Report | Statements

The “muscular masculinity” of nuclear weapon ideology is losing its flame at the United Nations

Ray Acheson, 1 October 2019

On 26 September, the UN held a high-level event to mark the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. The event brought together some of the staunchest supporters of nuclear disarmament—which meant that nuclear-armed states and their Western allies were, for the most part, conspicuously absent. It also meant, as is becoming increasingly normal in nuclear disarmament discussions, that those advocating for a nuclear weapon free world held court while those who continue to defend these weapons of terror stayed hidden in the shadows.

Almost every delegation that took the floor during the International Day event remarked on the importance of the http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/resources/publications-and-research/research-projects/9146-banning-nuclear-weapons" data-mce-href="mailto:http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/resources/publications-and-research/research-projects/9146-banning-nuclear-weapons">Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Describing it as a landmark instrument towards the prohibition, stigmatisation, and elimination of nuclear weapons, the vast majority of those who spoke highlighted the Treaty’s value in drawing a clear principled and legal line against nuclear weapon possession, use, and threat of use. Many also highlighted its importance for demonstrating what is possible when governments, international organisations, and activists come together to stand up for humanity. As Liechtenstein’s representative said, the TPNW offers a beacon of hope and a lesson in multilateralism in a world suffering from big power politics.

One of the other lessons from the TPNW is the importance of diversity in disarmament. The negotiations, as well as the conferences and meetings leading up to them, featured unprecedented levels of sponsorship and participation of diplomats from the global south and particularly of women. Unfortunately, at the UN event on 26 September, only nine out of 55 speakers were women, about 16 percent of those taking the floor. Delegations need to do more to live up to their responsibilities to diversify participation in nuclear weapons discussions—including responsibilities under the TPNW itself, which recognises that “the equal, full and effective participation of both women and men is an essential factor for the promotion and attainment of sustainable peace and security,” and commits its parties to “supporting and strengthening the effective participation of women in nuclear disarmament.”

Negotiated in 2017 by those governments who reject the idea that nuclear weapons bring security, the TPNW posits that nuclear weapons have catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences that can only be prevented though the weapons’ total elimination. The majority of countries involved in the Treaty’s development firmly believe that, as Lebanon’s representative said on 26 September, that the danger of nuclear weapons will not dissipate through containment but only through complete elimination. She urged all states to change from a narrow security mindset to a broad humanitarian approach, which is one of the key things the TPNW has brought to the fore.

This framing has helped expose the dominant discourse on nuclear weapons for what it really is: an illogical justification for a few states to maintain an illusion of privilege and power at the expense of the rest of the world. “The concept of nuclear deterrence does not stand up to scrutiny,” noted Austria’s representative—a concept that the prime minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines aptly described as “muscular masculinity”. The idea that nuclear weapons make the world safer or more stable was described as pure nonsense by most governments participating in the event. Nuclear weapons continue to breed mistrust among their possessors, noted the representative of Fiji. With nuclear weapon modernisation, he noted, more weapons equals more mistrust. “We must not yield to the pressures of those who profit from the production of these horrific weapons of mass destruction,” said the prime minister of Samoa, calling for a stable security without nuclear weapons and nuclear waste.

China and India, the only nuclear-armed states to address the event, offered lip service to the importance of nuclear disarmament. China, for example, said that the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons would serve the interests of humankind. Which begs the question, why not lead the way for nuclear disarmament? Unfortunately, these countries continue to invest in the modernisation of their nuclear arsenals, claiming that they will work for disarmament when the other nuclear-armed states do as well. But as Nepal’s foreign minister suggested, cooperation for disarmament should take primacy over competition for armament. It is beyond time for the nuclear-armed to get serious about their obligations to protect their own citizens and the planet, especially in a time of climate chaos. As the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) said in its http://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/NAD-2019/26Sept_ICAN.pdf" data-mce-href="mailto:http://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/NAD-2019/26Sept_ICAN.pdf">statement to the event, humanity faces the twin threats of nuclear war and climate change. The two are interconnected, as one could exacerbate the risks of the other. And, the money spent on nuclear weapons could instead be going to develop renewable energy and other efforts to mitigate and prevent the worst of the climate crisis. “An alternative future is possible,” said ICAN. “A future that drastically cuts carbon emissions and a future that eliminates nuclear weapons.”

