Objectives and Strategies for a Successful Middle East WMDFZ

Conference, Finland 2012.

Rebecca E. Johnson Ph.D, ICAN Vice-Chair

The Peace Boat, 23 March 2012

Key linked 2010 NPT RevCon outcomes create context

Many reaffirmations of previous undertakings, but 3 key areas of specific commitment and new understanding:

1) 2012 Conference on implementing the 1995 Resolution on the Middle East, and Facilitator to take forward to 2015

2) Affirmation that international humanitarian law (IHL) applies to nuclear weapons and that using NW would cause “catastrophic humanitarian consequences”

3) Recognition of requirement to establish the necessary framework to achieve and maintain a nuclear weapon free world – requiring movement towards a comprehensive nuclear ban treaty

What would constitute success for 2012 MEWMDFZ Conference?

Constructive participation by all relevant actors including Iran and Israel

Agreement to engage in a process, including CBM, technical exchanges, laying groundwork for negotiations

Further role for facilitator (s) Meeting(s) to engage civil society from the region

and feed CSO ideas into government processes and develop ongoing partnership/engagement of both civil society and government

Possible agreements for substantive progress

Further meeting (s) – stand-alone or regional ‘Helsinki-type’ dual or triple-track process – need to go beyond ACRS experience

government experts to discuss technical and legal groundwork for CBM and Zone

civil society experts and representatives on laying political groundwork

international engagement paving way for multilateral nuclear disarmament

Beyond ACRS: could a ‘Helsinki’ process enable progress for the Middle East?

3 simultaneous/parallel tracks? e.g. Technical, legal and political negotiations on

scope and parameters for a Zone... Principles for mutual security, human rights

and humanitarian issues... Economic, scientific, technical and

environmental cooperation, shared resources, cultural and educational exchanges....

WHAT CAN I DO? International as well as regional

action to devalue NW > A Middle East NWFZ/WMDFZ will be difficult to achieve as long as nuclear weapons are perceived to carry high value for security, deterrence or power projection.

> Global initiatives and progress towards reducing the political/military role of nuclear weapons will help to create the conditions for making progress in the Middle East.

> Regional and international approaches should be mutually reinforcing: Steps towards one will facilitate steps towards both.

REFRAME NUCLEAR DANGERS: EXPLAIN HUMANITARIAN CONSEQUENCES

> death from blast, fire, collapsed buildings,

> radiation contamination and sickness> abrupt climate disruption and cooling> agricultural contamination and collapse> regional (perhaps global) famine> Starvation, epidemics, riots, civil

disorder, collapse, more conflict

THE LIVING WOULD ENVY THE DEAD

BUILD STRONGER REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CIVIL SOCIETY CAMPAIGNS

Make humanitarian and security case for prohibiting nuclear weapons worldwide

-- and for comprehensively eliminating nuclear and other WMD from Middle East

Build partnerships within each country and across borders

Build partnerships and develop an effective, flexible and determined process to get abolition negotiations underway

With governments and elected representatives – at all levels (nationally and diplomatically)

With other civil society actors, organisations, professionals and activists on wide range of humanitarian,human rights, disarmament and environmental issues

ICAN - Strengthen local, national, regional, transnational, global pressure for regional and multilateral negotiations to ban nuclear weapons and comply with and implement WMD treaties

Mobilise our own communities and constituencies: youth/students, women, men, health professionals, scientists, unions, workers, the de-employed, elected representatives (parliamentarians, mayors, local councillors)…

We CAN learn the lessons from the past and

abolish nuclear weapons

www.icanw.org