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Now is the Time: ARCTIC Nuclear-Weapon-Free

Zone

HOT PLANET, COLD WARSPhysicians for Global Survival Canada Toronto - October 2, 2010_________________________Adele BuckleyArctic Security WG of Canadian Pugwash,Pugwash Council

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The Arctic Overlap of the two great security threats of the 21st century – CLIMATE CHANGE & NUCLEAR WEAPONS

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What is a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone?Principles that the United Nations* has set for NWFZs Non-possession Non-deployment Non-manufacture, including delivery systems Non-use of Nuclear Weapons NWFZ treaty - verifiable and of unlimited duration The decision to create a NWFZ should be initiated within the

region and arrived at freely by the states that make up the region NWFZ treaty - Nuclear weapon states have to be involved so

they will agree, and (subsequently) ratify protocols that recognize the treaty and offer negative security assurances

* UNGA 1975

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Seven Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones Antarctica Treaty (1959) Tlatelolco Treaty (1967) Latin America and

the Caribbean Treaty of Rarotonga (1985) South Pacific Treaty of Bangkok (1995) Southeast Asia Pelindaba Treaty (1996) all of Africa Treaty of Semipalatinsk (2006) Central Asia And also Mongolia, a nuclear-weapon-free

state

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The United Nations: a very important actor in NWFZ creation Article VII of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

(NPT) and numerous UN resolutions affirm the right of states to establish NWFZ’s in their territories

The 2010 NPT Review Conference received the Declaration and recommendations for the Second Conference of States Parties and Signatories of Treaties that Establish NWFZs and Mongolia (April 30, 2010). This included the recommendations of the Civil Society Forum, United Nations April 29, 2010.

The above declaration is annexed as information pertaining to this presentation

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NWFZs are becoming more prominent as part of overall Arms Control UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, at the

NPT Review, 2010, has endorsed the NWFZ as a confidence building measure

Ban Ki-Moon in his 5-Point Proposal on Nuclear Disarmament supports a Nuclear Weapons Convention (NWC) – a treaty to abolish nuclear weapons

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NWFZ – a contribution to Global Zero Builds confidence; builds a global norm Builds a culture of peace NWFZ is part of the bigger picture

“…the territories of the powers which possess these terrible weapons of mass destruction will be something like contaminated islets subject to quarantine”*

*Alfonso Garcia Robles, Nobel laureate, Mexican diplomat

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TODAY’S SITUATION IN THE ARCTIC

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Climate Change <<->> Polar Ice Melts & Arctic climate affects the global climate

A major adaptation is needed in the way of life for Arctic indigenous peoples

There will be environmental refugees from coastal regions; requiring adaptation from a culture of the sea to a culture of the land

Traditional knowledge, gained over 100s/1000s of years about land, water, snow, marine conditions, wildlife must be valued and utilized

Youth must be educated to full participation in the new frontier; must be capable of employment in senior technical and management positions

Strategies and policies of adaptation must be jointly developed by Arctic peoples and their governments. Sustainability and environmental protection must be paramount

Territorial jurisdiction requires inclusion of indigenous peoples in plans for increased military presence

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International law (UNCLOS) will resolve sovereignty claims on continental shelveswww.dur.ac.uk/ibru/resources/arctic

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ARCTIC GOVERNANCE PLAN International collaboration

Avoid militarization of the Arctic International treaties covering many issues relevant to

the Arctic: negotiation in the near term Settle sovereignty claims Support adaptation Expand science research Develop new technology for this new frontier Develop new means of governance

Set a global example for innovations in governance

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International Collaboration TOOLS for GOVERNANCE Arctic Council: Its mandate must enlarge, including security, still

retaining decision making only for circumpolar nations and peoples Establish a Scientific Committee on Arctic Research (as in the Antarctic) UNCLOS1 rules on ocean area sovereignty, based data about the

seabed Economic resources: sufficient funding must be allocated by

governments; multinationals that benefit from Arctic resources or transpolar shipping must contribute

Agreements: regional, national, pan-Arctic, bilateral, multilateral, international. The idea of Arctic NWFZ to be introduced conceptually

An Arctic Treaty; negotiations could begin now, embedding NWFZ 1 UNCLOS United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea

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The Arctic Council

The Arctic Council is an intergovernmental circumpolar forum to collaborate on Arctic issues generally, except security Environmental protection and sustainable development

Circumpolar nations are the members and indigenous peoples are permanent participants

Other participants Observers: several countries NGOs: an extensive list

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Circumpolar nations add new military hardwareClockwise: Russia – submarine; Russia – surface warship; Norway – armed Arctic patrol vessel; Norway – 4 ice capable vessels of this class ; Norway – armed Arctic patrol vessel [Rob Huebert, Univ. of Calgary – Arctic Security Challenges & Issues- Ottawa, 01/28/10]

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Ice capable conflict and surveillance vesselsClockwise: Sweden/Finland- Arctic exercise 2009; Canada-Northern exercises; Canada – Arctic Offshore patrol vessel; Denmark –armed, ice capable inspection vessel [Rob Huebert]

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General Arrangements – Upper Deck

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Avoid militarization in support of territorial claims – instead, collaborate Needed – multilateral collaboration- for example: Search and rescue Environmental problems, e.g. oil spill Surveillance of shipping lanes

__________________________The current level of threat

is low. Now is the time for

political collaboration. Check our report-

“Ridding the Arctic of Nuclear Weapons

A Task Long Overdue”

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SETTING OUT ON THE PATH TO AN

ARCTIC NUCLEAR-WEAPON-FREE-

ZONE

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Benefits to the broader goals of Arms Control and Disarmament Planning and negotiating for a NWFZ is a

confidence building measure. It complements the efforts of governments and civil society groups who are working on other facets of arms control and disarmament.

