President’s Letter – April 2023 - Nuclear Age Peace Foundation

Dear NAPF Community,

Nuclear weapons are in the news all the time. From Russia’s plan to station them in Belarus, to President Biden’s promises to defend South Korea from a nuclear attack, the world seems to be going mad by the minute. Amidst the terrifying headlines, there is hope in the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). This historic treaty can and must bring an end to ALL nuclear weapons. Team NAPF is working hard to make sure that happens. Please peruse the resources below: videos of our events, articles, and interviews, all aimed at highlighting the nuclear threat and promoting the TPNW as the solution to this problem.

I am pleased to share that I have been appointed to the Scientific Advisory Group to the TPNW, alongside 14 other scientists from around the world, including the Co-Chairs: Dr. Zia Mian from the Princeton University’s Program on Global Security and Dr. Patricia Lewis from Chatham House. You can read about the group here. We have already started our work and I am excited for the contributions we will be making to support the TPNW states parties in their efforts to universalize and implement the treaty. I am also thrilled to share that our Program and Advocacy Coordinator Christian Ciobanu has been selected as the Kim Koo Fellow of the Korea Society. Congratulations, Christian!

As I write this, Christian and 11 young people from around the world who are part of our youth initiative Reverse the Trend, are in Japan for the G7 Youth Forum in Hiroshima. While in Japan, they are also meeting government and civil society representatives in Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki. We are grateful for the generous grants from a couple of individual donors, Lush Cosmetics and the Prospect Hill Foundation for making this trip possible. Check out our social media accounts for up-to-date information on their activities and stay tuned for more after their return!

I am excited to let you know that we will have two events on May 25. The first will be our 19^th Annual Frank K. Kelly Lecture, which I will give on Nuclear Weapons: Past, Present, and Future. This will be a hybrid event, taking place at the Music Academy in Santa Barbara, alongside a virtual option. To join us on Zoom, please register here. In addition, later that day, we will be honoring Prof. Richard Falk with our Lifetime Achievement Award. Prof. Falk has been a lifelong advocate for peace and nuclear abolition and has written widely and extensively about these issues, including 78 books! I am very pleased that we will be able to celebrate his life’s achievements in this way. If you are interested in attending one or both of these events in-person, please contact Carol Warner at cwarner@napf.org OR (805) 965-3443.

I hope that springtime is as beautiful where you are as it has been in both New York City and Santa Barbara. If you live in the southern hemisphere, I hope your fall is a beautiful one, too! For me, the beauty of spring is a reminder of everything we stand to lose in case nuclear weapons are ever used again. We must not let that happen. All of us at NAPF, with your support, will continue to work tirelessly towards this goal.

Most warmly,

Ivana

Event recordings:

Nuclear Dangers with Chomsky, Ellsberg, Falk, and Lazaroff – March 2

UN Water Conference event with diplomats and civil society, including a youth panel – March 22

Event at Columbia University with diplomats and civil society representatives – March 29

Articles:

Remembering Castle Bravo 69 Years Later – March 1 on NAPF website

We Must Abolish Nuclear Weapons Before They Abolish Us – March 12 in Truthout

For the Children – March 30 in The Hill

Interviews/Radio:

International Women’s Day Interview with Intern Annamaria Belevitch – March 8