Special Event on Examining the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons at Drew University

Report

By Sean Becker | Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and Reverse The Trend 

On January 19th, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF), our youth initiative,  Reverse The Trend: Save Our People, Save Our Planet (RTT), the Marshallese Educational Initiative (MEI), Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy (LCNP), Drew Roosevelt Network, l'Association Francophone at Drew, and Drew Collegiate Model UN sponsored a hybrid event at Drew University entitled “Examining the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons.” The speakers included Benetick Kabua Maddison, Executive Director of the Marshallese Educational Initiative; Tamatoa Tepuhiarii, an Equity Rises Youth Campaigner for RTT and MEI; Hannah Kohn, the UN Advocacy Fellow for Outright Action International; Seth Shelden, the UN Liaison of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), and Board Member of the Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy; and Annamaria Belevitch, the Social Media Coordinator for the NAPF. The event was moderated by Christian Ciobanu, the Policy and Advocacy Coordinator for NAPF and Project Coordinator for RTT.

Mr. Ciobanu opened the panel by stressing the dangers that nuclear weapons currently pose to our world. He presented  a video entitled “What if We Nuke a City?” by Kurzgesagt and the ICRC, which showcases the devastating effects that a nuclear detonation would have on a major city and its surrounding area.  

Benetick Kabua Maddison discussed the impact of nuclear testing on his home country of the Marshall Islands, a chain of 29 atolls located in the middle of the Pacific. When speaking about the experiences of his people, Mr. Maddison explained that “many Bikinians trusted the U.S and believed that they would return home” even though the U.S went on to cause devastating environmental contamination, which prevents people from moving back to Bikini to this day. Moreover, Mr. Maddison discussed  the way in which the Marshall Islanders have used activism to spread awareness about their nuclear legacy and the danger of nuclear weapons more broadly.

Tamatoa Tepuhiarii spoke about the way that nuclear testing in French Polynesia affected the French Polynesian culture and society and its impacts on the local population. He also underscored the importance of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons for affected communities. Specifically, Mr. Tepuhiarii spoke about the necessity for the Co-Chairs of Articles 6 and 7 to create an international trust fund to help provide victim assistance, which continues to be missing both in French Polynesia as well as elsewhere in the Pacific and in other communities affected by nuclear testing.

Annamaria Belevitch further discussed the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons testing in French Polynesia. Specifically, she addressed the issue of radiation exposure and its relationship to cancer rates in the area. Ms. Belevitch also addressed the gendered distribution of the effects of radiation exposure, demonstrating that evidence suggests that women, when exposed to harmful amounts of radiation due to nuclear weapons testing at a young age, are more susceptible to developing cancer than men.  

Hannah Kohn examined the importance of human rights law in regards to nuclear weapons policy. Ms. Kohn specifically elaborated on the importance of “the right to life,” and the way in which use and threat of use of nuclear weapons are directly in violation of this right and norm of international humanitarian law. Ms. Kohn also spoke about the disproportionate impact of nuclear weapons on marginalized communities, stating that “women are uniquely impacted by nuclear radiation, and particularly those women who are in the communities that have borne the brunt of nuclear projects.” 

Seth Shelden further elaborated on the lasting legacy that nuclear weapons testing has had on different regions of the world. Specifically addressing the legacy of nuclear testing in the Pacific and Kazakhstan, Mr. Shelden explained that nuclear weapon states, such as the US, Soviet Union (now Russia), France, and the UK often used colonial territories within their own jurisdiction as testing grounds for nuclear weapons. As such, nuclear weapons testing has disproportionately affected communities of color. Mr. Shelden also discussed the significance of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

The panel provided insight into the different communities that have been affected by nuclear weapons testing, demonstrating that the goals of nuclear disarmament intersect with other current social and environmental issues. All of the speakers ultimately agreed that pursuing the universalization of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) is a critical step in the right direction towards nuclear abolition. 

At the conclusion of the event, Joey Holzman mentioned our intention to establish a RTT Club at Drew University.