In the coming days, the Israeli government will have to make decisions on membership in the Chemical Weapons Convention and participation in two potentially ground-breaking conferences: The Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons and the Helsinki Conference on a Zone Free of Weapons of Mass Destruction in the Middle East. In all […]
What should we do about the growing use and impact of armed drones in and outside conflicts? This issue was raised again during this year’s UNGA First Committee meeting in New York. A number of States raised their concerns about the use of unmanned system in warfare. At the end of the conventional weapons debate […]
PAX – a co-founder of the Stop Killer Robots Campaign, is working towards a ban on autonomous weapons without meaningful control. Last week we were in New York at the United Nations, were this issue was discussed at the First Committee. At a well attended side event at the UN, I had the privilege to […]
On the 31st of October, the UN First Committee voted on resolution A/C.1/69/L.43, Effects of the use of armaments and ammunitions containing depleted uranium, which passed with 143 in favour, 4 against and 26 abstainers. Before and after the vote, several States provided an explanation of vote (EOV). In some of these EOVs, especially those […]
Every year explosive weapons, such as bombs, grenades and rockets, on towns and villages, kill and wound large numbers of civilians, among them many children. Most recently explosive weapons have caused immense suffering and devastation in Gaza, Syria and Ukraine. Today, PAX will present Unacceptable Risk in New York, on the margins of the annual […]
“While the US and its allies have had a monopoly on drone technology until recently, the uptake of military and civilian drones by a much wider range of state and non-state actors shows that this playing field is quickly levelling. Current international agreements on arms control and use lack efficacy in responding to the legal, ethical, […]
The sudden and unforeseen expansion of ISIS in Iraq and Syria over the summer has led to a dramatic shift on the ground in the Middle East, in Western public opinion, and subsequently in the involvement of the international community. Even though ISIS had been a threat to civilians in northern Syria and Iraq over […]
On the 13th of August the newly elected House of Representatives in Libya passed its first decree calling for the international community to intervene immediately to ensure that civilians are protected. With all eyes focused on other crises in the world, including Iraq, Gaza and Syria, the chances are slim that there will be an […]
The humanitarian crisis in Iraq may result in genocide if no immediate action is taken Around 40 000 Yezidi Iraqi citizens are stuck in the Sinjar Mountains, left stranded without food and water and surrounded by militants of “The Islamic State” (IS). The 40 000 Yezidi citizens in the Sinjar mountains are part of […]
Over the years working on nuclear weapons issues, I’ve always tried to make time to read as much as I can. Sometimes though the reading list you pick for your summer holiday isn’t as pleasant as the usual beach-book. For example, the Plutonium Files by Eileen Welsome. By Susi Snyder