VOL 29 ISSUE 2 2018

VITAL

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NEWSLETTER OF THE INTERNATIONAL PHYSICIANS FOR THE PREVENTION OF NUCLEAR WAR (IPPNW)

SIGNSWith the Nuclear Weapons BanTreaty a reality and the excitementof the 2017 Nobel Peace Prizebehind us, what comes next?

Even before heading to Oslo for the Nobelceremonies (see pp 4-5), ICAN launcheda signature and ratification campaign toensure that the Treaty on the Prohibitionof Nuclear Weapons enters into force assoon as possible. As this issue of VitalSigns went to press, 57 states had signedthe Treaty and five had ratified it. Fifty rati-fications are needed, at which time theprohibitions against nuclear weapons andthe obligations to work for their eliminationwill have the weight of international law.

Yet the world has become a far more dan-gerous place in the past year, especiallywhen it comes to nuclear weapons. Citingthe “looming threat of nuclear war,” theBulletin of the Atomic Scientists reset theDoomsday Clock to two minutes beforemidnight in January—the closest we havebeen to nuclear catastrophe since 1953.

US-Russia relations continue to deterio-rate, with both countries placing greaterreliance on nuclear weapons than at anytime since the end of the Cold War. NorthKorea has redoubled its efforts to acquirea nuclear capability and, despite thehopes of a thaw in North-South relationsthat were raised during the WinterOlympics, we remain only a tweet awayfrom our worst nightmare.

India and Pakistan have accelerated theirown nuclear competition, risking mutualsuicide in a regional nuclear war that

HIGHLIGHTSUS Nuclear Posture 2

Setsuko Thurlow 3

Nobel Peace Prize 4-5

Nigerian peace radio 6

Inspired students 7

IPPNW.ORGVITAL SIGNS VOLUME 29 ISSUE 2 2018

[Continued on pg. 3)

Framework for nuclear abolition or blueprint for nuclear war:Which path will we choose?

could result in a global climate catastro-phe and a nuclear famine.

All the nuclear-armed states are invest-ing in dangerous and costly programsto overhaul their arsenals with new war-head designs, new delivery systems,and new infrastructure that could man-ufacture hundreds of nuclear weaponseach year for the rest of this century.

Earlier this year, the Trump administrationreleased its Nuclear Posture Review (seepg. 2), which IPPNW co-president TilmanRuff called “a blueprint for nuclear war.”The NPR embraces the $1.2 trillion“recapitalization” of the US arsenal initiat-ed by President Obama, adds a new“low-yield” submarine-launched missile,

revives plans for a sub-launched nuclearcruise missile, and recklessly flirts withresumption of nuclear testing. Trump hasalso sent loud signals that the US will with-draw from the international agreementthat has successfully halted Iran’s pro-gram to develop a nuclear weapons

IPPNW co-president Ira Helfand, IPPNW Sweden secretary-general JosefinLind, and Reaching Critical Will director Ray Acheson discuss strategies forimplementing the Ban Treaty during the ICAN campaigners meeting in Osloprior to Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. ICAN photo

NUCLEAR ABOLITION NEWS AND UPDATESFor more information, please contact Chuck Johnson (cjohnson@ippnw.org)

inherently illegitimate because of the exis-tential threat they pose to humanity and,therefore, belong in no one’s hands.

French affiliate joins Red Cross inParis Ban Treaty symposiumThis January, the French Red Crossorganized its first panel discussion on theTreaty on the Prohibition of NuclearWeapons at its headquarters in Paris.

Kathleen Lawand, the legal advisor andhead of the arms unit at the InternationalCommittee of the Red Cross (ICRC),joined Patrice Richard and AbrahamBehar of IPPNW’s French affiliate, andJean Marie Collin of Initiatives for NuclearDisarmament. Ms. Lawand recalled theICRC’s constant struggle for the abolitionof nuclear weapons since 1945. Sheexplained that the humanitarian conse-quences of nuclear weapons and nuclearwar, and the disproportionate nature ofthe nuclear threat were her reasons forsupporting the Ban Treaty.

Drs. Richard and Behar told participatingrepresentatives of the Ministry of ForeignAffairs that they “lamented the relentless-ness of [the French] government againstthe Treaty and the obsolete attachment tonuclear deterrence.”

The meeting was a prelude to a campaignin favor of the Treaty that the French RedCross will implement throughout the coun-try, with the support of IPPNW France.

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“We have proposed a day of action inParis, which will involve all health organi-zations, in order to explain how the BanTreaty is a vital step towards the abolitionof nuclear weapons, and to lay out thehumanitarian and public health conse-quences of an atomic attack or accident,”Dr. Behar said.

The Trump administration’s NuclearPosture Review, released in February,marks a continuation of the nuclearweapons programs, priorities, and bud-gets from the past decade or so. Themain additions to an already enormousand expensive arsenal—at a cost of $1.2trillion over the next three decades—are a“low-yield” submarine-launched ballisticmissile and a sub-launched cruise missile.

What’s different—and most dangerous—about the Trump NPR is its unrestrainedenthusiasm for US nuclear weapons,which are presented as the gold standardfor national security. The role of deterrence,the decades-long rationale for maintaininga nuclear arsenal, has been expanded toaddress an unprecedented range ofthreatsnot only from nuclear weapons, butalso from chemical or biological weapons,conventional attacks...even cyber attacks.

The NPR singles out a number of USadversaries—Russia, China, NorthKorea, Iran—as examples of a need for“tailored, flexible options” that dangerous-ly lower the threshold for the use ofnuclear weapons.

