Breaking the Nuclear Chain (www.breakingthenuclearchain.org) is a campaign of the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), IKV Pax Christi and Peace Boat, that aims to give the debate on the consequences of the nuclear chain a human face. The campaign will inform, motivate and activate people to help us prevent the looming humanitarian catastrophe represented by nuclear energy in all its forms.
The campaign wants it to be known that many people have suffered from the nuclear chain – people that were affected by uranium mining, nuclear plants and accidents, by the testing and actual use of nuclear bombs and by radioactive waste. Realizing the power of a human story, the Breaking the Nuclear Chain campaign offers a platform for people that have been affected by any part of the nuclear chain to give their testimony, and make their stories heard by an audience that would normally be beyond their reach. www.breakingthenuclearchain.org/testimonies
Launch Event
The campaign “Breaking the Nuclear Chain” was launched on 22 October 2012 at the Beekman Tower Hotel in New York. On the side lines of the UN General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security sessions, an event was organized to introduce the campaigns’ intention to give the debate on the consequences of the nuclear chain a human face. Close to a 100 people attended the evening.
During and after the launch event, people were asked to give a short interview about their own personal motivations for working against the nuclear chain. These videos too show the individuals behind the work to break the nuclear chain. www.breakingthenuclearchain.org/interviews
Now with the campaign launched, the first activities will be organized in the coming weeks. Below are the two activities that are up first.
Competition – Making Your Way to Geneva
As a way to engage new people in the effort to eliminate the nuclear threat, the campaign is hosting a contest, the winner of which will be flown to Geneva, Switzerland, in April 2013. As a team, we will present community-developed recommendations to the UN Non Proliferation Treaty Preparatory Committee meeting, and lobby diplomats on the basis of these recommendations. Detailed information and Terms & Conditions for participation are available on the website. www.breakingthenuclearchain.org/competition
Breaking the Nuclear Chain – Webinar
This month, the campaign will be presenting Breaking the Nuclear Chain – the Webinar. The webinar will make information about different components of and considerations related to the nuclear chain easily accessible. Experts from around the world will share their knowledge and recommendations through videos and a discussion forum. www.breakingthenuclearchain.org/webinar.
The videos will be divided into four themes – 1) nuclear weapons and nuclear weapon tests; 2) uranium mining; 3) radioactive waste; and 4) nuclear energy. Each of these sessions will include: an introduction to the topic; information on the humanitarian consequences; the link with humanitarian law; and what could/should be done to break the nuclear chain.
On Thursday 29th November four experts will talk about Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear Weapon Tests. The expert speakers will be:
• Dr Rebecca Johnson, Director of the Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy and Co-Chair of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)
• Ira Helfand, Co-President of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War
• John Burroughs, Executive Director of Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy
• Susi Snyder, Programme Manager, Nuclear Disarmament, IKV Pax Christi
