Last week the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, which deals with disarmament and international security, voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution, Taking Forward Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament Negotiations, which sets up a working group open to all UN member states to “substantively address concrete effective legal measures, legal provisions and norms that will need to be concluded to attain and maintain a world without nuclear weapons.” Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the United States, Russia, UK, France, China, and Israel – all nuclear-armed states — voted no. Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan abstained. You can see the voting results here.
Earlier in October, UFPJ was at United Nations headquarters in New York to represent our members’ strong stand for nuclear disarmament and peace. 
We need your financial support today to continue our efforts for peace at home and around the world.
At the UN, Jackie Cabasso, UFPJ National Co-convener, presented a powerful statement, The Challenge of Disarmament: Still Nonviolence or Nonexistence, to the governments meeting in the First Committee, on behalf of her organization, Western States Legal Foundation and 135 others, including UFPJ, in 19 countries. You can view video of her presentation at by clicking here and watching from 2:34:45 – 2:39:10.
Both Jackie and Matt De Vlieger, UFPJ’s part-time staff person, also spoke at various side events inside the UN. Their messages were clear: The time to disarm, accelerate diplomacy, and rid the world of nuclear weapons is NOW! 
Click here to read more about Matt’s event, Generation of Change: Encouraging Youth Action for Nuclear Abolition.
With nuclear negotiations at a stalemate and wars continuing around the globe, our task is great and UFPJ’s role as a unifying body for peace is as important as ever. Please contribute now, so that UFPJ can continue its work as a global voice for peace.
This isn’t the only time UFPJ spoke at the UN in 2015. In May, as part of the Peace and Planet Mobilization for a Nuclear-free, Peaceful, Just, and Sustainable World, both Jackie and Andy Lichterman of Western States Legal Foundation and the UFPJ Coordinating Committee addressed governments attending the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference representatives of civil society organizations. Click here for Jackie’s presentation and video. Click here for Andy’s presentation, video and list of endorsing organizations.
Since the beginning, UFPJ has worked to build a movement and bring local voices to the global level. Today, our network is still committed to that mission. We’re investing in greater outreach to member groups and we’re strengthening our collaboration with national coalitions on important work like supporting the Iran negotiations, addressing the Syrian crisis, and ending the occupation of Afghanistan.
As war and militarism continue to threaten global peace and security, the need for a strong anti-war movement has never been greater. Please donate to UFPJ today so that we can continue to confront militarism at its source and build a more peaceful world beyond 2015.
Terry Rockefeller, September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
National Co-convener, United for Peace and Justice
On behalf of the UFPJ Coordinating Committee
