IPPNW

"As we approach the upcoming 2024 UN General Assembly, African nations have a unique opportunity to elevate the TPNW on the global agenda. The reflections from the recent conference provide a clear path forward: African states must use their collective voice to advocate for the universalization of the TPNW."

Read Dr. Kelvin Kibet's, IPPNW Deputy Director, reflection on last month's African Conference on the Universalisation and Implementation of the TPNW: https://peaceandhealthblog.com/2024/09/16/a-push-for-africas-leadership-in-the-universalization-of-the-nuclear-ban/

Today, 79 years after a nuclear weapon was detonated during war time, we honor the Hibakusha, the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and re-affirm our commitment to creating a world without nuclear weapons.

We all deserve a voice when it comes to preventing . Please join Back from the Brink: The Call to Prevent Nuclear War for a conversation with Annie Jacobsen, NY Times bestselling author of "Nuclear War: A Scenario" on Weds, May 29 — and learn how you can get involved.

Register now: bit.ly/aj-bftb

Dr. Tilman Ruff, IPPNW leader and co-founder, and Chuck Johnson, IPPNW Policy Director, met with Minister-Counsellor Arsen Omarov and Third Secretary Anna Lebdeva of the Kazakhstan Mission in Geneva to discuss nuclear weapons and the urgent need for disarmament. Noting the acute threat nuclear weapons pose to public health, the group discussed the need for an updated report on the impacts of nuclear weapons on health and health services, supported by WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus. They also discussed ongoing efforts to support communities affected by nuclear weapons through the .

Stay tuned for more from our Geneva Office as we head into the World Health Assembly next week.

In March 2023, IPPNW established a new office in Geneva, the “Peace Capital” of the world. In just over a year, IPPNW's presence in the center for medicine and world peace is facilitating our ability to better coordinate with the like-minded organizations.

Major highlights include meeting with WHO Director General, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, to discuss the renewal of the WHO's 1987 study, "Effects of Nuclear War on Health and Health Services"; coordinating more than 150 medical journals, including the Lancet and the British Medical Journal, to call for urgent steps to decrease the growing danger of nuclear war; participating in Norwegian People's Aid and the ICRC's NukeEXPO in Brussels and Oslo; and much more.

Learn more about our progress in Geneva athttps://www.ippnw.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Geneva-Progress-Report-2024.pdf
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Pictured: IPPNW Geneva Office staff and volunteers

Join IPPNW and Greater Boston PSR’s 6th annual Global Health and Peace Awards this October at the Ikeda Center in Harvard Square 🕊️ 🩺 🌍

This year’s event will honor Drs. Elaine Scarry and Richard Clapp for the extraordinary work they have done as longtime leaders for climate action and nuclear disarmament. We will also give our first Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Robert Jay Lifton.

We are thrilled to gather with you this October to enjoy beautiful live music, food and drink, and socializing with friends and colleagues who share our concern about the twin existential threats of nuclear war and climate change. A quartet from the Longwood Symphony Orchestra will provide the evening’s musical entertainment.

Secure your ticket, become a sponsor, and learn more at gbpsr.org.

Three of IPPNW's Co-Presidents — Dr. Kati Juva, David Onazi, and Carlos Umaña — attended “World Meeting of Human Fraternity” hosted by the Vatican. Distinguished laureates, including Dimitry Muratov, Rigorberta Menchú Tum, Maria Ressa, Muhammad Yunus and Jody Williams attended the meeting alongside several organisations.

On the first day, the participants collaborated on declarations “We reject war: Let diplomacy prevail over arms” and “Be Human”. Several participants, including IPPNW’s Co-Presidents and ICAN´s Melissa Parke, expressed the deep concern of the risk and devastating consequences of nuclear weapons.

Stay tuned for more from our Co-Presidents!

IPPNW delegates, Drs. Dennis Opondo, Kelvin Kibet and Bonventure Machuka, attended the 2024 UN Civil Society Conference in Kenya, ensuring nuclear disarmament discussions are included to the Pact of the Future.

With the 2024 Summit of the Future in New York on the horizon, advocacy for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World is vital. As IPPNW, we rally for a safer, more secure future.

Follow IPPNW Kenya for more. Stay tuned for IPPNW's Summit of the Future plans.

Young IPPNW leaders work to advance the TPNW in Zambia 🗣

On the 9th of May 2024, IPPNW, ICAN, ICRC, and the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) co-organized a workshop on "Advancing Zambia's ratification of the TPNW" which was a resounding success.