For the latter, this future lies with the TPNW. As the event heard from final speakers, elsewhere in the UN building several states joined the TPNW at a special ceremony. Nine countries signed the Treaty—Botswana, Dominica, Grenada, Lesotho, Maldives, St. Kitts and Nevis, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zambia—while five deposited their instruments of ratification—Bangladesh, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Maldives, and Trinidad and Tobago. This brings the number of ratifying states to 32, and signatories to 79. These countries are prioritising people and peace over profits. As the prime minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines said in his http://statements.unmeetings.org/GA74/VC_EN.pdf" data-mce-href="mailto:http://statements.unmeetings.org/GA74/VC_EN.pdf">remarks to the General Assembly on 27 September, smaller states have been “mere irrelevant pebbles in the eyes of some of the large, the rich and the powerful who ought to know better.” And now, these states “form part of the new foundation of international cooperation. Our challenges must be acknowledged, and our voices—long humoured but unheard—must be listened to as the consistent advocates on behalf of people, progress, partnership and principle.”

Statements

• President of the UN General Assembly, Ambassador Tijjane Muhammad-Bande (Mr.)
• UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres (Mr.)
• Samoa, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi (Mr.)
• Costa Rica, President Carlos Alvarado Quesada (Mr.)
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Prime Minister Ralph Everard Gonsalves (Mr.)
• Holy See, Secretary of States Cardinal Pietro Parolin (Mr.)
• Fiji, Minister of Defence and National Security Inia Batikoto Seruiratu (Mr.)
• Equatorial Guinea, Minister of Foreign Affairs Simeón Oyono Esono Angue (Mr.)
• Non-Aligned Movement, delivered by Minister of Foreign Affairs Jorge Arreaza of Venezuela (Mr.)
• Cuba, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Eduardo Rodríguez Parrilla (Mr.)
• Nigeria, National Security Advisor and Cabinet Minister Mohammed Babagana Monguno (Mr.)
• Nepal, Minister of Foreign Affairs Pradeep Gyawali (Mr.)
• Cambodia, Secretary of State Borith Ouch (Mr.)
• South Africa (Mr.)
• Austria, Federal Minister for Europe, Integration, and Foreign Affairs Alexander Schallenberg (Mr.)
• Belarus, Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei (Mr.)
• Algeria, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sabri Boukadoum (Mr.)
• Guyana, Minister of Foreign Affairs Karen Cummings (Ms.)
• Mexico, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Marcelo Ebrard (Mr.)
• Trinidad and Tobago, Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Dennis Moses (Mr.)
• Ghana, Minister of Foreign Affairs Shirley Ayorkor Botchway (Ms.)
• Maldives, Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid (Mr.)
• Thailand, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs Tana Weskosith (Mr.)
• Guatemala, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Luis Fernando Carranza (Mr.)
• Iran (Mr.)
• Argentina (Mr.)
• Nicaragua (Mr.)
• Tanzania, Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation Palamagamba John Aidan Mwaluko Kabudi (Mr.)
• Iraq (Mr.)
• Kenya (Mr.)
• Honduras (Mr.)
• Bangladesh (Mr.)
• Lebanon (Ms.)
• Colombia (Mr.)
• Kyrgz Republic, Minister of Foreign Affairs Chingiz Aidarbekov (Mr.)
• Sweden, Ambassador Ann-Sofie Nilsson (Ms.)
• Mongolia (Mr.)
• Japan (Mr.)
• New Zealand (Mr.)
• Brazil (Mr.)
• Ireland (Ms.)
• Malaysa (Ms.)
• Arab Group, delivered by Bahrain (Mr.)
• Morocco (Mr.)
• Indonesia (Mr.)
• Kazakhstan (Mr.)
• Liechtenstein (Mr.)
• Cote d'Ivoire (Mr.)
• El Salvador (Mr.)
• Ukraine (Mr.)
• Uruguay (Ms.)
• Ecuador (Ms.)
• Peru (Mr.)
• China (Mr.)
• Philippines (Ms.)
• League of Arab States (Mr.)
• India (Mr.)
• Peace Boat, Meri Joyce (Ms.)
• International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Mitchie Takeuchi (Ms.)

The 2019 NPT Briefing Book and Assuring destruction forever: 2019 edition are now available in PDF!

The briefing book provides an overview of the current state of play and the critical issues for the 2019 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Preparatoy Committee, which will convene in New York from 29 April to 10 May 2019.

