Faith Communities Joint Statement and SGI’s Working Papers Presented at the Open-ended Working Group

The second session of the 2016 UN Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) taking forward multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations was held in Geneva between May 2 and 13. A diverse group of faith-based organizations issued a powerful statement highlighting the moral and ethical imperatives for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

The joint statement was presented to OEWG Chair, Ambassador Thani Thongphakdi by representatives of PAX, the SGI and the World Council of Churches (WCC) who had taken the lead in drafting the statement.

The SGI also submitted the working paper “Nuclear Weapons and Human Security” (A/AC.286/NGO/17) to the OEWG which is available as a UN document. The statement reads: “People everywhere seek security. This very natural and legitimate desire does not, however, require or justify the possession of nuclear weapons; nuclear weapons do not meet the real security needs of people or States.” SGI took the floor a couple of times during the panels to introduce key themes contained within the working paper.

“Amplify,” a collaborative international youth network dedicated to the complete abolition of nuclear weapons, in which the SGI participates, submitted the working paper “Youth: A necessary stakeholder in nuclear disarmament processes” (A/AC.286/NGO/26). It is available on the UN website. Launched on April 30, the network was developed by participants of the International Youth Summit for Nuclear Abolition held in Hiroshima last year to continue working together alongside providing information and recourses for youth on nuclear weapons.