Stakeholders from various government ministries - including Defense, Foreign Affairs, Internal Security, and more - and civil society groups came together with a shared goal of working towards the ratification of the treaty. Nine IPPNW Zambia members participated in the session. Their commitment to collaboration and dedication to ensuring the treaty is ratified is truly commendable.

During the workshop, IPPNW Co-International Student Representative, Walusungu Mtonga, gave a presentation on behalf of IPPNW on the growing danger of nuclear war and the importance of ratifying the treaty for regional peace and global security.

Stay tuned for more updates from Zambia and the region!

Dr. Ira Helfand, IPPNW Board member, met with Senzatomica last month to discuss the humanitarian impacts of nuclear weapons and the need for Italy to join the at the earliest possible date.

One year ago, IPPNW delegates from around the world gathered in Mombasa, Kenya for our 23rd World Congress. Over a dozen medical students and junior doctors preceded the Congress with a 500km bike tour from Nairobi to Mombasa. Learn more about their experiences below ⤵️

In April 2023, over a dozen IPPNW medical students and junior doctors from 9 countries braved a 500km bike tour from Nairobi to Mombasa, Kenya, leading to IPPNW’s 23rd World Congress 🚴‍♀️🐘🩺 Exactly one year later, we are pleased to share personal reflections from bike tour participants, including a few of the lead organizers.

Read their reflections in full: https://peaceandhealthblog.com/2024/04/29/our-journey-may-have-ended-but-commitment-to-the-cause-remains-unwavering/

One week ago, an IPPNW delegation attended Norwegian People's Aid and International Committee of the Red Cross of Brussels' with one clear message: your doctor cannot help you following a nuclear war. As a federation of health professionals, we know that we must prevent what we cannot cure. Due to the catastrophic humanitarian impacts following any use of nuclear weapons, the abolition of these indiscriminate weapons is the only viable treatment option.

Learn more at ippnw.org/hinw

On 12 April, IPPNW and International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) staff members met with World Health Organization (WHO) leaders, including Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, to discuss the unique role the WHO can play in preventing nuclear war and abolishing nuclear weapons. More specifically, Chuck Johnson, IPPNW Policy Director, highlighted the need for the WHO to update their 1987 report, "The Effects of Nuclear War on Health and Health Services".

Stay tuned for more information on our engagement with WHO, including our IPPNW side event at the upcoming World Health Assembly.

"Cabe hacerse la pregunta de que, si un país como España no puede rechazar el uso de las armas nucleares en su nombre, ¿quién puede hacerlo? ¿Qué espera España para firmarlo? ¿Qué es lo que falta para que España esté del lado correcto de la historia?"

New article by IPPNW Co-President, Dr. Carlos Umana

Desafíos al régimen de no proliferación nuclear Cada 5 de marzo se celebra el Día Internacional para Concienciar sobre el Desarme y la No Proliferación nuclear, una fecha en la que conviene reflexionar sobre la arquitectura legal existente en torno a las armas nucleares y a qué peligros se enfrenta. El Tratado sobre la No Proliferación Nuclea

"La coerción nuclear amenaza la seguridad": ONG alertan del creciente riesgo en el tercer aniversario del tratado contra la proliferación de armas nucleares

"La coerción nuclear amenaza la seguridad": ONG alertan del creciente riesgo en el tercer aniversario del tratado contra la proliferación de armas nucleares Varias ONG alertan de la creciente amenaza nuclear en el tercer aniversario del tratado contra la proliferación de armas nucleares al que no se han adherido los países de la OTAN | Cadena SER

"If peace had a face and if kindness, mutual cultural understanding and respect had a name it might well be the face and name of of our Russian colleague Boris Bondarenko," state IPPNW colleagues remembering Dr. Bondarenko

Remembering Boris Bondarenko by Prof. Igor Korneev, St. Petersburg, and Dr. Lars Pohlmeier, Bremen If peace had a face and if kindness, mutual cultural understanding and respect had a name it might well be the face and name of…

Nuclear deterrence is the existential threat, not the nuclear ban treaty In response to an article that criticized the nuclear ban treaty, a group of activists argue that a process to abolish nuclear weapons is vital to world safety. From scholarly analyses to known close calls and near misses, they argue, the message is clear: The world has avoided nuclear war only thro...

"The ultimate question for [the USA] is whether such a person, with the power to wield nuclear weapons if reelected, constitutes a grave and lethal threat to our country and the world," states Dr. Eric Chivian, IPPNW co-founder

Opinion | America is playing with fire when it comes to Donald Trump Former S.C. governor Nikki Haley should remain in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

"What're you guys doing here?" IPPNW delegates to share their experiences at the world's largest climate conference and the intersection of disarmament, health, and the climate crisis.

