Category Archives: Europe

Spain: Movimiento por la Paz launches an online course with «five paths for peace»

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from El Faradio (Copied and disseminated according to the Creative Commons License of El Faradio)


One of the images from the campaign “Essentials”

Given the situation of confinement including education, the Movimiento por la Paz (MPDL), a member of the Cantabrian Coordination of NGDOs, emphasizes more than ever the need for an education in values ​​based on respect and mutual support in which no one is left behind.

“From leisure and free time, favorable spaces are generated where the culture of peace can be fostered, with a focus on gender and Human Rights,” they highlight, which is why they have organized an online course for people who work in this area.

The course “Five paths for peace: a strategy of education in values ​​for free time” will begin on May 18 and will be conducted through a virtual platform that an be freely accessed.

There are twenty places for participants that will be filled in order of registration.

To be able to register, it will be necessary to do it at the link https://forms.gle/Tygx46gZZ5HTLyr28 or via email r.cifrian@mpdl.org .

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(Click here for the original Spanish version of this article.)

Question for this article:

Where is peace education taking place?

How can we work together to overcome this medical and economic crisis?

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The course will address the keys and educational resources to promote values ​​education in leisure and free time, including cultural diversity, gender equality, the fight against poverty, care for the environment, and human rights.

‘ESSENTIALS’

On May 1, on the occasion of the International Day of Workers, the Movimiento por la Paz wants to especially recognize women workers in the domestic and care fields and their activity as essential for the care of life. That is why they demand the construction of a new model in which care becomes an essential element of our production and coexistence system.

Under this message they have launched the ESSENTIAL campaign, to make care visible as an essential element for the protection of life and to raise the voice against the labor exploitation of women workers in the domestic and care fields.

Women domestic and care workers face triple discrimination: they are women, mostly migrants, and exploited. They are especially vulnerable because of the violation of their labor rights, which is explicitly reflected in current legislation.

The Domestic Service appears as a Special Regime within the General Social Security Regime, which is characterized by deficiencies related to remuneration, contribution and working conditions. “In this sense, we are facing the only group of workers who do not have the right to unemployment benefits in our country,” laments the organization.

To get an idea, in Spain according to the latest Labor Force Survey (EPA), the domestic employment sector employs 637,700 people. Almost all of the positions are occupied by women (96%) and only 420,288 are registered with Social Security.

To this we must add that 42% of the workers have foreign nationality and as it is mainly in the private sphere, it is a job that largely deals with women in an irregular situation.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Europe

Sabadell, Spain: Ensuring intercultural mediation and interfaith dialogue

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

A report from the Council of Europe

The Intercultural city aims at building its policies and identity on the explicit acknowledgement that diversity can be a resource for the development of the society.

The first step is the adoption (and implementation) of strategies that facilitate positive intercultural encounters and exchanges, and promote equal and active participation of residents and communities in the development of the city, thus responding to the needs of a diverse population. The Intercultural integration policy model is based on extensive research evidence, on a range of international legal instruments, and on the collective input of the cities member of the Intercultural Cities programme that share their good practice examples on how to better manage diversity, address possible conflicts, and benefit from the diversity advantage.

This section offers examples of intercultural approaches that facilitate the development and implementation of intercultural strategies.

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Questions for this article:

How can culture of peace be developed at the municipal level?

How can different faiths work together for understanding and harmony?

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The city of Sabadell [Spain] has a municipal mediation system which deals with all kind of conflicts and situations, including intercultural mediation. Intercultural mediation and dynamization is provided by two professionals from the Council: one profile works with Maghrebian people and the other with Sub-Saharan people. The service is offered to professionals from the different municipal services (social services, education, economic promotion, housing, etc.) as well as to supra-municipal institutions (hospital, ambulatories, etc.) and to entities and associations that require it. In addition, mediators provide accompaniment whenever necessary, to various external services (social security, tax, courts, etc.).

Regarding Interreligious Dialogue, there is a specialised person at the Department of Civil Rights and Gender who offers support to the activities implemented by the different confessions, provides advice on the establishments of new worship centres and deals with the administration (other departments) especially in topics related with activity licenses or building new centres. This person also coordinates the Table of Religious Beliefs, a space for debate, which reflects and seeks consensus in the areas of management of religious diversity in the city,  participates in the updating of the Map of Beliefs (see Good Practice), and year after year collaborates in the organisation of the Open Day for Worship Centres (see Good Practice). The table is a space for debate, reflection and consensus of all areas of management of religious diversity in the city.

