Dear Members of the Youth CTBTO Group,
We would like to draw your attention to a unique United Nations event in 2018 which is of great relevance to youth and to future generations, and to inform you of youth actions relating to this that might interest you.
For the first time ever, the UN General Assembly will hold a High-Level Conference (i.e. a conference of world leaders) on the issue of nuclear disarmament.
The risks of nuclear-weapons use by accident, miscalculation or even on purpose has risen recently – with nuclear threats being exchanged between North Korea & the USA, between Russia & the West and between India & Pakistan. Any use of nuclear weapons would have a devastating impact on humanity and the environment lasting for countless generations.
In addition, the nuclear armed countries are spending $100 billion per year on nuclear forces – funds that should instead be used for education, health, job creation, climate protection, and eliminating poverty.
As such, this UN event comes at a critical time. It is vital that civil society is active to ensure success of the conference.
The Abolition 2000 Youth Network is ensuring that youth around the world are engaged in this event and that our voices are heard by the world leaders.
We invite you to participate in any of the following ways:
- Contact your government to encourage them to attend the UN High-Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament (UNHLC) at the highest level (Prime Minister, President or Foreign Minister) and to do their best at the conference to reduce nuclear risks and advance the abolition of nuclear weapons. (You could send them the Youth Appeal to World Leaders which was adopted at our recent international youth conference);
- Plan to join us in New York in May 2018 for the UNHLC and for the public event Count the Nuclear Weapons Money. Over seven days we will count $1 trillion in mock money, the amount planned for nuclear weapons over the next 10 years, and we will highlight areas of social and economic need in which this money could instead be invested;
- Join the Abolition 2000 Youth Network. The network is open for any youth organisation or activist to join. It provides a forum for building cooperation between various youth-led nuclear disarmament initiatives, and with youth working on other related issues of peace and sustainable development.
Please contact me ([email protected]) for further information or if you would like to join the Abolition 2000 Youth Network.
Yours sincerely
Marzhan Nurzhan
Member of YCG and Convener of Abolition 2000 Youth Network