Page 28 - BNVTA News November 2020

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campaign Summer 2020
A Report from Dr Becky Alexis-Martin
The UN Nuclear Ban Treaty: A Historic
Moment for Nuclear Test Veterans
This year has been challenging for all of us, but I know that it has been particularly
hard for the nuclear test veterans and their families. Lockdowns, shielding, and event cancellation due to COVID have changed everyone’s lives. For me, it has felt like a smaller year because of these necessary changes. I missed seeing everyone at the AGM and the All Tests Reunion, and I look forward to when we can all get back to normal.
However, something remarkable has also happened this year. The United Nations 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (the Nuclear Ban Treaty) received its 50th ratification on the 24th October 2020. This means that enough ratifications have now been achieved for the treaty to come into force. It means that at least fifty countries across our world care enough about the legacy of nuclear weapon harms to ban them outright. The treaty will enter into force on 22nd January 2021. This is
a historic moment for nuclear test communities worldwide – as the challenges of nuclear weapon testing are legally recognised by the international community. It will permanently change our global attitude toward nuclear warfare.
It may also offer new routes towards support for people affected by nuclear weapons everywhere.
The five nuclear weapon possessor states, China, France, US, Russia, and the UK, have not yet formally reacted to the treaty – although the US was previously urging countries that had already ratified the Nuclear Ban Treaty to renege upon their pledges toward peace. This is because the treaty has important implications for countries that have caused harm to people with nuclear weapons.
So which parts of the treaty are most relevant to you as a member of the nuclear test veteran community?
I have gone through this document, selected the most important aspects – and clarified their significance to you.
Within the main body of the Nuclear Ban Treaty (page 1, paragraph 6), it states that all treaty members must be:
“Mindful of the unacceptable suffering of and harm caused to the victims of the use of nuclear weapons (hibakusha), as well as of those affected by the testing of nuclear weapons” (UN, 2017).
So what does this mean for you?
If you are a person who has been affected by nuclear weapon tests then your country must be aware of the suffering and harm that has been caused to you. Rather than calling for action, this section calls for recognition of the challenges that you have faced.
However, Article 6 (page 6, paragraph 3) calls for victim assistance and environmental remediation. This article states that:
“1. Each State Party shall, with respect to individuals under its jurisdiction who are affected by the use or testing of nuclear weapons, in accordance
with applicable international humanitarian and human rights law, adequately provide age - and gender-sensitive assistance, without discrimination, including medical care, rehabilitation and psychological support, as well as provide for their social and economic inclusion.”
This means that social, economic, medical and mental health support should be provided to those who have been affected by nuclear weapon testing. This need is now recognised and upheld by this international treaty. While the UK has not signed or ratified, I hope that the Nuclear Ban Treaty coming into force will put considerable international pressure on the UK to provide this support. This treaty shows that the world cares about nuclear test veterans.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me if you have any questions
or queries, or if there is anything that I can help with – as I provide free expert academic support for veteran families in my spare time.
NB: The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is available for anyone to download for free from
the United Nations archive: http://undocs.org/A/CONF.229/2017/8