In addition, the map of the diversity  of beliefs of Sabadell takes stock of all the communities, representatives of spiritual, religious or non-religious traditions, humanistic, present in the city, with information such as where their places of worship are, when they meet, how to contact, with whom you can talk, etc. Religions and humanistic currents, the common heritage of all citizens, have community and spiritual resources that, if properly managed, can contribute very positively to the achievement of a culture of peace and a more just society. The map is a tool to make them closer to each other and to encourage them to set up common projects. Everyone wins. Through this interactive map, a journey can be made through the cultural and religious diversity of the city. 

Finally, the Open day for worship centres  celebrated its 10th edition. The programme offers different activities to promote knowledge of religious diversity and freedom of conscience, combating mistrust, favoring coexistence and posing in common the values on which these beliefs are based. The central activity consists of a guided tour and open doors to various worship centres in Sabadell.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Europe, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Intercultural Cities: Raseborg, Finland, testing solutions to Covid crisis

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

A report from the Council of Europe

In the wake of the Covid-19 crises, municipalities across the globe are taking action to serve their residents under the new conditions. This is also the case in Finland, where cities have found new innovative ways of sharing information and utilising already existing services, as well as learn from each other. One example of services offered can be found in the municipality of Raseborg, where a number of actions have been taken, including:

Questions for this article:

How can culture of peace be developed at the municipal level?

How can we work together to overcome this medical and economic crisis?

Finland is famous for the school lunch which is served to all students until high school. At the moment, schools are working remotely. Losing this daily meal service places added economic strain on families. To assist, the municipality now offers the opportunity for families with children to reach out to receive the daily meal delivered home.

In Finland, persons over 70 are asked to self-quarantine as a protective measure. The municipality calls residents over 70 to assess their needs and to inform them of the services available from the municipality (for example delivery of groceries).

Local youth centres are now available online when the physical locations are closed.

Offering online training programmes on their Facebook and also offer the opportunity to have a call with the sports leaders of the city for personalised training at home.

Do you know of good practices in other cities? The ICC is collecting new practices and policies created as a response to the Covid-19 crisis, with the aim of spreading the information to assist cities across the globe in managing the crisis. Contact us with ideas you wish to bring forward.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Europe, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Trailblazing Nobel Peace Laureate Betty Williams Dies in Belfast

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article from the Nobel Women’s Initiative

Nobel peace laureate, Betty Williams, was a force of nature. She was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 1976 alongside Mairead Maguire for their work for peace in Northern Ireland. Betty once said, “Fear’s contagious, but so is courage.” Looking back on all that she has accomplished, it couldn’t have been more true.


Photo courtesy of the PeaceJam Foundation.

Betty and Mairead met under tragic circumstances. Earlier that year Betty witnessed a horrible car crash. A runaway car driven by Irish Republican Army member Danny Lennon, who had been fatally shot while fleeing from British soldiers, crashed into a family of four who were out for a walk. All three children; Joanne, John, and Andrew, were killed. Betty immediately sprung into action, circulating petitions. In the process she met the children’s aunt, Mairead Maguire.

Determined to use this tragedy to push for an end to the violence, Betty and Mairead organized a peace march. More than 10,000 Protestant and Catholic women came to show their support. The following week, 35,000 people marched with Betty and Mairead, demanding an end to the violence in their country.

Alongside journalist Ciaran McKeown, the two women co-founded /Peace People, an organization dedicated to nonviolence in Northern Ireland and throughout the world. In the thirty years since the award, Williams devoted her life to working for peace around the world, and a movement to begin a reversal of thinking on how we deal with the injustices, cruelty and horror perpetuated on the world’s children.

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Questions related to this article:

Where in the world can we find good leadership today?

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Betty was the head of the World Centers of Compassion for Children International, which was founded in 1997 in honour of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She was also the Chair of Institute for Asian Democracy in Washington D.C. and a founding member of the Nobel Women’s Initiative. She was the recipient of dozens of honours, including the Schweitzer Medallion for Courage and the Eleanor Roosevelt Award.

Betty passed away on March 18 in Belfast. Her legacy and incredible work for peace  in Northern Ireland, and the rights of children in war everywhere, will never be forgotten. She will be greatly missed. We send our deepest condolences, solidarity and love to her family and friends at this difficult time.