No nukes, no war, no warming! by Drs. Angelika Claussen, Harrison Kuria Karime, Bimal Khadka, and Knut Mork Skagen Drs. Bimal Khadka and Angelika Claussen outside COP28 “What are you guys doing here?” As the first IPPNW delegat…

Building a world without nuclear weapons: An urgent imperative This month, as we celebrate the third anniversary of the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and the second anniversary of the publication of Archbishop John…

Dr. Tilman Ruff, IPPNW and Medical Association for Prevention of War Board Member, speaks with WION about increased tensions in the Korean Peninsula, just one of a few potential nuclear flashpoints around the world. We must eliminate nuclear weapons before they eliminate us.

Tensions spiral in the Korean Peninsula | North Korea's underwater nuclear drone test | WION North Korea has conducted a test of its underwater nuclear weapons system in a protest against this week's joint military drills by South Korea, the United S...

"Ignoring the ecological impacts...of war and militarism impedes our ability to adequately respond to the humanitarian, climate and planetary health crisis," shares Drs. Margaret McGregor, Linda Thyer, and Tim Takaro, IPPNW and IPPNW International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War Canada Board Member

It’s time for Canadian environmental groups to talk about war as an act of climate denial Acknowledging that a number of environmental organizations have quietly joined a growing coalition of civil society groups calling for ceasefire in Gaza, why is this community not speaking out more about war crimes that have the world’s attention, or educating others on the interconnectedness of w...

"Global cooperation, not threats of annihilation, must be the basis for addressing all existential threats," states Ivana Hughes, Xanthe Hall, Dr. Ira Helfand, and Mays Smithwick in recent Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists article debunking the theory of deterrence.

Nuclear deterrence is the existential threat, not the nuclear ban treaty In response to an article that criticized the nuclear ban treaty, a group of activists argue that a process to abolish nuclear weapons is vital to world safety. From scholarly analyses to known close calls and near misses, they argue, the message is clear: The world has avoided nuclear war only thro...

Militarisation is accelerating climate change, and both are harming human and planetary health. We need strong medical voices advocating and educating against this existential threat, argues Bimal Khadka in recent BMJ opinion piece

Disarmament is vital for climate justice and health Militarisation is accelerating climate change, and both are harming human and planetary health. We need strong medical voices advocating and educating against this existential threat, argues Bimal Khadka In December 2023, the 28th UN climate summit (COP28) set a landmark with the adoption of two new...

Join this engaging discussion in ONE HOUR. Register here: https://members.ypfp.org/event-5521082

Join Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (YPFP) Tokyo, ICAN, IPPNW, and Global Policy Diplomacy and Sustainability (GPODS) on January 14th at 15:00 UTC for an engaging discussion on the nexus of the climate crisis and nuclear war. Learn more and register now: https://members.ypfp.org/event-5521082.

2024 will be a defining moment in the security and integrity of our planet. The leading global climate and nuclear disarmament conferences, 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) and the Second Meeting of the States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), both ended last month with ambitious goals to protect our common future.

Our global webinar following these two global discussions and offer pathways to bring these dual issues together. In a world consumed by polycrisis, global risks, and heightened geopolitical tensions, exploring the interrelatedness of nuclear risk and climate risk is necessary now more than ever.

From IPPNW's successful Congress in Mombasa, Kenya to the second Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty in NYC and more, Dr. Sally Ndung'u reflects on her advocacy in 2023 and explores how we can strengthen our work in the year ahead

We are stronger together: Reflections on 2023 by Dr. Sally Ndung’u, IPPNW At-Large Board Member and XXIII IPPNW Congress President Reception of the IPPNW bike-tour in Mombasa on 24th April, 2023 The XXIII IPPNW World Congress – Mom…

Dr. Carlos Umaña, IPPNW Co-President, sits down with Mohammed VI Polytechnic University students to discuss interdisciplinary methods in addressing global challenges and how we can collectively shape our future. Watch the discussion now:

UM6P - INSIDE THE SQUARE - EP01 - Carlos Umana Discover "Inside the Square," our newest podcast series.E01 features Carlos Umana, 2017 Nobel Peace Prize laureate for his work with the International Campai...

"Nuclear weapons have thus permitted the war in Europe, not prevented it or helped maintaining peace, as the deterrence mantra goes," states Dr. Kati Juva, IPPNW Co-President in recent blog post exposing the fallacy of deterrence

The fallacy of deterrence by Kati Juva The idea of deterrence is that when the adversary is aware of your capacity to punish it very forcefully (to make a counterstrike) for its unwanted behaviour (using nuclear weapons), t…