The 2019 update to our annual study on nuclear weapon modernisation, Assuring destruction forever, explores the ongoing and planned nuclear weapon modernisation programmes in China, France, India, Israel, Pakistan, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Reaching Critical Will will monitor the following meetings of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) in 2019:

• CCW Group of Governmental Experts on lethal autonomous weapon systems,  25-29 March and 20-21 August 2019
• CCW Meeting of the High Contracting Parties, 13-15 November 2019

To receive Reaching Critical Will's CCW Report with coverage of these meetings, please sign up here to our "conventional weapons / emerging technologies of violence" mailing list.

The 2019 Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on lethal autonomous weapons, mandated by the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), will meet in Geneva, Switzerland from 25-29 March at the Palais des Nations. Catch up on what happened at the 2018 GGE meetings and the 2018 Meeting of CCW High Contracting Parties. 

The 2019 Meeting of States Parties (MSP) to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), chaired by Ambassador Yann Hwang of France, took place from 3–6 December in Geneva.

In the early evening of Friday, 6 December, states parties adopted a report [1] of the 2019 Meetings of States Parties. Similar to last year, the 2019 report lacks substance, and references to constructive discussions held at the 2019 Meetings of Experts (MXs) are kept to a minimum.

In an unusual move, Russia urged—on the last day of the meeting—for its written proposal reflecting on substantive discussions during past BWC meetings to be included in section VI referring to the consideration of the factual reports of the MXs in the draft report. Russia had circulated the document two days earlier but the MSP refused to consider the proposal for inclusion in the draft report due to the short notice. As a response, the MSP agreed to delete references in the report that take note of the Chair’s Aide Mémoire.

The vast majority of states parties welcomed the establishment of a Working Capital Fund and its positive impact, as was agreed upon during the 2018 MSP. However, the financial long-term stability of the Convention remains dire due to non-payment of assessed contributions by a few states parties. The MSP agreed to continue monitoring the financial situation of the Convention.

States also agreed for the next Meetings of Experts to take place 25 August–3 September 2020, and for the 2020 MSP to be held 8–11 December in Geneva. Ambassador Aliyar Lebbe Abdul Azeez of Sri Lanka will chair the MSP. The meeting approved Peter Beerweth of Germany as Vice-Chair and Robertas Rosinas of Lithuania. The MSP agreed that the Ninth Review Conference will be held from 8-26 November 2021 with the exact duration and dates to be determined due to continued disagreement among states parties.

This year also saw a considerable increase in gender references during the general debate of the MSP. This report will focus on those references. For detailed accounts of other aspects of the meeting, please see the summary reports by Richard Guthrie of the BioWeapons Prevention Project.

Steep increase in gender considerations: The BWC is catching up

Against the backdrop of increased inclusion of gender perspectives across and within various disarmament fora and topics, which RCW reported on elsewhere, the BWC has stepped up its efforts. This includes calls for greater gender diversity, better analysis of the gendered impacts of biological weapons and respective policy responses, as well as calls for the broader inclusion of gender perspectives in BWC processes. Twelve delegates[2] spoke to the topic across the four days of meetings. To compare, during this year’s MX, only three delegates had raised the issue, and at the 2018 MSP, no delegation did.

The increase of gender references follows a general uptick in calling for equal participation in the BWC, and the gendered impacts of biological weapons in the broader disarmament community. 

For example, the 2019 MXs featured the first side event ever on gender in the BWC context. Participants discussed possible differences in the effects of biological weapons on women and men and their significance for assistance, response, and preparedness. Relatedly, the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Affairs (UNIDIR) recently published a new study entitled “Missing links: understanding sex- and gender-related impacts of chemical and biological weapons.” The publication argues that sex- and gender-disaggregated data, as well as knowledge of gender perspectives, can contribute to states’ preparedness and enhance the effectiveness of assistance under the BWC.
Moreover, the 2019 First Committee encouraged for the first time “the equitable participation of women and men in the framework of the Convention,” in its annual resolution on the BWC.

Gender perspectives

Canada, Peru, Ireland, Panama, and Sweden expressed their commitment to advocate for gender perspectives in disarmament. Norway encouraged states parties to develop a common understanding of the ways that gender is relevant in the context of the BWC, which it says will strengthen the Convention. Sweden reminded that the UN Secretary-General’s disarmament agenda notes that the implementation of a gender perspective contributes to more effective disarmament measures.

