Youth Engagement at the 2024 PrepCom
On Tuesday, July 23, our amazing youth activists, Bobby, Talia, and Thomas delivered strong statements on youth engagement and the trilateral security partnership between Australia, United States, and U.K respectively. We are very proud of them. The full statements are below.
NPT PrepCom Youth Statement 2024
Delivered by
Bobby Verhey and Pranathi Chintalapudi , Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and Reverse The Trend
Honorable Chair and Distinguished Delegates,
We are ninety seconds to midnight. A handful of increasingly belligerent leaders threaten the total
annihilation of our world. At the same time, our leaders tell us the fallacy of nuclear deterrence. We
teeter on the edge of wiping out our history and our cultures. As youth, we are the ones who will
inherit this world: A world afflicted with perpetual conflicts, climate crises, and nuclear threats.
Therefore, we call upon our leaders to hear us and act. We must work together.
The NPT represents a grand bargain: the Non-Nuclear-Armed States agreed not to acquire nuclear
weapons and, in exchange, the Nuclear-Armed States agreed to negotiate in “good faith” toward
nuclear disarmament. Unfortunately, all nine Nuclear-Armed States are modernizing their arsenals.
This failure of nuclear armed states to adhere to Article VI obligations disregards our past and
threatens our future.
Honorable Chair and Distinguished Delegates,
We are approaching 80 years since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In Hiroshima, atomic
bombs killed 140,000 people by the end of 1945, and another 70,000 people died in Nagasaki. The
resulting cancers and radiation-related illnesses killed many more in the decades that followed.
As the last generation to hear the firsthand accounts of the Hibakusha, we must heed their warnings
— their lived reality mobilizes us to work toward the abolition of nuclear weapons.
We cannot achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world without nuclear justice—not only for Hibakusha,
but also for the Indigenous people of Australia, French occupied Polynesia, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, the
Marshall Islands, the Southwest United States, and many other unconsenting communities
devastated by nuclear testing. The ramifications of 20th century weapons-use are still felt today. We
demand restorative, procedural, and distributive action that centers environmental remediation and
victims assistance for nuclear-affected communities, who have historically and disproportionately
been Indigenous Peoples and other marginalized communities. Nuclear-armed states are directly
accountable for the ongoing devastation of affected communities.
Coupled with disproportionate health effects on women, these tests perpetuate the legacies of
colonialism and gender inequality. The ongoing consequences of nuclear testing are a dire warning
of what our future could be.
A single modern nuclear weapon, which can be thousands of times more powerful than those
dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, detonated over a major city would create an unparalleled
humanitarian catastrophe, with hundreds of thousands immediately vaporized and many more left
with complex injuries, crumbling infrastructure, and no access to medical care. A nuclear war using
less than 3% of the world’s nuclear weapons could kill up to every 3rd person on earth.
Despite this looming armageddon, all nine Nuclear-armed states are modernizing and increasing
their arsenals, for a total sum of $91.8 billion US Dollars in 2023 alone. This wasteful spending, which
would be better spent on clean energy solutions, healthcare, education, and more, is stealing from
our generation.
Honorable Chair and Distinguished Delegates,
We face a dual threat of nuclear war and the climate crisis. When states use these weapons, including
in tests, the surrounding environment is bathed in high levels of radiation–degrading land and water,
poisoning communities’ traditional food sources, and destroying entire ecosystems. While
remediation efforts are essential, these efforts do not negate the harm caused to the life of these
communities and their environments. The effects of testing emphasizes the need for everyone to
remember that we can not have one more nuclear explosion. Not now, not ever.
Let us be clear, as we make strides toward addressing climate change, leaving potential for nuclear
war is a mistake that would undermine these efforts. We can only save the world if there is a world
left to save.
Honorable Chair and Distinguished Delegates,
In light of the catastrophic humanitarian impacts of nuclear weapons and recent heightened
risk of nuclear war, we must act. We urge all NPT States Parties to take the following five
actions:
1. Join the TPNW at the earliest date possible to fulfill your Article VI obligations and ensure
global security, prevent humanitarian and environmental catastrophes, and promote
international stability.
