – Condemn Russia’s threat to use nuclear weapons: join TPNW now

Nuclear Disarmament, Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, War in Ukraine

The Australian branch of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN Australia) is circulating a petition to Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Foreign Minister Marise Payne.

It condemns Russia’s threat to use nuclear weapons and urges the Australian government to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

The petition states:

The world has moved closer to a nuclear catastrophe with the order by Russian President Vladimir Putin to put Russia’s nuclear arsenal on combat readiness amidst his country’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading ICAN Petition – Condemn Russia’s threat to use nuclear weapons: join TPNW now →

Planned Nuclear Submarine Base at Port Kembla Opposed

Defence Issues, Nuclear Weapons, , , , ,
Source: The Strategist. Click to enlarge.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed yesterday that a nuclear powered submarine base, purported to cost $10 billion, would be built on Australia’s east coast as part of the AUKUS partnership with the US and the UK.

Port Kembla, Newcastle and Brisbane have been cited as possible locations for the base.

In a statement released yesterday, Mick Cross, Secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia’s Southern NSW Branch, opposed any nuclear proliferation in the Illawarra.1 Continue reading Planned Nuclear Submarine Base at Port Kembla Opposed →

IPAN calls for an immediate ceasefire and a negotiated settlement in the Ukraine

Independent and Peaceful Australia Network, Ukraine Crisis 2022,
Source: Wikipedia. Click to enlarge.

In a media release published on 26th February 2022, the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) condemns both the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and also the attacks by the Ukrainian Government on the people of the Donbas region.

IPAN calls for an immediate ceasefire by all parties, a withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine and for negotiations leading to a peaceful solution to the present crisis. Continue reading IPAN calls for an immediate ceasefire and a negotiated settlement in the Ukraine →

Invasion Day Rally and Yabun Festival on 26th January 2022

Aboriginal Affairs, ,

Australia Day is observed annually on 26th January. It marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and the proclamation of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia.

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, Australia Day is known as Invasion Day or Survival Day and has become a day of mourning for what unfolded after the landing of the First Fleet — the colonisation and dispossession of First Nations people. Continue reading Invasion Day Rally and Yabun Festival on 26th January 2022 →

Peru – 59th state party to ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

Nuclear Disarmament, Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons,
Antonio García Revilla, a Director-General at the Foreign Ministry of Peru, signs the TPNW in New York on 20 September 2017. Photo: ICAN. Click photo to enlarge.

On December 23, 2021, Peru become the 59th state party to ratify the United Nation’s Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). In a press statement, the Peruvian Foreign Ministry stated that Peru’s ratification of the TPNW highlights its “high commitment to its obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law”, adding that it “is in line with Peru’s commitment to promoting international peace and security to facilitate the development and growth of our peoples”.

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) has congratulated the Peruvian Foreign Ministry, as well as Peruvian and Latin-American activists, particularly those associated with the Human Security Network for Latin America and the Caribbean (SEHLAC), who campaigned for this outcome. Continue reading Peru – 59th state party to ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons →

IPAN – Interim Report on costs and consequences of the US-Australia Alliance released

Independent and Peaceful Australia Network, Promoting Peace, US-Australia Alliance,
Click to enlarge

The Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) has released an Interim Report entitled A People’s Inquiry: Exploring the Case for an Independent and Peaceful Australia.  This Inquiry has investigated the costs and consequences of Australia’s involvement in US-led wars and the US-Australia Alliance.

The objective of the Inquiry was to encourage submissions from individuals and organisations on eight focus areas associated with the US-Australia Alliance – including social, political, military and defence, economic and environmental impacts – leading to a report that outlines a credible pathway towards achieving  a genuinely independent foreign policy for Australia. Continue reading IPAN – Interim Report on costs and consequences of the US-Australia Alliance released →

Online Raising Peace Festival – Recordings of events now available

International Day of Peace, Promoting Peace, , ,
Click to enlarge

A successful online Raising Peace festival was held from 16th to 26th September 2021. It coincided with the world-wide observance of International Day of Peace held each year on 21st September.

The festival explored the significance that peace has for First Nations people, women, youth, refugees and the environment. It looked at the different ways that peace is defined and understand, from the absence of war to peacekeeping, peacebuilding and peacemaking. Importantly it sought to inspire and equip participants, both individually and collectively, to actively contribute to the cause of peace. Continue reading Online Raising Peace Festival – Recordings of events now available →

AUKUS Petition: No Nuclear Submarines; End U​.​S. Dominance; Healthcare Not Warfare

Defence Issues, Military Spending,
Nuclear powered submarine USS Houston in Apra Harbour, Guam. Click to enlarge.

A petition launched by Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) opposing the AUKUS Security Pact and entitled ‘No Nuclear Submarines; End U​.​S. Dominance; Healthcare Not Warfare’ is currenty circulating. It states:

The behind closed door commitment of Australia to a trilateral security agreement with the United Kingdom, and the United States (AUKUS) and a submarine fleet shows a complete disregard for the democratic process and undermines sovereignty. Continue reading AUKUS Petition: No Nuclear Submarines; End U​.​S. Dominance; Healthcare Not Warfare →

76th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – 6th and 9th August 2021

Nuclear Weapons, Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
Hiroshima’s Genbaku Dome

On the 6th and 9th of August, community groups around the world will commemorate the 76th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

In 1945, the United States detonated two nuclear weapons over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima (6th August) and Nagasaki (9th August). Over the following two to four months, the effects of the atomic bombings killed between 90,000 and 146,000 people in Hiroshima and between 39,000 and 80,000 people in Nagasaki. Roughly half of these deaths occurred within 24 hours of these bombings. For months afterwards, large numbers of people continued to die from the effects of burns, radiation sickness, and injuries, compounded by illness and malnutrition. Most of the victims were civilians. Continue reading 76th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – 6th and 9th August 2021 →

NAIDOC Week 2021

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples,

NAIDOC Week 2021 will be held from Sunday 4 July to Sunday 11 July.

NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’. This committee was responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week. Its acronym has now become the name of the week itself.

This year’s theme – Heal Country! – calls for stronger measures to recognise, protect, and maintain all aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage. It entails formal recognition that Indigenous people have been dispossessed and the implementation of specific programs designed to redress the grave social and economic disadvantage that has followed this dispossession. Continue reading NAIDOC Week 2021 →

Abusive Israeli Policies Constitute Crimes of Apartheid, Persecution

Israel & Occupied Territories, Israel and Palestine

Israeli authorities are committing the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution, according to a Human Rights Watch report released on 27 April 2021.

The 213-page report A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution describes how the Israeli government systematically privileges Jewish Israelis while repressing Palestinians, most severely in the occupied territory. Continue reading Abusive Israeli Policies Constitute Crimes of Apartheid, Persecution →