Kazakh Room (Cinema Room XIV),
Palais des Nations, United Nations, Geneva
September 25, 16:00 - 17:30
followed by refreshments
Organised by UNFOLD ZERO and the Basel Peace Office
Hosted by the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs
September 26 is the first International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. It was established by UN General Assembly Resolution 68/32 introduced by the Non-Aligned Movement.
The aim of the day is to enhance ‘public awareness and education about the threat posed to humanity by nuclear weapons and the necessity for their total elimination, in order to mobilize international efforts towards achieving the common goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.’
The day is supported by UNFOLD ZERO, which was launched at the United Nations in New York on 7 May 2014 by a coalition of NGOs with the participation of the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs (UNODA). UNFOLD ZERO will provide a platform for governments, parliaments and civil society to post announcements, photos and reports of actions and events to commemorate this day. Already the Inter Parliamentary Union and the US Conference of Mayors have adopted resolutions supporting the International Day.
PNND will use the occasion to launch an initiative to have 50 parliaments adopt motions, resolutions or statements supporting the International Day by the next observance in 2015. The event will also include a preview excerpt of The Man Who Saved the World, a documentary to be released at the Woodstock Film Festival in October 2014, about an incident on Sep 26, 1983 in which we nearly had a nuclear weapons exchange. The documentary features Hollywood stars and disarmament experts interviewing Stanislav Petrov, a lieutenant colonel of the Soviet Air Defence Forces who possibly saved the world from nuclear annihilation.
Click here for the draft program and list of co-sponsors.