From November 2009 till January 2010 I did my practical work at the office of  IPPNW Germany  During this internship I’ve got to know about the NPT Review Conference and became interested in participating in the conference and taking part in NGOs-actions during the conference in New York.

The NPT Review Conference  was a unique chance for me to see how such international regimes and institutions function, and to experience the atmosphere of the intergovernmental interactions under the roof of the United Nations Organization. It was very interesting and instructive for me to see and hear the representatives of the different member-states to the NPT. Although the conference showed that the nuclear weapons states are still not ready to ban nuclear weapons,  the overwhelming majority of the states have called for the negotiation of a nuclear weapons convention. This development is crucial. Although the world community saw again the dependence of the nuclear power states on their instruments of power and their reluctance to cooperate under the NPT-regime, the conference displayed the emergence of a new debate about the irrelevance and illegitimacy of nuclear weapons.I believe that the existence of nuclear weapons bears a threat, which is not compatible with the global human rights regime, and which is supposed to be global and supported by the majority of the permanent members of the Security Council. Showing the illegitimacy and the amorality of nuclear weapons may be the right path to discrediting these weapons and eliminating them to a Global Zero. And that is the way, which I will follow with all the means which I have at my disposal today.

written by Inga Kravchik, student of political sciences at the Free University Berlin

Simulation on negotiations on a Model Nuclear Weapons Convention

Conference of Disarmament
The meeting of the Conference of Disarmament last 30 minutes and include, despite the introduction and good-bye of the chair, only two statements of ambassadors.
We all left the conference room a bit frustrated. Nothing is moving forward because Pakistan is blocking the discussion about the FMCT (Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty). In our meetings with diplomats we heard that this is the billing for the US-India deal where Pakistan now feels discriminated.

Report on meeting at Missions
We had meetings in seven Missions, including Portugal, Israel, the Netherlands, Russia, Turkey, Italy and Germany. They meetings really were different – some were very informative and the delegates where really open to our questions, others were short and it was complicated to get into a discussion. Mainly we asked similar questions to all mission about the new development referring NATO Nuclear Sharing, the advantages and disadvantages of a nuclear weapons convention and their expectations towards the NPT Review Conference in May.
In very informative talks we got explanations on the call of the discussion about NATO nuclear sharing. It was outlined that nobody is question nuclear deterrence by now but that in the future steps must be taken to get away from it but also that the nuclear weapons countries probably will want to keep their nuclear weapons as an “option for a rainy day”.. We had to face the reality that since years disarmament is on agenda of the Conference of Disarmament and nothing is really moving. Many also were very concerned that the window of hope is closing of the last weeks because the blockade in FCMT and START negotiations.
The message in each mission was “We have a political will! Let’s hope the others have also.”

written by Nina Eisenhardt