Norway encouraged states parties to take gender considerations into account in all policy areas. Australia informed that as a major sponsor of the global health security conference held in Sydney in June 2019, gender was elevated as a critical consideration in health security.

Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) welcomed the recent adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2493 “as a crucial follow-on to UN Security Council resolution 1325 [on Women, Peace and Security].”

The joint non-governmental organisation (NGO) statement encouraged delegates to investigate how persisting gender stereotypes pose obstacles to non-proliferation and disarmament efforts.

Gendered impacts

Australia said it was pleased that there is increased interest in understanding the gendered impacts and analysis of biological weapons use. The joint NGO  statement made similar observations. Norway reminded that it hosted, along with UNIDIR, the first-ever side event in a BWC meeting on gender-related impacts of biological weapons at the MXs. Sweden and the European Union (EU) welcomed this.

Peru welcomed UNIDIR’s recent publication Missing links noting that it was relevant for the BWC’s work. It recalled one main finding, which suggests that “a state is better prepared to respond to and to recover from a biological incident when it recognizes that men and women, because of the roles they play in society, are affected differently through various biological attacks, and men and women also respond differently to said attacks.”

Ireland also welcomed the recent UNIDIR publication for “showing how gender roles can have an impact on exposure to biological agents and access to information related to public health crises.” It observed that “understanding of these perspectives can support in the development of effective response and assistance strategies.” Chile welcomed the recent report as “valuable contribution” to explore a subject that so far has not been explored enough.

Participation

Norway encouraged diversity in disarmament as it believes this makes it “more effective and leads to better outcomes.” Canada made similar observations. Australia also noted there was a need to keep improving the diversity of the voices in this room and the composition of delegations. Ireland argued that the BWC should ensure the widest possible representation in BWC meetings, including with regard to gender balance. Australia said it was pleased that the issue of gender diversity is attracting greater attention in the BWC, also in terms of participation, and noted that it is encouraging to see many female delegates at this MSP. The EU encouraged the active and equal participation of women. Chile welcomed UNIDIR’s study “Still Behind the Curve” as a crucial tool to further explore participation in the context of the BWC.

Canada welcomed that the 2019 BWC resolution at the UN General Assembly First Committee included a reference to equitable representation of women and men in the framework of the Convention, which it described as “a small but significant step to acknowledge the importance of equality in the implementation of the [BWC].” The EU and the joint NGO statement also welcomed this.

The Republic of Korea noted that the establishment of an advisory forum within the BWC should be based, inter alia, on a balanced gender participation. Australia made similar remarks.

PGA expressed strong support for promoting gender equality in the ratification and implementation of the BWC, and informed that the vast majority of its members active in promoting ratification and implementation of the BWC in the past four years have been women parliamentarians.

[1] The final report wasn’t published at the time of writing but an advance version can be accessed here: https://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B8954/(httpAssets)/A2B6057BC864E9BFC12584C9002E2BC4/$file/BWC+MSP+2019+final+report+-+advance+version.pdf

[2] These are: Australia, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Peru, Republic of Korea, Ireland, Chile, Panama, European Union, a joint NGO statement, and Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA).

On 18 January 2018, the UN Security Council will host a high-level briefing on non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, focusing on transparency measures.

Kazakhstan, the president of the Council, circulated a concept note that indicates the meeting will be focused on formulating:

• recommendations linking conflict prevention, non-proliferation and confidence-building measures;
• confidence-building measures that strengthen the non-proliferation regime and improve the implementation of resolution 1540 on weapons of mass destruction;
• political measures to do away with incentives related to possessing weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems; and
• confidence-building measures as part of a non-proliferation process in which member states make specific relevant commitments.

Resources

What's In Blue briefing note

The Third Review Conference of the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat, and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons In All Its Aspects will meet at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City from 18-29 June 2018. The president-designate for the Conference is Ambassador Jean-Claude Brunet of France. 

