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By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — The anti-landmine treaty, which came into force in 1999, has more than 160 signatories who pledged to ban the use of these weapons, along with the destruction of remaining stocks, and clearance of mined areas, and assistance to victims.
But at least 10 key countries—including the US, Russia, China, India, Pakistan, South Korea, North Korea, Australia, Japan and Ukraine—opted out of the treaty, also known as the Ottawa Convention.
Viewpoint by Dr Palitha Kohona
Following are excerpts of Ambassador Palitha's remarks at the forthcoming 2022 United Nations Ocean Conference (Lisbon, June 27-July 1), co-hosted by the Governments of Kenya and Portugal. Dr Kohona is Ambassador of Sri Lanka to China, former Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations and Head of the UN Treaty Section, Office of Legal Affairs (OLA).
By IDN-INPS Team
VIENNA | TOKYO (IDN) — From June 21–23, at the historic First Meeting of States Parties (1MSP) to the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), held in Vienna, Austria, the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) joined civil society groups calling for universalization of the Treaty, cohosting workshops highlighting perspectives of affected communities and youth.
Following are excerpts from the text of ICRC President Peter Maurer's statement at the TPNW MSP1 on January 21, 2022.
VIENNA (IDN) — A decade ago, this may have seemed illusory. Today, a global, unequivocal, comprehensive prohibition of nuclear weapons—the most catastrophic weapons ever created—is a reality. We owe this reality to the tireless efforts of many:
Following are excerpts from the text of the statement by Kazakh's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi, at the High-Level Opening Session of TPNW MSP1 on January 21, 2022.
VIENNA (IDN) — The First Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW is a remarkable historic achievement following a nearly decade-long collective effort to advance the universal objective of complete nuclear disarmament.
By IDN-INPS Team
VIENNA (IDN) — Faith communities "from a diversity of traditions and located all over the world" have joined together "with one voice to mark" the first meeting of the States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)."
By Aurora Weiss
VIENNA (IDN) — "Today is a historic moment," are the words with which the First Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) opened in Vienna on June 21. Representatives of the international community, government, civil society and academia gathered here to put into effect the historic Treaty and to shape the future of nuclear disarmament.
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power
LUND, Sweden (IDN) — Conflicts have a history of spinning out of control. Trotsky, the one-time close comrade of Lenin, reportedly said, “You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you”. The overwhelming majority of Ukrainians were not interested in war until President Volodymyr Zelensky took his counterproductive stance on NATO membership and President Vladimir Putin subsequently launched his invasion and united most of Ukraine’s people against him.
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK (IDN) — The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced plans to find a new name for the viral disease informally known as ‘monkeypox’ which, says the world body, is “discriminatory and stigmatizing”.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a briefing on the matter, said the virus is no longer behaving as it did in the past and therefore should be renamed.
Viewpoint by Dr Mohamed ElBaradei
Following is the text of comments by Dr Mohamed ElBaradei, Director-General Emeritus, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Nobel Peace Prize 2005, at the opening of the 2022 Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons on June 20, 2022.
VIENNA (IDN) — It is an honour to take part in this the 2022 Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons. I would like to thank the Austrian government for taking the initiative to organize it.
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