Protect People and the Planet:
Appeal for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World

Global Appeal to end the nuclear threat, abolish nuclear weapons and shift the weapons budgets and investments to support public health, COVID-19 recovery, the climate and sustainable development.

The Appeal

The nuclear weapons possessed by nine countries threaten us all. Any use of these weapons by accident, miscalculation or malicious intent, would have catastrophic human, economic and environmental consequences. The use of just a small fraction of the 14,000 nuclear weapons in the world’s stockpiles could end civilization as we know it.

In addition, the $100 billion spent annually on nuclear weapons is sorely needed for environmental, economic and human needs, including addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, protecting the climate and implementing the Sustainable Development Goals.

We, the undersigned, call on our cities, parliaments and governments to:

  1. Affirm that nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought, and therefore the nuclear armed States should stand down their nuclear forces and affirm policies never to initiate a nuclear war (no-first-use policies);
     
  2. Commit to the elimination of nuclear weapons by 2045, the 100th anniversary of the United Nations;
     
  3. Cut nuclear weapons budgets (if they are a nuclear-weapon State), end investments in the nuclear weapons industry (all governments), and redirect these investments and budgets to support the United Nations, COVID-19 management and recovery, drastic reductions in carbon emissions to protect the climate, and financing the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

About the Appeal

This appeal to cities, parliaments and governments globally was launched on the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, September 26, 2020, as one of the actions of #WeThePeoples2020.

It will remain open for endorsement until significant progress is made by governments on the calls in the Appeal.

The key calls in the appeal were introduced to governments on October 2, 2020 by Mr Saber Chowdhury and Ms Vanda Proskova, the two civil society representatives invited by the President of the UN General Assembly to address the UN High Level Meeting on the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.

In order to advance the calls in the Appeal, it will continue to be presented to various forums including the UN General Assembly, UN Conference on Disarmament and Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly, as well as to national parliaments and civil society events.

Note: A companion appeal, Fulfil the NPT: From nuclear threats to human security, which makes the same calls but includes more detail and focuses on the NPT process, was presented to the NPT Review Conference in August 2022.

List of Endorsers

1063 people have so far endorsed the appeal
Nobuyasu 
Abe 
(Japan)
Senior Adviser, Council on Strategic Risks. Member, Asia-Pacific Leadership Network. Former United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs (2003-06). 
H.E. Byrganym 
Aitimova 
(Kazakhstan)
Former Senator and UN Ambassador for Kazakhstan 
Tadatoshi 
Akiba 
(Japan)
Former Mayor of Hiroshima. Former President, Mayors for Peace. 
Nnimmo 
Bassey 
(Nigeria)
Founder, Health of Mother Earth Foundation. Former Chair, Friends of the Earth International. Time Magazine Hero of the Environment 2009. Right Livelihood Laureate 2010. 
Saber Hossain 
Chowdhury MP 
(Bangladesh)
Co-President of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament. Honorary President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union 
Marie 
Dennis 
(United States)
Senior Advisor, Pax Christi International 
Yuri 
Donskoy 
(Ukraine)
President SPIA Humanitarian Support and Development Fund 
Jargalsaikhan 
Enkhsaikhan 
(Mongolia)
Chairman, Blue Banner NGO. Board member, International Peace Bureau. Former Ambassador of Mongolia to the United Nations. 
Maria Fernanda 
Espinosa 
(Ecuador)
Member, World Future Council. President of the 73rd UN General Asembly (2019). Former Ecuador Foreign Minister and Ambassador to the UN. 
Professor Richard 
Falk 
(USA)
Chair of Global Law, Queen Mary University London 
Cmdr Robert 
Forsyth 
(UK)
Retired Royal Navy Commander 
Ela 
Gandhi 
(South Africa)
Chairperson, Phoenix Settlement Trust. Grand-daughter, Mahatma Gandhi. Co-President, Religions for Peace. 
Senator Sehar 
Kamran 
(Pakistan)
Patron in Chief, Centre for Pakistan and Gulf Studies 
Prof. Azza 
Karam 
(Netherlands)
Secretary-General, Religions for Peace 
Dr Katsuko 
Kataoka, M.D., Ph.D 
(Japan)
Secretary-General, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War - Japan 
Kimmo 
Kiljunen 
(Finland/Suomi)
Member of Parliament. Former Secretary-General of the International Peace Bureau. Former Vice-President, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly 
Dr. Vladimir 
Kozin 
(Russia)
Leading Expert, Russian Academy of Military Sciences and MGIMO 
Mairead 
Maguire 
(Northern Ireland)
Founder, Peace People. Nobel Peace Laureate 1976 
Divina Stella 
Maloum 
(Cameroon)
Founder of Children for Peace. Co-winner of the 2019 International Children's Peace Prize 
Peggy 
Mason 
(Canada)
President, Rideau Institute on International Affairs. Former Canada Disarmament Ambassador. 
Baroness Sue 
Miller 
(UK)
Member, UK House of Lords. Vice-Chair, UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Global Security and Non-proliferation. Co-President, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament. 
General Bernard 
Norlain 
(France)
Vice-President, Initiatives pour le Désarmement Nucléaire. Former Air Defense Commander and Air Combat Commander of the French Air Force 
Senator Nan 
Orrock 
(USA)
Member, Georgia State Senate. Former President, Women Legislator's Lobby. 
Giorgio 
Parisi 
(Italy)
Scientist, Rome university la sapienza. Nobel Prize winner in physics 2021. 
Liliane Maury 
Pasquier 
(Switzerland)
Former MP, honorary president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) 
Tariq 
Rauf 
(Austria/Canada)
Director, Atomic Reporters. Former Head of the Verification and Security Policy Coordination Office at the International Atomic Energy Agency 
Khaled Ayesh Abdullah 
Sagheer 
(Yemen)
Executive Manager, National Forum For Human Rights 
Dr Sima 
Samar 
(Afghanistan)
Founder, Shuhada Organization. Former Chair, Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. Right Livelihood Laureate 2012. 
Natasha 
Shokri 
(Iran)
UNESCO Youth Peace Ambassador 
Gunnar 
Stålsett 
(Norway)
Bishop Emeritus, Church of Norway, Hon President, Religions for Peace. Former Vice Chair, Nobel Peace Prize Committee. 
Bishop William Edwin 
Swing 
(USA)
President, United Religions Initiative 
Carlo 
Trezza 
(Italy)
Member, European Leadership Network. Former Ambassador of Italy to the UN in Geneva. 
Erkki 
Tuomioja MP 
(Finland)
Vice-chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Parliament of Finland 
Phon 
van den Biesen 
(Netherlands)
Co-President, International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms. 
Achin 
Vanaik 
(India)
Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace 
Hans 
von Sponeck 
(Germany)
United Nations Assistant Secretary-General (ret.) 
Dr. Paul F. 
Walker 
(USA)
Chair of the Board, Arms Control Association. International Program Director, Green Cross International. Right Livelihood Award Laureate 2013. 
David 
Webb 
(UK)
Chair, Yorkshire CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament). Former Chair, CND United Kingdom 
Ambassador Mounir 
Zahran 
(Egypt)
Chairman, Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs (ECFA). Former Ambassador of Egypt to the United Nations in Geneva 
Uta 
Zapf 
(Germany)
Forum Eine Welt SPD. Former head of the Subcommission on Armscontrol, Diarmament and Nonproliferation of the Deutsche Bundestag 
Johnny 
Zokovitch 
(USA)
Executive Director, Pax Christi USA