In January this year the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists set the Doomsday Clock at 100 Seconds to Midnight, indicating how close humanity is to an existential catastrophe from nuclear war or climate collapse. Bike for Peace, a member of the Abolition 2000 global network to eliminate nuclear weapons, is a public initiative that highlights what every-day citizens can do.
From August 26-31, Bike for Peace, undertook a biking tour in Switzerland, co-sponsored by Basel Peace Office, to promote nuclear risk-reduction and disarmament.
A team of Bike for Peace cyclists from Norway and New Zealand, led by partially blind cyclist Tore Naerland, organised bike rides, events and advocacy meetings in Lausanne and Geneva. Tore, who launched Bike for Peace in 1977, rides on a tandem bicycle with a fully sighted companion rider. Since then he has led peace bikes rides in over 115 countries around the world.
In Lausanne, the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee, Bike for Peace highlighted the role of sport to promote peace. In Geneva, Bike for Peace supported United Nations initiatives for nuclear disarmament and disarmament diplomacy that take place in Geneva including the Russia-US Strategic Stability Dialogue.
Bike for Peace and the Biden-Putin Summit
Bike for Peace is a participant in the NoFirstUse Global initiative which calls on the leaders of nuclear-armed states to discuss and adopt No-First-Use policies as an important step to achieving a nuclear-weapon-free world.
In Geneva, Bike for Peace started with a bike ride to Villa la Grange, the venue for the June 16 Summit between Presidents Joseph Biden and Vladimir Putin.
Members of Bike for Peace were amongst the 1200 endorsers of a Joint Letter to Presidents Biden and Putin sent just prior to their June 16 summit calling on them to affirm that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought, and to implement this by adopting no-first-use policies as a first step towards nuclear disarmament. Copies of the Joint Letter were sent to the UN Missions in Geneva of Russia, the USA and all other members of the Conference on Disarmament (65 countries).
At the summit, the two presidents affirmed ‘the principle that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought’ and agreed to embark together on an integrated bilateral Strategic Stability Dialogue.
Bike for Peace rides to the UN Missions of nuclear-armed countries
On August 30, Bike for Peace rode to the UN Missions of the Russian Federation and the United States and met with Ambassadors of the missions to discuss nuclear disarmament, an in particular to encourage them to agree in their Strategic Stability Dialogue to adopt concrete steps including No-First-Use policies.
Bike for Peace also rode to the UN Mission of France, the country coordinating the P5 (nuclear armed states) dialogue in the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review process). There they met with the French Ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament, who is himself a long-distance cyclist, and discussed concrete disarmament steps for the P5.
At all three missions, Bike for Peace delivered a letter calling on the governments to adopt measures to prevent nuclear war, such as No-First-Use policies, and to commit to the global elimination of nuclear weapons no later than 2045, the 100th anniversary of the UN.
International Day Against Nuclear Tests
On August 29, Bike for Peace held a commemoration event for the International Day Against Nuclear Tests at Place des Nations in front of the United Nations. The event included opening comments by Ms. Tatiana Valovaya the Director General of the United Nations in Geneva (delivered by Lidiya Grigoreva, Political Affairs and Partnership Section of the UN) and a presentation by Mr Arman Baissuanova, a representative of the UN Mission of Kazakhstan – the country which introduced the UN resolution establishing the International Day Against Nuclear Tests. It also included speakers from Bike for Peace and Youth Fusion, the global youth network for nuclear abolition. Click here for the video recording of the commemoration event.
The August 29 commemoration event also included a minute of silence for the victims of nuclear tests at 11:05, the time proposed by the ATOM Project (Against Testing Our Mission) and its Honorary Ambassador Karipbek Kuyukov. Mr Kuyukov is a second generation victim of Soviet nuclear tests in Kazakhstan. The north-eastern region of Kazakhstan has been devastated by over 450 nuclear tests conducted by the Soviet Union from 1949 until 1991.
Bike for Peace leader Tore Naerland was also a keynote speaker for another commemoration event for the International Day Against Nuclear Tests which was held at the Palais de Nations on August 31. The event was organised by the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan to the United Nations.
Kazakhstan reception for Bike for Peace
On August 30, the Kazakhstan Mission to the UN held a reception in honour of Bike for Peace and the Library of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, representatives of which were also in Geneva to conclude an agreement with the UN library regarding receipt of scientific information on the impacts of nuclear testing in Kazakhstan.
More on the Bike for Peace Swiss tour
Visit the Bike for Peace and Swiss bike tour facebook pages for more photos of the tour.
Cover photo: Bike for Peace preparing to hold the commemoration event for the International Day Against Nuclear Tests which they organised at the Place de Nations on August 29th, 2021.