Review Conference documents

• Statements
• Documents
• Side events calendar
• Small Arms Monitor

Reaching Critical Will resources

• The Small Arms Monitor (subscribe here) will be published during the Review Conference
• Preventing gender-based violence through arms control (April 2016)
• Women, weapons, and war: a gendered critique of multilateral instruments (October 2015)
• Small arms, big picture (September 2014)
• An assessment of the PoA (June 2014)

Background information

• 2018 Preparatory Committee for the Review Conference
• 2016 Biennial Meeting of States (BMS6)
• 2015 Meeting of Government Experts (MGE2)
• 2014 Biennial Meeting of States (BMS5)
• 2012 Review Conference
• 2012 Preparatory Committee for the Review Conference
• 2011 Meeting of Governmental Experts (MGE1)
• 2010 Biennial Meeting of States (BMS4)
• 2008 Biennial Meeting of States (BMS3)
• UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons
• International Tracing Instrument

Other resources

• UN Office for Disarmament Affairs
• International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA)

The preparatory committee for the Third Review Conference of the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat, and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons In All Its Aspects will meet at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City from 19–23 March 2018.

Reaching Critical Will resources

• The Small Arms Monitor (subscribe here) will be published during the PrepCom
• Preventing gender-based violence through arms control (April 2016)
• Women, weapons, and war: a gendered critique of multilateral instruments (October 2015)
• Small arms, big picture (September 2014)
• An assessment of the PoA (June 2014)

Preparatory Committee documents

• Statements
• Documents
• Side events calendar

Background information

• 2016 Biennial Meeting of States (BMS6)
• 2015 Meeting of Government Experts (MGE2)
• 2014 Biennial Meeting of States (BMS5)
• 2012 Review Conference
• 2012 Preparatory Committee for the Review Conference
• 2011 Meeting of Governmental Experts (MGE1)
• 2010 Biennial Meeting of States (BMS4)
• 2008 Biennial Meeting of States (BMS3)
• UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons
• International Tracing Instrument

Other resources

• UN Office for Disarmament Affairs
• International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA)

The 2018 NPT Preparatory Committee will meet in Geneva, Switzerland from 23 April - 4 May 2018. This webpage contains information for civil society participation, including accreditation and registration, side events, presentations, and more.      vvvvvvv

NGO accreditation and registration

Please read this information note from the UN containing complete details on accreditation and registration for civil society. Key deadlines and basic information are as follows:

The deadline for applications of accreditation of organisations is 2 March 2018. Such requests should be made by completing an online accreditation form available by clicking here.  

Those non-governmental organizations that have requested accreditation as above will be informed by the Secretariat by e-mail by 16 March 2018 of the outcome of their request.

Online registration will be available from 17 March to 16 April 2018 to organizations whose accreditation has been provisionally approved. This will take place using the new online Indico system, available at https://reg.unog.ch/event/23077/registration/ and requires each participant to create their own profile. Participants will have to attach a scanned copy of their passport or national identification card and the letter, including their name on the list of the organization, as a mandatory document when registering online. A user guide is available for reference on the webpage of the second session of the Preparatory Committee under the registration category (http://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/npt2020/prepcom2018/).

Please bear in mind that individuals requesting accreditation, as well as those planning to attend side events, must be at least 18 years of age. 

Once their registrations have been approved in Indico, NGO representatives will each receive via email an e-ticket/QR code. Grounds passes valid for the duration of the Preparatory Committee will be available for collection from the Pass and Identification Unit at the Pregny Gate of the Palais des Nations, which is open from 08:00 - 17:00, Monday to Friday.

Side events

NGOs will have conference room XVI reserved for their use in the UN; details to be announced shortly. Please email info[at]reachingcriticalwill.org to book the room, giving your top three preferences of date and time, as well as event title, any co-organisers, and primary point of contact. The calendar of events will be updated regularly. There is no interpretation available during side events. Any equipment and catering must be organised and paid for by the event organisers. 

Exhibitions

Limited space is available for exhibits. Please contact Ms. Diane Barnes (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) for requests for exhibit space and to inquire about the relevant details. After the session begins, kindly direct related inquiries to Ms. Claudia Garcia Guiza (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Civil society presentations

Whether or not you are planning to attend the Review Conference, consider getting involved in drafting civil society presentations to the meeting. The tentative date for these presentations is Wednesday, 25 April 2017 from 10:00-13:00. You can subscribe to the listserv we use to draft presentations by going to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/npt_presentations. Note that email traffic on this list will be quite heavy between February and April.

NPT News in Review

The NPT News in Review is produced during NPT Preparatory Committee and Review Conferences. It features analysis, reports, feature articles from NGOs around the world, a calendar of events, and more. You can subscribe to receive in your inbox during the PrepCom.