2. Actively support, protect, and participate in the Middle East WMD Free Zone annual
conferences, recognizing that disarmament in the Middle East has already begun, in full
alignment with the 1995 Resolution that indefinitely extended the NPT.
3. Center the voices of victims and survivors by committing to nuclear justice. This can be done
by involving affected-communities in all decision-making regarding environmental
remediation and victims assistance, as well as supporting the International Trust Fund under
the framework of the TPNW.
4. Acknowledge the interconnected threats of nuclear weapons and climate change, and pursue
disarmament as an essential part of fighting the climate crisis.
5. Involve young people—especially women and other marginalized communities—in decision-
making on nuclear disarmament to harness their perspectives, which are essential for a
sustainable and equitable future. Thus, states must support youth campaigns like the UN
ODA’s Not One Nuclear Explosion and include a 20% youth composition in Member States’
delegations and relevant working groups.
We assert our right to shape the future we inherit and to create a just and sustainable world, free
from the threat of nuclear weapons. We implore you to take immediate action and work with us to
safeguard our shared humanity and the future of our planet.
It is either the end of nuclear weapons, or the end of life as we know it. We demand that you stand
with us, the inheritors of the world being created in this room today, and disarm.
Thank you.
* * *
Speakers
Bobby Verhey, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF)
Pranathi Chintalapudi, Reverse the Trend: Save Our People, Save Our Planet
Endorsements (listed in alphabetical order):
Association Katawara
Bill Kidd MSP
Disarmament Doves
ICAN Australia
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War's Medical Student Movement
Marshallese Educational Initiative
Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
Proposition One Committee
Reverse The Trend: Save Our People, Save Our Planet
Soka Gakkai International
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, U.S. Section
World BEYOND War
Yerdaulet Rakhmatulla, Co-Founder of the Steppe Organization for Peace (STOP): Qazaq Youth
Initiative for Nuclear Justice
Youth for TPNW
Yuki Nakajima
***
Joint Civil Society Statement on AUKUS, Coordinated and drafted by ICAN Australia
Honourable Chair and Distinguished Delegates,
We gather today in uncertain and dangerous times. All nine nuclear-armed states are investing
in modernising their arsenals, none are winding back policies for their use. The number of
available deployed nuclear weapons is increasing. We do not have the luxuries of time or
inaction.
Against this background where the proliferation of nuclear weapons is an ongoing concern,
Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America continue to further develop
AUKUS, an expanded trilateral security partnership between these three governments.
AUKUS has two pillars. Pillar One was first announced in September 2021 and relates to
information, training and technologies being shared by the US and UK to Australia to deliver
eight nuclear-powered submarines to Australia. Vessels which, if they eventuate, will utilise
significant quantities of highly enriched uranium (HEU). It also allows Australia to purchase
existing US nuclear submarines. Currently, Australia is committing billions of dollars to both US
and UK submarine industry facilities as part of the AUKUS agreement, potentially enabling the
further development of nuclear-armed capability in these programs.
Distinguished delegates, two years ago, during the 2022 NPT Review Conference, many
governments expressed concern that the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal would undermine the
NPT, increase regional tensions, lead to proliferation, and threaten nuclear accidents in the
ocean. There remains an urgent need to critique the nuclear proliferation risks posed by
AUKUS.
The Australian decision to enter into agreements around nuclear-powered submarines was
made on the assumption that it would be permitted to divert nuclear material for a non-
prescribed military purpose, by utilising Paragraph 14 of the IAEA’s Comprehensive Safeguards
Agreement (CSA). The ‘loophole’ of Paragraph 14 potentially allows non-nuclear-armed states
to acquire nuclear material, which would be removed from IAEA safeguards.
Australia's proposed acquisition of large quantities of HEU outside of usual IAEA safeguards
and scrutiny jeopardises non-proliferation efforts and fissile material security. This conference
has the mandate to prepare recommendations for the upcoming Review Conference to
strengthen rather than weaken the global non-proliferation regime by moving to close the
Paragraph 14 loophole. States represented here today should negotiate the closure of the
Paragraph 14 loophole in the NPT.
