EarthAction

Global Wave and Peace & Planet at the UN nuclear conference

From Global Wave 2015:

With one week to go in the month-long deliberations of governments at the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in New York, Global Wave 2015 and the Peace and Planet on Friday May 15 organised another presentation at the United Nations to promote our call for governments to agree to a plan for the prohibition and complete elimination of nuclear weapons.
 
At the UN event we:

• highlighted the 7 million signatures on the nuclear abolition petition Peace and Planet presented to the President of the NPT Review Conference on April 26,
• discussed the connections between nuclear abolition and other core human security issues (such as climate change, poverty, unemployment, war and human rights),
• re-stated the importance of governments agreeing to a concrete plan to abolish nuclear weapons,
• reported on youth actions for nuclear abolition, and
• showed videos and photos from Global Wave actions around the world.

Previously, in the opening weeks of the NPT Conference, we presented to one of the main plenaries, tweeted photos and videos of Global Wave actions from countries as the foreign ministers or other representatives of those countries spoke, met informally with government representatives to advocate for nuclear abolition, and presented to a number of side events.
 
The majority of governments at the conference support our call, and are promoting the abolition of nuclear weapons in the deliberations and in the disarmament section of the draft outcome document.
 
The draft disarmament section calls on nuclear weapon States to take immediate steps to reduce nuclear stockpiles (page 7, para 5), end modernisation of nuclear weapons (page 7, para 6), reduce the role of nuclear weapons (para 7), and remove of all nuclear weapons from high alert levels (para 9).  The draft also calls on States to engage in an inclusive process within the United Nations to explore and develop the legal framework to achieve and maintain a nuclear weapon free world.

UNFOLD ZERO, a partner campaign to Peace and Planet, held a side-event on Thursday, outlining the ways in which the abolition of nuclear weapons can be, and is being, facilitated and supported through various UN bodies and initiatives.
 
These include promotion of a nuclear weapons convention by the UN General Assembly and the UN Secretary-General, putting legal pressure on the nuclear weapon States through the International Court of Justice, hosting deliberations and negotiations through a UN General Assembly process, deciding to hold a high-level conference on nuclear disarmament (similar to a UN Summit), criminalising nuclear weapons through the International Criminal Court, and building public engagement and support through the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.
 
There is still one week to go in the NPT Review Conference. The nuclear weapon States are already opposing some of the draft text. And even if the text is adopted, it does not mean that the nuclear weapon States will implement it quickly. They have, for example, done very little to implement the more modest agreements from the 2010 NPT Review Conference – leading the Marshall Islands to launch cases in the International Court of Justice against the nuclear armed States challenging the lack of implementation of disarmament obligations.
 
However, civil society actions including Global Wave and Peace and Planet have definitely had a positive impact at this important international conference, challenging the nuclear weapons states and giving support to the non-nuclear States.
 
We thank you for your action in support.
 
For more information see:

• List of Global Wave 2015 actions around the world and links to photos of these;
• Playlist of Global Wave 2015 videos;
• World Map of Global Wave actions;
• News stories of interesting actions.

 Yours in peace,
 
Alyn Ware
Rimma Velikanova
Global Wave Joint Coordinators
 
Jackie Cabasso
Joseph Gerson
Peace and Planet Joint Coordinators
 
www.peaceandplanet.org
www.globalwave2015.org

FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENT: Keepers of the Earth Fund Self-Governance and FPIC Initiative

From First Peoples Worldwide:

First Peoples Worldwide (First Peoples) is pleased to announce its new Self-Governance and Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) initiative, a funding opportunity to create or strengthen existing dialogue between Indigenous communities and corporations with respect to Indigenous rights and resources. The colonial period left Indigenous communities deeply scarred; their land, culture, and rights were systematically stripped away by colonists looking to profit from the rich assets utilized by Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous Peoples have struggled in the modern world to have their rights and traditional cultures acknowledged by their respective governments, countries, and the world at large. Now, Indigenous Peoples are speaking up to stop this blatant disregard for their rights, and they are being heard.
 
In 2007, the United Nations adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (the Declaration), which has since been ratified by 143 countries and sets a global standard for the treatment of Indigenous Peoples. This vital, though not legally binding, declaration is helping to secure Indigenous rights worldwide, and FPIC, which is part of the Declaration, acts as an informal guideline to bringing Indigenous communities closer to securing self-governance.
 
The primary purpose of the Self-Governance and FPIC initiative is to empower Indigenous communities to use their traditional knowledge and governance structures, decision-making processes, and alliances with other communities, to develop strategic approaches to working with corporations encroaching on their lands and ways of life. To further promote FPIC policy development, this initiative will strengthen Indigenous community organizing, capacity in policy formulation, and communication efforts with governing or corporate authorities.
 
Through its Keepers of the Earth small grants program and fund, First Peoples promotes Indigenous self-governance and capacity to exercise FPIC. Grant applications will be accepted on a monthly basis through October 31^st, annually.

For guidelines and grant applications, please visit First Peoples website (www.firstpeoples.org/grants) or contact grants@firstpeoples.org. 

To apply for the grant, please visit:
http://firstpeoples.org/grants/apply-for-a-grant