Launching of Reverse the Trend and Welcoming the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

For immediate release:

Contact: Christian N. Ciobanu at cciobanu@napf.org or Danielle Samler at danielle.samler@gmail.com

To celebrate the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), we are launching an initiative called Reverse the Trend: Save Our People, Save Our Planet. Reverse the Trend is a global youth advocacy network that seeks to elevate the voices of young people, primarily coming from frontline communities who have been directly affected by nuclear weapons and climate change. This initiative is supported by an international coalition of non-governmental organizations.

To address the environmental catastrophe of nuclear weapons, this initiative engages youth by providing educational resources to understand the intersecting nature of the twin existential threats of nuclear weapons and climate change; encouraging movement building through art; and creating opportunities to share their local histories/stories in public and policy spaces.

We are launching this network because a collective force of young people must hold states accountable for their disregard of environmental affairs and international humanitarian law. For instance, the U.S. continuously modernizes its nuclear weapons in violation of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, and the U.S. president has sole authority to launch nuclear weapons. Additionally, nuclear allied states, such as Canada, have taken a backseat in multilateral nuclear disarmament affairs by supporting the status quo.

Youth are rising up and taking actions to change the world. It is time for the world to recognize them as agents of change. Leaders cannot be allowed to risk the world and expect young people to sit idly by on the sidelines.

As stipulated by Selina N. Leem, a Marshallese youth warrior and spokesperson of Reverse the Trend, “we simply cannot wait for certain states to create an environment for nuclear disarmament. Ne reba kon malon, konej malon? If they tell you to drown, are you to follow suit? It is past time for us to abolish nuclear weapons.”

Benetick Kabua Maddison, Project Specialist of the Marshallese Educational Initiative and an advisor for Reverse the Trend, notes that “as a Marshallese, I am optimistic that the project will help equip my peers with the knowledge they need to become advocates who can share with others the devastating effects of nuclear weapons that continue to traumatize our people...I am grateful to all the signatories and state parties, including the Pacific Island nations of Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Samoa, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. Unfortunately, many other nations have yet to sign the legally binding international agreement, including my ancestral homeland of the Marshall Islands. As long as nuclear weapons exist, the goals of international peace and security will remain simply words on paper.”

We are going to change the world. For us, the TPNW is a rallying cry. The nuclear weapons ban treaty not only seeks the total abolition of nuclear weapons, but it also requires, for the first time, international cooperation to assist victims of nuclear testing and to help remediate contaminated environments.

The youth coalition is ready to take action. Join us!

Project Coordinators for Reverse the Trend:
Christian N. Ciobanu, Danielle Samler, and Lovely Umayam ***

We would like to acknowledge the important contribution and guidance from the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, a prominent international nuclear disarmament non-governmental organization.

The following organizations also support this initiative:
Amplify, Bombshelltoe Policy x Arts Collective, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy, Marshallese Educational Initiative, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, Pathways To Peace, Peace Boat US, Rotary Club of Winnipeg, Youth Nuclear Peace Summit, and Zero Hour NYC