Condolences from Fellow Laureates

“It is with the greatest sadness that I heard of the death of my friend and co-worker for peace Betty Williams. Betty was a woman of great courage with a passion for peace and a love and compassion for all children. Betty will be sadly missed but remembered lovingly by all of us who knew Betty. I felt privileged to know her as a great peace activist and friend.” – Nobel peace laureate, Mairead Maguire.

“Betty was a dynamo – a force of nature that left a big mark in the world. She will be missed.” – Nobel peace laureate, Jody Williams.

Read more tributes

Read this beautiful tribute from Nobel peace laureate Mairead Maguire at Peace People.

Read these touching words about Betty from His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Read moving obituaries from the New York Times  and the BBC.

Europe, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, global,

Former UK Royal Navy Commanders call for nuclear cuts to help address Covid-19 pandemic

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from Move the Nuclear Weapons Money

Three former UK Royal Navy Commanders sent a letter to all UK parliamentarians on April 1 questioning the policy of maintaining a continuous at sea nuclear deterrent.

The commanders note that the £2 billion a year cost of maintaining this nuclear posture and readiness for war appear to be unjustifiable, especially as the economic costs of the coronavirus pandemic are mounting, and while there appears to be no threat of a ‘bolt from the blue’ nuclear attack against the UK, for which the policy is intended to counter.

In addition, the letter questions the decision by parliament to invest even more substantial resources in building new nuclear warheads and the submarines to carry them.

“It is completely unacceptable that the UK continues to spend billions of pounds on deploying and modernising the Trident Nuclear Weapon System when faced with the threats to health, climate change and world economies that Coronavirus poses,” said Commander Robert Forsyth RN (Ret’d), a former nuclear submariner, signatory to the letter and supporter of the Move the Nuclear Weapons Money campaign.

The letter was organised by the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation and sent to all members of the UK House of Commons, UK House of Lords, Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales, and Northern Ireland Assembly.

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Question related to this article:
 
Does military spending lead to economic decline and collapse?

How can we work together to overcome this medical and economic crisis?

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“This pandemic, and the inability of the British government to either prepare for or effectively respond to such an immediate threat to life, demonstrates the twisted priorities at the heart of nuclear weapons spending,’ said Tom Unterrainer, Director of the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation. “Rather than work to guarantee real security this government prioritises the acquisition and deployment of weapons of mass murder.”

The signatories to the letter hope that their efforts to question the nuclear ‘Continuous At Sea Deterrent’ will encourage politicians and the wider public to begin to question the morality and the feasibility of nuclear weaponry.

According to Commander Robert Green RN (Ret’d), former nuclear-armed aircraft bombardier-navigator and one of the other co-signers of the letter, ‘Nuclear deterrence is no more than a repulsive, unlawful protection racket used as a counterfeit currency of power, and hugely profitable to the corporate arms industry.’ (Commander Green is also a supporter of the Move the Nuclear Weapons Money campaign).

The letter was supported by a number of UK parliamentarians including Rt Hon Ian Blackford MP (SNP Westminster Group Leader), Lord Green of Deddington, Baroness Sue Miller of Chilthorne Domer and Bill Kidd (Member, Scottish Parliament). Baroness Miller and Mr Kidd are the UK Co-Presidents of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (PNND).

“Covid-19 is showing us that humanity’s worst threats- pandemics and climate change are shared globally,’ said Baroness Sue Miller. ‘We should not waste resources on renewing nuclear weapons as we should be using all resources we can in tackling these all too real issues.’

All of the nuclear weapons powers, and those states which are supportive of them, are wasting precious resources on the likes of Trident against the wishes of their peoples, when they should be addressing the real and deadly enemy in the form of COVID19,’ said Bill Kidd MSP, who also serves as the Convenor of the Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Nuclear Disarmament.

“With human beings and national economies under genuine threat, it is the duty of governments and parliamentarians to pull back from nuclear war planning and preparation, and to instead cooperate internationally on facing down this deadly pandemic,” concluded Mr Kidd.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Europe

Coronavirus: Ministers urged to divert military spending to tackle pandemic

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from the Peace Pledge Union

Boris Johnson is facing calls to reallocate “defence” budgets towarsd the NHS, social care and community support for people affected coronavirus and isolation.

The Peace Pledge Union  (PPU) said that bombs and guns cannot defend people from a pandemic.

The PPU has repeatedly accused UK governments of endangering the public by wasting money on preparations for war while doing little to prepare for real threats such as climate change or possible pandemics.

The UK government maintains the seventh highest military budget in the world.

