Council supports UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
Tuesday, 30 July 2019
Inner West is one of eighteen Australian cities and local councils calling on the Australian government to join the United Nations Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
The call, part of Council’s commitment to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear (ICAN) Weapons Cities Appeal, comes on the 74th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 August and 9 August.
ICAN, established in Australia in 2007, was awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for its ground-breaking efforts to achieve a global treaty for the prohibition of nuclear weapons.
On 7 July 2017, 122 nations voted to adopt the treaty. Now, the treaty has been signed by 69 nations and ratified by 19 nations. Once ratified by 50 nations, it will enter into force.
While the Australian Government supports the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons, it has not yet signed or ratified the treaty.
Late last year, Council voted unanimously to:
• Endorse the ICAN Cities Appeal which is calling on the Australian Government to sign and ratify the treaty
• Write to the Foreign Affairs Minister calling for the Australian government to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons on behalf of the Australian people
• Congratulate ICAN on its historic achievement of winning the Nobel Peace Prize and its valuable contribution toward global nuclear disarmament
The treaty prohibits the use, production and stockpiling of nuclear weapons and lays the foundations for their total elimination.
As well, the treaty calls for governments to take steps to ensure that their funds are not invested in companies that produce nuclear weapons.
For more information, go to www.icanw.org
For media enquiries, contact Elizabeth Heath | Media and Communications Coordinator P: +61 2 9392 5334 | E: Elizabeth.Heath@innerwest.nsw.gov.au