To eliminate the risk of non-nuclear weapons states acquiring nuclear weapons grade HEU, all
states, including AUKUS members, should refrain from sharing the technology and materials
that will be transferred if Australia and others acquire nuclear-powered submarines. The
paragraph 14 loophole undermines the NPT and needs to be closed.
Pillar Two of AUKUS plans to enhance the joint capabilities and interoperability between the
partners, and may draw in other countries to AUKUS. This move is vastly out of step with a
strong sense of Pacific regionalism and the long-standing commitment to a nuclear free Pacific.
The South Pacific Nuclear-Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Rarotonga) is being put under strain by
AUKUS, and the related agreement to deploy US nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to Australia
poses an extraordinary threat to the Treaty's integrity. It is of grave concern that currently Japan,
Canada and New Zealand are actively considering their engagement with AUKUS Pillar 2.
We are concerned that the AUKUS trilateral partnership, and any further expansions will
exacerbate regional tensions, fuel an arms race and increase risks of war in the Asia-Pacific
region, particularly involving China and the United States, and will increase the danger of
nuclear escalation in any such conflict.
Within Australia, First Nations communities have expressed deep concern about the imposition
of new military and radioactive waste facilities on their lands. First Nations and broader
communities across Australia and throughout the Pacific have noted that AUKUS is part of a
rapid militarisation of the region, and raises the ever-present threat of nuclear conflict.
Recognising the disproportionate impacts of previous nuclear activities on First Nations or
Indigenous Peoples, and the on-going legacies of nuclear weapons testing and activities in the
region, there is deep concern for what AUKUS will mean for sovereignty of Small Island States
and its impacts on Indigenous lands and Peoples.
Distinguished delegates, the fuel for HEU naval propulsion reactors is weapons-grade, and the
spent fuel is weapons-usable. HEU is the most suitable material for ready and rapid conversion
into a nuclear bomb. While removing HEU from a submarine would not be an easy process, the
possibility of diverting such material for weapons purposes cannot be ruled out. Meaningful
safeguards are extremely limited when the material is on a stealth platform that can disappear
for 6 months at a time.
With the entry into force of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), there
is a mandate to strengthen existing non-proliferation mechanisms. By joining the TPNW,
governments can legally confirm that they will not acquire or host nuclear weapons, nor assist
with their use or threat of use. AUKUS members should make firm their commitments to nuclear
non-proliferation and disarmament by joining the TPNW as a matter of urgency.
Thank you.
Endorsed by:
1. International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
2. International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Australia (Australia)
3. International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, France (France)
4. International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Norway (Norway)
5. LABRATS (United Kingdom)
6. International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Aotearoa New Zealand (Aotearoa
New Zealand)
7. Peace Movement Aotearoa (Aotearoa New Zealand)
8. Vrede vzw (Belgium)
9. Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (International)
10. Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (Australia)
11. Peace Action Wisconsin (USA)
12. Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (Ireland)
13. PEOPLES FEDERATION FOR NATIONAL PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT (PEFENAP)
14. The Green Institute (Australia)
15. Independent & Peaceful Australia Network (Australia)
16. Friends of the Earth, Australia (Australia)
17. Stop AUKUS WA (Australia)
18. Nuclear Truth Project (USA/Australia)
19. Top End Peace Alliance (Australia)
20. AidWatch (Australia)
21. Environment Victoria (Australia)
22. Melbourne Unitarian Peace Memorial Church (Australia)
23. The Human Survival Project (Australia)
24. People for Nuclear Disarmament (Australia)
25. Fukushima Fallout Awareness Network (USA)
26. TerraBiome
27. Marshall Islands Students Association - Fiji
28. Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG)