We also encourage you to submit to the 2018 NPT News in Review. The guidelines are as follows:

Feature articles: In addition to the daily analysis of the proceedings of the PrepCom, the NPT News in Review also contains feature articles that cover a range of nuclear disarmament issues. We welcome submissions from NGO experts around the world, regardless of whether or not you will be in Geneva. Articles should be between 400-500 words. Please submit in .doc or .docx format and the body of the email. Articles will be attributed to the author and may be edited for length.

Advertising: You can use the NPT News in Review to publicize an important announcement, event, or project hosted by your organization. NIRs are hand-distributed to all of the delegates at the PrepCom, sent by email to more than 1000 subscribers, and are archived on our website.

• 1/4 page ad: $60
• 1/2 page ad: $80
• full page ad: $150

Please send all submissions to info[at]reachingcriticalwill.org.

The 2018 NPT Preparatory Committee will meet in Geneva, Switzerland from 23 April - 4 May 2018. This webpage contains information for civil society participation, including accreditation and registration, side events, presentations, and more.    

NGO accreditation and registration

Please read this information note from the UN containing complete details on accreditation and registration for civil society. Key deadlines and basic information are as follows:

The deadline for applications of accreditation of organisations is 2 March 2018. Such requests should be made by completing an online accreditation form available by clicking here.  

Those non-governmental organizations that have requested accreditation as above will be informed by the Secretariat by e-mail by 16 March 2018 of the outcome of their request.

Online registration will be available from 17 March to 16 April 2018 to organizations whose accreditation has been provisionally approved. This will take place using the new online Indico system, available at https://reg.unog.ch/event/23077/registration/ and requires each participant to create their own profile. Participants will have to attach a scanned copy of their passport or national identification card and the letter, including their name on the list of the organization, as a mandatory document when registering online. A user guide is available for reference on the webpage of the second session of the Preparatory Committee under the registration category (http://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/npt2020/prepcom2018/).

Please bear in mind that individuals requesting accreditation, as well as those planning to attend side events, must be at least 18 years of age. 

Once their registrations have been approved in Indico, NGO representatives will each receive via email an e-ticket/QR code. Grounds passes valid for the duration of the Preparatory Committee will be available for collection from the Pass and Identification Unit at the Pregny Gate of the Palais des Nations, which is open from 08:00 - 17:00, Monday to Friday.

Side events

NGOs will have conference room XVI reserved for their use in the UN; details to be announced shortly. Please email info[at]reachingcriticalwill.org to book the room, giving your top three preferences of date and time, as well as event title, any co-organisers, and primary point of contact. The calendar of events will be updated regularly. There is no interpretation available during side events. Any equipment and catering must be organised and paid for by the event organisers. 

Exhibitions

Limited space is available for exhibits. Please contact Ms. Diane Barnes (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) for requests for exhibit space and to inquire about the relevant details. After the session begins, kindly direct related inquiries to Ms. Claudia Garcia Guiza (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Civil society presentations

Whether or not you are planning to attend the Review Conference, consider getting involved in drafting civil society presentations to the meeting. The tentative date for these presentations is Wednesday, 25 April 2017 from 10:00-13:00. You can subscribe to the listserv we use to draft presentations by going to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/npt_presentations. Note that email traffic on this list will be quite heavy between February and April.

NPT News in Review

The NPT News in Review is produced during NPT Preparatory Committee and Review Conferences. It features analysis, reports, feature articles from NGOs around the world, a calendar of events, and more. You can subscribe to receive in your inbox during the PrepCom.

We also encourage you to submit to the 2018 NPT News in Review. The guidelines are as follows:

Feature articles: In addition to the daily analysis of the proceedings of the PrepCom, the NPT News in Review also contains feature articles that cover a range of nuclear disarmament issues. We welcome submissions from NGO experts around the world, regardless of whether or not you will be in Geneva. Articles should be between 400-500 words. Please submit in .doc or .docx format and the body of the email. Articles will be attributed to the author and may be edited for length.

Advertising: You can use the NPT News in Review to publicize an important announcement, event, or project hosted by your organization. NIRs are hand-distributed to all of the delegates at the PrepCom, sent by email to more than 1000 subscribers, and are archived on our website.

• 1/4 page ad: $60
• 1/2 page ad: $80
• full page ad: $150

Please send all submissions to info[at]reachingcriticalwill.org.