Youth Speech held on the 2009 NPT PrepCom

From 4th to 15th May 2009 the Preparatory Committee on the Non-Proliferation Treaty is taking place at the United Nations in New York.The international Youth Speech, coordinated by BANg, was held during the NPT Presentations on 5th May 2009 by Nina Eisenhardt, 18 years, Germany and Tuba Bozkurt, 25 years, Germany.

Nina and Tuba asked the Diplomats if they think a world without nuclear weapons is possible. The answer we gave in the speech is that it is not a scientific or political answer. It is an appeal to the diplomats and politicians that the answer should be their innermost wish which should grow to a political will. The youth speech draws a vision on a nuclear weapons free world. A vision that has been adopted by many senior statesmen in the last two years and that is shared by President Obama – but he is expecting that this will happen not in his lifetime. This reserve is not shared by us. We demand that the generation who is presently governing the world will not give this legacy to their children. For us who are not thinking in cold war blocks “the existence of nuclear weapons is not justifiable and they are useless and obsolete”.
As a way out of the present situation of unfair distribution of power and the mistrust between countries, we prefer a nuclear weapons convention, similar to the already existing chemical and biological weapons conventions. The common banning of nuclear weapons, the will to abolish nuclear weapons step by step and comprehensive measures to ensure that no state will ever hold nuclear weapons again “would enable a world in which people don’t have to live in fear of weapons of mass destructions”.
At the end of the speech we propose the delegates a deal for reaching a nuclear weapons free world together “We don’t have the political power to create a nuclear weapons free world but what we have is the innermost wish, imagination and energy! Accept them as a gift.”

I think we were doing a great speech and there was a very good response from the other NGOs but also from the delegates and the youth speech got - like in the last years - the greates applause.

Simulation: Negotiations on a Nuclear Weapons Convention

During the NPT PrepCom 2009 in New York 30 university students from Germany simulated negotiations on a Nuclear Weapons Convention. The event was sponsored by the International Network of Engineers and Scientists Against Proliferation (INESAP) and chaired by Dimity Hawkins (ICAN) and Ambassador Labbe from Chile. The purpose of this event was to determine whether or not a NWC would be a feasible or effective way to establish an international nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament regime in pursuit of a nuclear free world.

The students had an informative Seminar in Germany one week before they flight to New York. There they did research on the position of the thirteen countries they were going to represent in the simulation like talking to the diplomats of the “real” delegations.

The simulation itself took place on the 12th and 13th May and was based on current existing political realities. Fictitious yet plausible scenarios were enacted in order to steer the direction of the simulation. In the simulation, the Prime Minister of Israel declared that Israel would be able to respond to any Iranian nuclear threat, anytime, in kind, with the full spectrum of weapons. Following this announcement, the states of the Arab League gave three months notice of their withdrawal from the NPT. In hopes of preventing this action, states parties to the NPT decided to initiate negotiations on a Nuclear Weapons Convention using the existing model Nuclear Weapons Convention (UN document A/62/650). Brazil, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Iran, Israel, Libya, Malaysia, Russia, South Africa, and the United States were tasked by the UN Security Council and the CD to undertake necessary negotiations. While the negotiations were taking place, the Arab League agreed not to withdraw from the Treaty.

The simulation began with each delegation presenting its position paper on Article IV of the model Convention, Phases for Implementation. Next, delegations proposed amendments to the draft convention. Ambassador Labbe kept the room in order by ensuring the simulation followed the rules and regulations of a United Nations negotiating body. When delegations failed to come to an agreement on suggested amendments, Ambassador Labbe encouraged them to meet for informal consultations. This seemed to help the participants agree on several suggested amendments. Overall, the simulation was very educational and a huge success. All those in attendance would likely agree that a Nuclear Weapons Convention is both feasible and necessary.