29. CODEPINK
30. Beyond Nuclear International
31. Abolition 2000 Nuclear Risk Reduction Working Group
32. Fiji Women’s Rights Movement
33. The Campaign for International Cooperation and Disarmament (CICD)
34. SEARCH Foundation (Australia)
35. Marrickville Peace Group (Australia)
36. Sydney Anti-AUKUS Coalition (Australia)
37. Climate Justice Union (Australia)
38. Justice and Peace Office, Sydney Archdiocese (Australia)
39. Queensland Conservation Council (Australia)
40. Wage Peace (Australia)
41. RightsNow Foundation (Pakistan)
42. Vikas Adhyayan Kendra (VAK) (India)
43. Quakers Australia
44. CND Cymru
45. The Communist Party of Australia, CPA
46. Together Against Sizewell C (TASC) (United Kingdom)
47. Communist Party of Australia (Marxist–Leninist)
48. Australian Anti-AUKUS Coalition (AAAC)
49. Christians for Peace Newcastle (Australia)
50. HOPE Inc (Australia)
51. Hunter Peace Group (Australia)
52. The Pacific Conference of Churches
53. International Volunteers for Peace Australia.
54. Australian Lawyers for Human Rights
55. Alianza por el Desarme Nuclear (Spain)
56. Nuclear Free West Australia (Australia)
57. FundiPau (Foundation for Peace)(Spain)
58. Group of Scientists and Engineers for a Non Nuclear Future (Catalonia)
59. Peace Boat
60. Australian Nuclear Free Alliance (ANFA) (Australia)
61. Nuclear Hotseat Podcast
62. Shepparton Interfaith Network (Australia)
63. Youth Arts New York/Hibakusha Stories
64. International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW)
65. Peace and Conflict Studies Institute Australia
66. Australian Education Union (AEU) Australia
67. Nillumbik Climate Action Team (Australia)
68. Conservation Council of WA (Australia)
69. JA! Justica Ambiental!, (Mozambique)
70. Urani? Naamik (Greenland)
71. NOAH Friends of the Earth Denmark, (Denmark)
72. Lawyers for Peace (Australia)
73. Medact U.K
74. Marshallese Educational Initiative
75. World Without Wars and Violence, Greece.
76. UK/Ireland Nuclear Free Local Authorities
77. New York Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons NYCAN
78. World BEYOND War
79. International Women's Development Agency (Australia)
80. Australian Graduate Women.
81. Reverse The Trend: Save Our People, Save Our Planet
82. Wollongong Against War and Nukes
83. Pax Christi International
84. Greens NSW (Australia)
85. Religions for Peace Australia (RfPA)
86. yDISARM (Aotearoa New Zealand)
87. Medical Association for Prevention of War (Australia)
88. Citizens' Nuclear Information Center (CNIC) (Japan)
89. Poros Muda untuk Aksi Bersama (POMANARA) (Indonesia)
90. Red de Acción por los Derechos Ambientales (RADA) (Chile)
91. Kanaky-Aotearoa Solidarity (Aotearoa New Zealand)
92. Green Koroi Vanuatu (Vanuatu)
93. Vanuatu Human Rights Coalition (Vanuatu)
94. Vatu Mauri Consortium (Vanuatu)
95. Vanuatu Young Women for Change (Vanuatu)
96. Anne's Community Health School and Nursing Services (Vanuatu)
97. Global Climate Smart Food Security (Vanuatu)
98. Vanuatu National Farmers Association (Vanuatu)
99. Nakor Alam Youth Association (Vanuatu)
100. BlueDalian (China)
101. People's Climate Assembly (Australia)
102. Buddhist Council of NSW (Australia)
103. IPAN Geelong & Vic Southwest (Australia)
104. Institute of International Studies (IIS), Universitas Gadjah Mada
(Indonesia)
105. Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, US
106. Australian Conservation Foundation
107. UnionsNT (Australia)
108. Solidarity (Australia)
109. Youth for TPNW
110. Asia Pacific Network of Environmental Defenders (APNED)
111. Blue Mountains Peace Collective (Australia)
112. Quit Nukes (Australia)
113. Reverse The Trend (RTT) Pacific
114. San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace
115. Western States Legal Foundation (USA)
116. Alice Springs Peace Action (Australia)
117. Mobilise Against AUKUS and War (MAAW) (Australia)
118. Green Music Australia
119. Sydney Peace Foundation (Australia)
120. Bob Brown Foundation (Australia)
121. The Australia Institute (Australia)
122. Pax Christi Victoria (Australia)
123. Vote Earth Now (Australia)
124. Doctors for the Environment Australia (Australia)
125. Norwegian Physicians against Nuclear Weapons (Norway)