Disarming Our Planet

Jerry Ross describes his recent experience in Nagasaki at the 2018 World Conference Against Atom and Hydrogen Bombs where atom bomb survivors and activists represented a global mobilization to rid the world of nuclear weapons once and for all.

While there are a range of disarmament treaties that merit discussion, some recent ones mentioned in the news such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the New START, and the Treaty to Ban Nuclear Weapons are explained here more fully for our readers’ clarification.

Were you aware of the fact that 22 countries in the world do not have an army? How can that be? While many may think that armed forces are an indispensable part of any nation, and many governments often spend millions in order to strengthen their armed forces (or billions in the...

The four pillars of the Poor People's Campaign, poverty, racism, militarism and the war economy, and health and a healthy planet align closely with the initiatives of the United Nations - and this work must be shared.

Jerry Ross, UU-UNO Envoy at First Parish in Bedford, MA, reports on his experiences attending nuclear disarmament conferences in New York City.

This week's post in Disarming Our Planet is a statement by Mr Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, reposted here from the ICRC's website as an appeal to States, global leaders, and citizens. The International Committee of the Red...

How do you ever get the membership of the United Nations to sit down and talk about disarmament and even set off a large enough public response to have a significant downsizing of nuclear arsenals as a result? All we need is another Homer Jack. “And who is he?” you ask....

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons that is investigating the recent chemical weapons attack in Syria is authorized to enforce the Convention, but punishment for use of these weapons is not clearly defined.

Information direct from a UN staffer shows the risks in modern times relating to nuclear weapons, including recent efforts by nuclear-weapons states to modernize and develop new nuclear weapon technologies.

Just as the initiation of recent student led advocacy from Parkland, Florida brings hope for positive change in this country, so too have students in Japan addressed the issue of nuclear disarmament in their country by sharing the stories of nuclear blast survivors.

An overview of the contributions the Holy See made to the negotiations process leading up to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Pope Francis has been outspoken in support of nuclear disarmament.

This edition of Disarming Our World explores the story behind how the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons came to be.

Nuclear disarmament may still be far away, but significant steps are being taken at the United Nations through the leadership of 122 countries who have declared nuclear weapons illegal. The other, nuclear-armed countries must listen and learn from them.

This new series on the UUA International Blog is devoted to building our knowledge of disarmament efforts then and now, with the goal of helping to create a more peaceful world with much fewer weapons. As the UN Charter indicates, there is a real need for security - and...

Explore lessons the United States can take from other countries' gun control policies to reduce the risk of recurring tragedies such as the recent Las Vegas shooting.

Rev. Rob MacPherson reflects on Australia's experience with gun violence and gun control laws, as well as his own childhood in a gun-owning household in Baltimore.

The United Nations GA voted to begin negotiations on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. This critically important treaty calls for a complete ban of the use, production, possession, testing, and transfer of nuclear weapons.

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is a legally-binding and long overdue treaty to promote nuclear disarmament around the world. This treaty is a critical step toward ensuring that nuclear weapons no longer pose a threat to present and future generations.

Negotiations are underway at the United Nations to ban nuclear weapons. That is a remarkable statement. Last October, the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to begin negotiations in 2017 on “a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading...

Unitarian Universalists and other people of faith gathered in April 2017 for a whirlwind 3-day conference in New York City. The Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office’s annual Intergenerational Spring Seminar this year was centered on the theme “ Arm in Arm: Interfaith...