The new treaty which bans nuclear weapons will be the subject of a series of focused meetings at the UN in early March. More than 100 countries plus scores of civil society organisations including Pax Christi are taking part. This growing support for the 2021 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) poses a direct challenge to current dangers: nuclear-armed states are upgrading their arsenals; statements made by various nuclear-armed nations reflect a worrisome lowering of the threshold for nuclear weapons’ use; and Israel, supported by the United States, has dropped so many bombs on crowded Gaza that its total use of explosive force there is greater than the atomic bombs used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
In this context, many interreligious organisations are making a joint interfaith appeal to the TPNW conference in New York (also available in Spanish). Pax Christi International and 12 national and local Pax Christi sections are part of the appeal. “Abolishing nuclear weapons cannot be a distant goal; it is a requirement for our collective survival,” the interfaith initiative says. August 2025 will be the 80th anniversary of the first atomic bombings.
“We pray that all nations awaken to the folly of the logic of claiming their own security at the cost of the survival of humanity and our planet, and choose the path of nuclear abolition,” the interfaith appeal notes. The statement commends TPNW States Parties for “leadership in working toward a world without nuclear weapons.”
The TPNW includes protections and benefits generally not found in disarmament treaties. For example, this meeting will address risks inherent to nuclear weapons including the need for victim assistance and environmental remediation at nuclear test sites.
In the four years since its entry into force, half the countries in the world, representing a total of 2.5 billion people, have signed the TPNW. One in three of the countries where Pax Christi has members are among these signatories. A Pax Christi International working group on human security and disarmament is urging more of PCI’s members to lobby their governments where these have not yet signed or ratified the TPNW.
“At this historic moment, with heightened nuclear risk, states are expected to push back against the threat that nuclear weapons pose and the urgency for nuclear disarmament,” ICAN, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, said of the TPNW meeting. Pax Christi International is a long-time campaign member.
In the lead-up to the meeting, ICAN and PAX (formerly Pax Christi in the Netherlands), released a report detailing the 260 banks, pension funds, and other financial institutions that continue to financially back the nuclear weapons industry. This civil society campaign to divest from nuclear weapons is having an impact. Since the TPNW entered into force, it reports, “the number of institutions with significant financial exposure to companies involved in the nuclear weapons industry has dropped by a quarter”.
NATO allies where Pax Christi International has members, including Belgium and Germany, have attended previous meetings of the TPNW as observers. They are being urged to do so again at this third meeting of the new treaty.
Pax Christi Flanders is once again making every effort to persuade the Belgian government to attend the meeting as an observing state. In addition, they will use this opportunity to build a network of young politicians who support the TPNW. Across the globe, young leaders are working tirelessly to advance disarmament and create a safer world in their respective countries. By bringing them together and fostering lasting connections, Pax Christi Flanders aims to empower and inspire them to continue their fight for these critical causes.
In conclusion, a delegation from Pax Christi International, including International Representatives from New York, Pax Christi USA, and Pax Christi Flanders, will actively participate in the event next week. Following their engagement, a comprehensive report will be prepared to share key insights and outcomes.