The government’s own National Security Capability Review in 2018 listed major outbreaks of disease as one of the most likely threats facing the UK. The threat of pandemics was also identified by the government’s Strategic Defence and Security Reviews in 2010 and 2015.

While some troops  may be involved with tasks such as food distribution, the PPU pointed out that many other UK troops are about to take part in a large-scale NATO training exercise across Europe, which is one of the few major events not to be cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The PPU insisted that the NATO exercise should be immediately cancelled and the costs and people involved reallocated to helping to tackle the pandemic.

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Question for this article:
 
Does military spending lead to economic decline and collapse?

How can we work together to overcome this medical and economic crisis?

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The Peace Pledge Union said that money diverted from military budgets could contribute towards NHS and social care costs as well as initiatives to assist people who are losing their jobs or struggling to pay the rent owing to the coronavirus outbreak, or to support people whose mental health is affected by isolation.

The PPU added that this should mark the beginning of a permanent shift of funding away from armed force and towards measures that really make people safe, tackling problems such as ill-health, poverty and climate change.

Ceri Dare, a Public Health Researcher and member of the Peace Pledge Union (PPU), said:

“We could be facing this crisis, which the government’s own assessments told us was coming, with the weapons we truly needed to win: a resilient NHS, local councils funded to fulfil their responsibilities in Public Health, Social Care for disabled and older people. We could have had a society where the people who make our lives possible, the cleaners, the shelf-stackers, the waste collectors, the social care workers, the delivery drivers, were paid and respected for the vital work they do.

“Instead of this, we are armed only with the useless weapons of war. We cannot battle our way out of an pandemic with bombs and guns. The lies of ‘defence’ ring hollow now. We need what we have always needed, to love and care for one another, to work together as neighbours, as communities, as nations, and we need that more than we ever have before.”

Symon Hill, Campaigns Manager of the Peace Pledge Union (PPU), added:

“In this crisis, everyone needs support from others, some especially so. This costs money. The government can still divert funds away from multi-million pound weapons and NATO training exercises. Let’s fund things that will really help to make us safe. You can’t nuke a virus.”

(Thank you to Joe Yannielli, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Europe

The Peace Brigades International, Guernica Peace Prize

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article by Iratxe Astui in El Correo

The Peace Brigades International (PBI) will receive this year the Guernica Prize for Peace and Reconciliation, which is awarded as part of the commemorative program of the acts of the bombing of the town by the German Condor Legion. The decision to recognize the work done by this non-governmental organization was made with the majority of the votes of the members of the jury table..


Members of the PBI during one of their observations. / E. C.

The jury is composed of representatives of the parties that make up the City Council -Eusko Abertzaleak, PNV and EH Bildu-, as well as the mayor of Pforzheim, a German city twinned with the town hall, the Gernika Gogoratuz Foundation, the House of Culture and the Museum of La Paz of the locality. They announced that the distinction responds “to the outstanding work carried out by the volunteers of the organization and their commitment to the defense of Human Rights.”

(Click here for the original article in Spanish.)

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Question for this article:

Can peace be guaranteed through nonviolent means?

Where in the world can we find good leadership today?

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The Peace Brigades International is a non-denominational and independent group, that sends international observers to be eyewitnesses in regions that are experiencing crisis and conflict situations. “These groups protect with their presence people threatened with death or kidnapping through political violence,” they explained. The peacekeeping forces of PBI have acted in Guatemala (1983-1999), El Salvador (1987-1992) and Sri Lanka (1989-1998), as well as in North America (1991-1999), East Tomor (1999-2002) and Haiti (1995-2000).

Likewise, they also developed their work in Northern Nicaragua, Central Africa (2004-2005) and at the World Uranium Hearing in 1992 in Salzburg. The organization is composed of volunteers who “work as a team.” “They live, conceive strategies, write reports and travel together.”

The jury of the Prizes for Peace and Reconciliation that will be awarded on April 26, also highlighted this year, within the section that distinguishes the anonymous work of the workers for basic peace, the work of the international project ‘Kids Guernica “This artistic initiative was created by three Japanese -Toshifumi Abe, Tdashi Yasuda and Kaoru Mizuguchi- and the American, Tom Anderson, in 1995 on the occasion of making a canvas commemorating the 50th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima.

