un nuclear weapons ban treaty

A joint editorial published in 11 of the world’s leading medical and health journals said the health community has a crucial role to play in efforts to reduce the risk of nuclear war.

The editorial said “current nuclear arms control and non-proliferation efforts are inadequate to protect the world’s population against the threat of nuclear war by design, error, or miscalculation”.

It calls on health professionals to “alert the public and our leaders to this major danger to public health and the essential life support systems of the planet”.

It points out the modernisation of nuclear arsenals could increase risks of nuclear catastrophe. For example, hypersonic missiles decrease the time available to distinguish between an attack and a false alarm, increasing the likelihood of rapid escalation.

“Once a nuclear weapon is detonated, escalation to all-out nuclear war could occur rapidly. The prevention of any use of nuclear weapons is therefore an urgent public health priority and fundamental steps must also be taken to address the root cause of the problem – by abolishing nuclear weapons,” it said.

The editorial said three immediate steps are required from nuclear-armed states and their allies: first, adopt a no-first-use policy; second, take their nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert; and third, urge all states involved in current conflicts to pledge publicly and unequivocally they will not use nuclear weapons in these conflicts.

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, the Public Health Association of Australia, the Rehabilitation Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand and the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, have signed a Healthcare Organisations Statement, initiated by the Medical Association for the Prevention of War (MAPW, Australia), calling on the Australian Government and ALP to sign the UN nuclear weapons ban treaty.

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has also called for Australia to sign the treaty.

The statement says nuclear weapons represent an overwhelming threat to human and environmental health and that the only way to avoid widespread destruction is to abolish them.

“As an organisation of healthcare professionals, we call on the Australian Government to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and we call on all parliamentarians to work to achieve this essential goal, as we believe it is a key step toward the abolition of the world’s most terrifying devices,” it reads.

ANMF Federal Secretary, Annie Butler, said the country’s largest union felt it was important to take a stand on nuclear weapons.

“With millions of colleagues around the world, including the International Council of Nurses and the World Medical Association, we strongly support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons,” Ms Butler said.“The Treaty represents a significant step towards eliminating the most destructive weapons ever created. We call on all governments, including our own, to sign and ratify the Treaty.”

This article was originally published in the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association publication, Lamp.