NWFZ helps to build co-operative security mechanisms that facilitate a global nuclear-weapon-free regime

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Unique Benefits of an Arctic NWFZ to goals of Arms Control

and Disarmament An Arctic NWFZ treaty would create the controls that would greatly diminish or eliminate the possibility of terrorists transporting nuclear material or nuclear bombs by Arctic sea lanes.

An ANWFZ supports the Global Security Initiative for control of nuclear material, and nuclear waste, especially in the lands of the Russian Arctic

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THE MAIN CHALLENGES

Many circumpolar nations are part of NATO, a nuclear alliance. Arctic nations U.S. and Russia are nuclear weapon states Arctic territory (land) in the United States is free of

nuclear weapons; the Russian Federation relies upon the Arctic region in basing, deployment and transit of nuclear weapons

Security policy: planning of the Arctic circumpolar states does not, to date, include an Arctic NWFZ

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MEETING THE CHALLENGES starting the NWFZ treaty negotiations Nations must proceed with urgency, being mindful of

the need to assist the Arctic peoples – indigenous and non-indigenous – for preservation of the environment, security from conflict, and adaptation to climate change.

Arctic peoples must be at the negotiating table Each nuclear weapon-free zone is specific to the

geography and politics of the participating sovereign states [flexibility in negotiation is implied]For example: rules for transit of nuclear weapons vary from

zone to zone.

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Alternate starting pathways to Arctic NWFZ UN General assembly resolution supported

by Arctic non-nuclear weapon states Nordic NWFZ Nordic and Canadian NWFZ

Entire countries, or just north of Arctic Circle? Land first, then sea, then air OR sea first, then

land, then air U.S. and Russia might find changes in the

Arctic would be a useful way to continue the agreed arms cuts in the New START treaty

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What is the likely path for Canadians and the Government of Canada? Civil society groups, educators, and individual

citizens press for ANWFZ, part of support [at last] for a “northern vision”

Canadian government could assume an international leadership role for an Arctic NWFZ, as concrete evidence of its stated policy of support for nuclear disarmament

OF NOTE: (1) NNWS in the Arctic, including Canada, have already fulfilled important criteria AND

(2) Membership in NATO need not be a hindrance to formation; other NWFZ nations are also in nuclear alliances

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Canadian Pugwash Campaign Goal Keep the ANWFZ proposal at the forefront in

interaction with all nuclear and Arctic non-nuclear governments until such time as these governments are committed to carrying the process forward

Establishment of an Arctic Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone is a confidence building step toward a world free of nuclear weapons

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Partial list of support for an Arctic NWFZ Leaders in international Pugwash

Circumpolar Pugwash groups:- Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden Amb. Jayantha Dhanapala:- President of Pugwash Conferences on

Science and World Affairs Senator Roméo Dallaire: Parliament of Canada Several members of the Parliament of Denmark Interaction Council (former Prime Ministers and

world leaders) – meeting of April 2010 Walter & Duncan Gordon Foundation (Canada) World Future Council (United Kingdom) Nordic Council –Nordic NWFZ proposal submitted Soon - PNND, Canada – motion in House of Commons

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Start of a “TO-DO” List

Civil society groups and individuals can and should visit their MPs and write to the Government of Canada in support of Arctic NWFZ [as recommended by Donald Sinclair, DG, and Yves Brodeur, ADM, International Security Branch, DFAIT - personal communication to A. Buckley]

“…encourage the Government of Canada to engage in negotiations for a nuclear weapons

convention to deploy a major world-wide Canadian diplomatic initiative

in support of preventing nuclear proliferation and increasing the rate of nuclear disarmament”

[from Senator Hugh Segal’s motion in the Senate, passed on June 2, 2010] Arctic circumpolar nations should present a resolution to the United

Nations General Assembly , 2011, in support of a NWFZ for the Arctic [recommendation of Jayantha Dhanapala, President, Pugwash Conferences]

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Contact informationCanadian Pugwash Arctic Security WG Adele Buckley adele-buckley@rogers.com Michael Wallace michael.wallace@ubc.ca Steven Staples sstaples@rideauinstitute.ca Erika Simpson simpson@uwo.ca

Subscribe to Arctic Security Group (arctic-security@googlegroups.com)

www.arcticnwfz.ca www.pugwashgroup.ca Report: Ridding the Arctic of Nuclear Weapons, A

Task Long Overdue

(M. Wallace & S. Staples)

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The last word

“Canada must take this issue very seriously. Creating an Arctic nuclear-weapon-free zone will be a long process. Now is the time to launch this initiative, while the Arctic is being shaped, because this opportunity will not exist for long.”

Hon. Roméo Antonius Dallaire, Senate of Canada