The mural project, in reference to the Guernica of Picasso, “has toured different countries on five continents with the aim of promoting a culture of peace among children around the world,” they explained. The regional town has a good number of works done in different parts of the planet.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Europe, global,

Neighbours as friends, not enemies: Nordic-Russian seminar, Oslo, 3.- 4. February 2020

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

Statement sent to CPNN from Ingeborg Breines

A Nordic-Russian civil society seminar was organized in Oslo 3. – 4. February 2020 by the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Norway, and the Norwegian Peace Association. The theme of the seminar was “Neighbours as friends, not enemies”. The seminar, which gathered some 45 participants from Denmark, Finland, Norway, Russia and Sweden was a follow up to a Nordic peace and dialogue trip to Russia in May 2018. The seminar was held at the Peace Research Institute Oslo, and was funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The organisers are already planning a follow up seminar in Norway in 2021.


Photo from the 2020 dialogue trip – click on image to enlarge

The main intention with the seminar was to strengthen relations between peace activists in the North, discuss common challenges and visions and contribute to mutual understanding and perhaps even help reduce the present tension. The tension between the West and Russia is one of the drivers behind the present militarization and arms’ race, involving both conventional and nuclear weapons.

Participants had open discussions on how to promote peace, disarmament and a sound environment, and agreed to seek ways to continue with practical and strategic forward-looking initiatives and solution-oriented dialogues. Many echoed the words of the Mayor of the border city of Kirkenes that our security lies in the strengthening of people to people cooperation across borders.

The use of enemy images and the demonization of leaders both in mainstream political discourse and media is dangerous as it installs fear and also is meant to influence peoples acceptance of rising military budgets.

Participants agreed that we should not accept that the world’s resources, natural, financial and intellectual, are being misused for military purposes, and that we need to prove that this thinking is dangerous, naive and obsolete. The military actually makes us less safe, both economically and ecologically, by taking so much of the resources that are needed for other purposes and by the enormous greenhouse gas emissions, the radiation and pollution it provides. We cannot allow the military to be an exception to international climate agreements. Instead we must move the money to be able to tackle the real security issues such as the threat to the very survival of humanity and the planet, be it by climate change, environmental degradation, excessive inequality or nuclear weapons.

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Question related to this article:

Solidarity across national borders, What are some good examples?

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Different alternatives were discussed of how we can contribute to changing attitudes in order to reverse the nuclear and space-arms race, reduce defence spending and get us out of the dominant growth oriented, militarized, confrontational and competitive patterns. In short, how can we build common security, human security, a culture of peace, and non-violence.

Among the concrete suggestions were to:

* continue the sharing of knowledge and ideas,

* get inspiration from each other’s culture and art,

* work for the strengthening of civil society and democratic practices,

* seek ways of producing and consuming which ensures the well being of all and the integrity of the biosphere.

* establish permanent structures for peace, such as ministries and departments for peace to promote peace at all levels,

* cherish and use the UN, diplomacy and multilateral cooperation,

* help implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate,

* strive for a non militarized and nuclear free Arctic and Baltic Sea basin,

* maintain the Arctic Council non-militarized and operational,

* gather individual signatures and cities in support of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons,

* continue to warn against nuclear and other hazardous waste and make waste management safer,

* seek closer cooperation between the peace movement and environmental organizations,

* actively learn to work across generations and share knowledge and priorities,

* cross borders and seek new partnerships with “sister” groups and organisations.

Finally, it was considered most vital to build trust between peoples, so essential for real cooperation, and for our survival.

Click here for the final report from the seminar.

Europe, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

Switzerland: Lutheran World Federation marks World Interfaith Harmony Week

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article from the Lutheran World News (non-commercial use)

During the first week of February, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is joining with the World Council of Churches  (WCC) and many other faith-based organizations to mark the 10th edition of World Interfaith Harmony Week.


Photo from the celebration at the United Nations

The annual event was first proposed by King Abdullah II of Jordan and adopted unanimously by the UN General Assembly in October 2010. The following year, the LWF Council responded by encouraging all its member churches to enhance understanding, harmony, and cooperation among people of different faiths in their respective contexts.

To mark this year’s event, the LWF’s Program Executive for Public Theology and Interreligious Relations, Rev. Dr Sivin Kit, is participating in a round table discussion entitled ‘Rethinking Interreligious Engagement in a Wounded World.’ The event, to be held on 7 February in Geneva’s Ecumenical Center, is sponsored by the WCC and includes religious leaders from different faith groups alongside diplomats, peace activists and members of grass-roots communities.

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Question related to this article:
 
How can different faiths work together for understanding and harmony?

