The lethal and fear-inspiring COVID-19 pandemic serves as a historic "wake-up call," a vivid illustration that national governments and international organizations are unprepared to manage the truly civilization-ending threats of nuclear weapons and climate change.
Dr. Rachel Bronson
President and CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
This is Your Covid-19 Wake-Up Call: It is 100 Seconds to Midnight
On January 27, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced that the hands of its iconic Doomsday Clock remain at 100 seconds to midnight for the second year in a row, the closest they've ever been set since the Clock's inception in 1947, when the hands of the clock stood at 7 minutes to midnight. Read the Bulletin's Press Release and 2021 Statement and watch a video of the January 27 announcement here.
Highlights of UFPJ's Member Group Meeting
On Saturday, January 30, representatives of UFPJ member groups from around the country shared their current work and discussed winnable goals for the next several years, including repealing the 2001 and 2002 AUMFs, closing Guantanamo, ending militarization of the police, rejoining the Iran Nuclear Deal, greening the infrastructure, and ending the war in Yemen. Look for an in-depth report on the UFPJ website soon. Meanwhile, view opening remarks from UFPJ Coordinating Committee member, Mary Hladky and watch a conversation with UFPJ founders Judith LeBlanc and George Martin interviewed by UFPJ National Co-convener, Jackie Cabasso.
Webinar: The International Nuclear Disarmament Agenda; Civil Society Perspectives from Seven Key States
Tuesday, February 23:
10 am EST 9 am CST 8 am MST 7 am PST
In the run-up to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference scheduled for this August at the United Nations, the international Peace & Planet Network seeks to hold the nuclear weapons states accountable to their NPT Article VI commitment to engage in good faith negotiations for the complete elimination of their nuclear arsenals. Register for the Webinar. READ MORE
Heal the Nation: Respect Us, Protect Us -- Redirect the Pentagon Budget -- Update from the Poor People's Campaign
The Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival has outlined 14 Policy Priorities to Heal the Nation: A Moral and Economic Agenda for the First 100 Days of the Biden-Harris Administration. Read the plan and sign the petition to show your support for a roadmap that will ease the pain and reduce the suffering of so many people in America today. Every Monday during the first 100 days, join Poor People's Campaign National Co-chairs, Rev. Dr. William Barber II and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis online for an inspiring Moral Monday. READ MORE
Webinar: Nuclear Weapons: How Do We Seize Our Movement Moment?
Saturday, February 27, 3-4:30 pm PST;
4--5:30 pm MST; 5--6:30 pm CST; 6--7:30 pm EST
As part of its 14th annual Bravo Test Nuclear Memorial Weekend of Action, the Pacific Life Community (PLC) invites you to join a conversation with two illustrious representatives of sister antinuclear organizations. Featuring: Seth Shelden, Liaison to the United Nations for the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) and Jackie Cabasso, Executive Director, Western States Legal Foundation; National Co-Convener, United for Peace and Justice; and North American Coordinator, Mayors for Peace. Introduced and Moderated by PLC member, Jim Haber READ MORE
CODEPINK Applauds Biden's Decision to End U.S. Support for The War On Yemen
CODEPINK applauds President Biden's declaration that he will be ending US support for all offensive operations in Yemen and the decision to reverse the terrorist designation of the Houthis in Yemen. The people of Yemen have endured years of brutal war and a suffocating blockade. The Saudi-led coalition has attacked Yemeni weddings, hospitals, schools, and funerals with consistent support from the United States. The Biden Administration also announced that it will stop offensive intelligence sharing with Saudi Arabia. Peace activists still seek clarity on what "offensive" support really entails, and questions remain about which arms sales will still be permitted to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. READ MORE
Webinar: STEM to Military Pipeline
On February 25 5:30PM PST/ 8:30PM EST Join CODEPINK and On Earth Peace for the first of a webinar series exploring the links between pinkwashing, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), and the military-industrial complex. We begin our journey where the STEM to military pipeline begins- with education. We will be discussing the push for STEM education for girls and its ties to the military-industrial complex, and beginning our interrogation of what this push for inclusion means for feminist anti-war movements. RSVP to join the webinar here!
International Webinar: Close All U.S./NATO Military Bases Around the World!
On Sunday, February 28, 2021 11:00 AM -- 1:00 PM EST a webinar organized by the World Peace Council will bring together experts on Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa, Asia/Pacific, and U.S. foreign policy. Click Here to Register For details about the speakers and the event READ MORE
Human Rights Versus Nuclear Weapons
In January, UFPJ member group Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy (LCNP) published Human Rights Versus Nuclear Weapons: New Dimensions. Contributors examine a 2018 finding of the UN Human Rights Committee that threat or use of nuclear arms is incompatible with the right to life, the human rights aspects of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and the potential contribution of human rights discourse to building connections between the disarmament movement and other social change movements. Also in January, LCNP and Western States Legal Foundation made a submission to the Human Rights Committee concerning the nuclear weapons program of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. READ MORE
Webinar: From Arms to Renewables, a Conversation with Investigative Journalist Taylor Barnes
On Thursday, February 11 CODEPINK hosted a webinar: From Arms to Renewables, a Conversation with Investigative Journalist Taylor Barnes. During the third webinar in its Defund the Pentagon Webinar Series, investigative journalist Taylor Barnes discussed important topics including economic conversion, building the labor movement and workers' rights, and how the peace movement should prioritize both to take on the very real threat of climate change You can watch and share the recording of the webinar here.
Asia-Pacific Political Economy: Dynamics and Their Implications -- webinar recording now available
The United States and China are engaged in an intensifying struggle for primacy in the Indo-Pacific region. This February 9 webinar examined the multifaceted economic dynamics of the world's fastest growing region, and the role they play in the complex multi-polar politics and rising political and military tensions there. The featured speakers were Walden Bello, Focus on Global South and University of the Philippines, Juliet Lu, Cornell University, and Achin Vanaik, Transnational Institute and University of Delhi (ret). To view the recording click here.
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The Power of the Pen
United for Peace and Justice regularly signs onto letters dealing with a broad range of important peace and justice issues, intended to influence government policy. With a new administration in place and a Democratic majority in Congress, UFPJ joined with hundreds of other organizations in letters to President Biden calling for the suspension of U.S.- South Korean joint military exercises and the cancellation of dozens of arms deals worth tens of billions of dollars to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. READ MORE
Save the Date! UFPJ Webinar: The Enduring Nuclear Threat: A Deeper Look
March 30, 2021: 8 -- 9:30 pm EST, 5 -- 6:30 pm PST
The recent entry into force of the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons brought a welcome positive moment to a bleak disarmament landscape. But none of the nuclear-armed states have joined the Treaty, and all are expanding or modernizing their nuclear arsenals. This webinar, hosted by UFPJ, will provide an update on nuclear weapons policies and programs and an overview of relevant developments in international law. It also will suggest the need to rethink familiar approaches to disarmament, and to shift the focus of disarmament advocacy from recognizing the effects of nuclear weapons to analyzing the causes of nuclear arms racing and of the risks of war among nuclear-armed countries -- the same root causes driving many of our other most pressing crises.
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