Side Event: Addressing the Legacy of Nuclear Weapons

Report Prepared by Alei Rizvi and Christian N Ciobanu

On Tuesday, July 30, Kiribati, Kazakhstan, Austria, Marshall Islands, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, its youth initiative Reverse The Trend: Save Our People, Save Our Planet, and the Marshallese Educational Initiative convened an important side event on the legacy of nuclear weapons. This event examined the humanitarian provisions contained in the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and its connections to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. 

Speakers included: Zhangeldy Syrymbet, Counsellor at the Mission of Kazakhstan; Ambassador Doreen deBrum of the Marshall Islands; Benetick Kabua Maddison, Executive Director of the Marshallese Educational Initiative;  Raphael Pangalangan, Human Rights Officer, Environment and Climate Change Unit Development, Economic and Social Rights Branch Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; H.E. Ambassador Alexander Kmentt, Director of the Disarmament, Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Department of the Austrian Foreign Ministry; and Christian N. Ciobanu, Policy and Advocacy Director of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, RTT Project Coordinator, and TPNW Advisor for the Mission of Kiribati. Brock Walker, NAPF/RTT Nuclear Justice Campaign Manager, moderated the event. 

As part of his opening remarks, Brock Walker highlighted the significance of Kiribati and Kazakhstan’s joint resolution. He explained that an overwhelming majority of states voted in favor of the resolution. He also shared his anecdote about growing up near a test site.

Building upon Brock Walker’s remarks, Zhangeldy Syrymbet of Kazakhstan explained the need for the international community to support 2nd and 3rd generations of nuclear test victims. He explained that although nuclear testing occurred more than 30 years ago, generations are still experiencing the humanitarian and environmental impacts of nuclear weapons. He appealed to the international community to increase their attention to the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons.

Benetick Kabua Maddison of the Marshallese Educational Initiative described the anguish and painful experiences of the Marshallese people. He explained that on a Sunday afternoon, a few months before the nuclear test, Com. Ben Wyatt, the military governor of the Marshall Islands, traveled to Bikini. He met with the Marshallese and asked if they would be willing to leave the atoll so that the United States could begin testing atomic bombs for “the good of mankind and to end all wars.” The people met and voted to go to Rongerik Island, as advised by the Navy. Juda, the leader of the Bikinian people, announced that they would go “believing that everything is in the hands of God.” Benetick expressed concern about the lack of medical and psychological resources provided by the U.S in the aftermath of their tests.

Following Maddison’s remarks, H.E. Ambassador Doreen deBrum underscored the Marshall Islands’ concerns about the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. She called for a substantive discussion on Article 6 of the TPNW to clarify any misconceptions about the responsibilities of the affected states. She further emphasized that the user States must be held accountable for their actions. 

Raphael Pangalangan supplemented this discussion by highlighting his work regarding the implementation of HRC Resolution 51/35 on the human rights implications of nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands which is to be presented at the 57th session of the Human Rights Council in September. He provided insight on the concept of transitional justice and how it is relevant for the intersection of human rights and nuclear disarmament at large. 

Ambassador Kmentt continued the dialogue by recounting the relationship between the NPT, TPNW and Vienna Action Plan in respect to nuclear legacies. He underscored that although absent from NPT discourse prior to 2010, the 2010 Review Conference and the resulting action plan naturally culminated into the TPNW years later. He states that the TPNW was “instrumentally made possible by the testimonies of representatives of affected communities”.

Christian Ciobanu examined Articles 6 and 7 of the TPNW from his nuanced perspective as both a long-term nuclear justice activist with NAPF and advisor for Kiribati. He asserted that these Articles create a strong framework of shared responsibility in dealing with the humanitarian and environmental impacts of nuclear weapons, insisting that both Articles should be read together as a complementary framework. He also noted the sentiment of Pacific states in recognition of the role they must play to add their voice to the global effort to strengthen the norm against nuclear weapons, quoting their declaration from the Pacific Conference on the TPNW: “we are small, but we can have a big impact”.

Before concluding the event, there was a substantial exchange of questions and comments between speakers and audience members.