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Dialogue integral to Christian life and witness

Kit, who was ordained and worked in the multifaith context of his native Malaysia, says: “Dialogue and engagement with people of other faiths, in a humble manner, is integral to our Christian life and witness.”  He adds: “Healthy interreligious relations are particularly relevant in today’s world, where we are not only aware of religious diversity and vitality in society, but also how religion is easily misused for political mileage.”

Personal relationships, practical cooperation and a shared sense of community, Kit believes, are the keys to building trust and improving interfaith harmony. To help promote greater understanding of other faith communities, the LWF is publishing an online reader with a selection of articles exploring some of the key issues at the heart of the Christian’s encounter with believers from other faith communities.

Blessed are the peacemakers

Interfaith dialogue and cooperation to build mutual understanding is a priority for the LWF and a daily reality for members of many of its member churches and World Service country programs in different parts of the globe. In 2018, World Service staff worked closely with Islamic Relief Worldwide  (IRW) to publish a practical guide entitled ‘A Faith Sensitive Approach in Humanitarian Response’. The LWF is currently working with IRW to organize an international conference in October 2020 entitled ‘Welcoming the Stranger, Shaping the Future’.

The World Interfaith Harmony Week, Kit says, is an important reminder “that we need to work harder to cultivate healthy interfaith relations by reaching out to those who are unlike us (and perhaps to those who don’t like us too). This week can serve as an opportunity for us to create safe spaces where people of different faiths can share about the rewards and challenges of living in their respective contexts.”

In some cases, he continues, “these contexts reflect highly secularized environments; in other situations, religious communities are confronted with political instability and even the threat of violence. In times like this, how do we interpret the multifaith reality we live in? Is it a threat to our religious survival or can it be an opportunity for us to be peacemakers?  The answer from the words of Jesus is clear: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.”

Europe, global, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY, United Nations, ,

UK: Oxford City Council says “no” to nuclear weapons

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article by Rachel Cordery from Cherwell

Oxford City Council has called on the British Government to sign the International Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). The resolution, proposed by Councillor John Tanner, was agreed “overwhelmingly” by the City Council on Monday [January 27].

Before backing the Treaty, the City Council want the UK government to renounce its use of nuclear weapons and end the renewal of Trident.

Cllr Tanner said: “Replacing Trident missiles is costing Britain a huge £205 billion, twice the cost of the high-speed rail line, HS2.

“Nuclear weapons are costly, outdated and ineffective. Most countries, including Ireland, Germany and Japan, manage perfectly well without them.”

“I’m thrilled that Oxford is backing this treaty to begin scrapping these weapons of mass-destruction. If there was ever a nuclear war the world would be plunged into perpetual winter and the survivors would all starve to death,” he added after the meeting.

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Question related to this article:

Can we abolish all nuclear weapons?

How can culture of peace be developed at the municipal level?

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Cllr Maryn Rush, who seconded the resolution, said: “I am concerned about the huge cost to the taxpayers of nuclear weapons, the risk posed by the regular transport of nuclear weapons on Oxfordshire’s roads and the continuing threat of nuclear war.”

Britain has four nuclear-armed submarines, each with eight missiles, each of which carries five independent nuclear warheads. Each warhead is eight times more destructive than the bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

Mr Nigel Day, representing Oxford’s Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), spoke to councillors before the resolution was debated. He said: “Trident warhead convoys regularly travel past Oxford on the A34, supporting the UK nuclear weapons system. We are that close to nuclear weapons.”

The resolution, which had been proposed in September 2019, focused on the City Council’s long-standing commitment to disarmament. It reads: “Oxford City Council has been a long-standing member of the Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) which has been working for over three decades to promote multilateral nuclear disarmament.

“Oxford City Council is particularly concerned about the huge cost to the taxpayer of nuclear weapons, the risk posed by the regular transport of nuclear weapons on Oxfordshire’s roads and the continuing threat of nuclear war.

“NFLA has worked with Mayors for Peace and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) to promote the International Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Over two thirds (122) of United Nations member states have agreed the TPNW.

“Council regrets that the Governments of the existing nuclear-weapon states, including the UK, refuse to support the Treaty. Council fully supports the TPNW as one of the most effective ways to bring about long-term and verifiable multilateral nuclear disarmament.”

With 122 nations supporting the treaty, Paris, Berlin, Sydney and Los Angeles are among the other cities supporting the TPNW. More locally, Manchester, Edinburgh and Norwich have passed similar resolutions to Oxford.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Europe