While the document contains not a singlereference to the catastrophic conse-quences of nuclear war that have driventhe argument for the Ban Treaty, theTreaty itself is dismissed as “unrealisticand polarizing.”

We have a different, more hopeful, andevidence-based set of beliefs. No statehas a right to possess, let alone use,nuclear weapons; no state can place theentire world at risk in pursuit of its ownsecurity interests, however legitimatethose might be; nuclear weapons are

US Nuclear Posture Review ignores consequences, lowers threshold for use of nuclear weapons

“If deterrence fails, theUnited States will striveto end any conflict and

restore deterrence at thelowest level of damage

possible.”—2018 US Nuclear

Posture Review

“[T]he catastrophic consequences of nuclear

weapons cannot be adequately addressed,

transcend national borders, pose grave

implications for humansurvival, the environ-ment, socioeconomic

development, the globaleconomy, food security

and the health of current and

future generations.”—2017 Treaty

on the Prohibitionof Nuclear Weapons

ONLINE

2018 NPR: tinyurl.com/yc7lu944

icanw.org/treaty-on-the-prohibi-tion-of-nuclear-weapons/

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Which path will we choose?

ONLINE: Setsuko’s full speechwww. i canw.o rg / campa ign -news/ican-receives-2017-nobel-peace-prize/

[Continued from pg. 1]

capability. This could provoke anuclear arms race—or worse—in theMiddle East.

The lines have been clearly drawn: Theinternational community has condemnedand prohibited nuclear weapons, and isdemanding that the nuclear-armed statescomply with those prohibitions. Thenuclear-armed states have refused to jointhe Ban Treaty and have recommittedthemselves to nuclear weapons and todeterrence—imperiling themselves andeveryone else in the process.

The Ban Treaty embodies IPPNW’s coremedical message—that nuclear warwould result in catastrophe, and that theelimination of nuclear weapons is the onlyway to prevent this threat to all humanity.We now have to press the humanitariancase for elimination, which is the Treaty’sultimate objective.

Austrian ambassador Thomas Hajnoczi—one of the Ban Treaty’s lead negotiators—has urged IPPNW to present the factsabout nuclear war to diplomats and politi-cians around the world. The first such brief-

ing took place in Oslo, along with col-leagues from the Norwegian MedicalAssociation and the Norwegian RedCross. We plan to replicate these brief-ings globally, especially in countries thathave come under intense pressure not tosign the Ban Treaty.

“The nuclear threshold is getting lower;the risk of a large nuclear war is increas-ing,” said former co-president GunnarWestberg. “The prohibition of all nuclearweapons is even more important than weknew a few months ago.” VS

“These weapons are the ultimate evil”

[Ed. note: Hiroshima survivorSetsuko Thurlow, a long-time friendof IPPNW, joined ICAN executiveDirector Beatrice Fihn in acceptingthe 2017 Nobel Peace Prize onbehalf of ICAN. The followingexcerpts are from her portion of theNobel Lecture delivered onDecember 10 in Oslo.]

I speak as a member of the family ofHibakusha—those of us who, bysome miraculous chance, survivedthe atomic bombings of Hiroshimaand Nagasaki. For more than seven

descent to the darkest depths ofdepravity. These weapons are not anecessary evil; they are the ultimateevil.

On the seventh of July this year, Iwas overwhelmed with joy when agreat majority of the world’s nationsvoted to adopt the Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons.Having witnessed humanity at itsworst, I witnessed, that day, humanityat its best. We hibakusha had beenwaiting for the ban for seventy-twoyears. Let this be the beginning ofthe end of nuclear weapons.

All responsible leaders will sign thistreaty. And history will judge harshlythose who reject it. ...To every presi-dent and prime minister of everynation of the world, I beseech you:Join this treaty; forever eradicate thethreat of nuclear annihilation.

decades, we have worked for thetotal abolition of nuclear weapons.

Today, I want you to feel in this hallthe presence of all those who per-ished in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Iwant you to feel, above and aroundus, a great cloud of a quarter millionsouls. Each person had a name.Each person was loved by someone.Let us ensure that their deaths werenot in vain.

Through our agony and the sheerstruggle to survive—and to rebuildour lives from the ashes—weHibakusha became convinced thatwe must warn the world about theseapocalyptic weapons. Time andagain, we shared our testimonies.

Nine nations still threaten to inciner-ate entire cities, to destroy life onearth, to make our beautiful worlduninhabitable for future generations.The development of nuclearweapons signifies not a country’selevation to greatness, but its

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ICAN in OSLOTHE 2017 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE

CEREMONIES

Co-president Tilman Ruff and ICAN executive director Beatrice Fihn with Nobel PeacePrize medallion (left). Setsuko Thurlow wrote in the commemorative book (right), “Yourwords of support enable us to go forward to the next steps of our dream, total abolitionof nuclear weapons.”

IPPNW activists from every continent joined hun-dreds of ICAN campaigners in Oslo, as the city wel-comed the 2017 Nobel Laureate with three days ofactivities capped by the Nobel Peace Prize awardceremony on December 10.

Berit Reiss-Andersen, the Chair of the NorwegianNobel Committee, told a thousand invited guests atOslo City Hall and a large overflow crowd at the NobelPeace Center that ICAN had “given new momentum tothe process of abolishing nuclear weapons....A nwar could kill millions of people,” she warned, “dramat-ically alter the climate and the environment for much ofthe planet, and destabilise societies in a way neverbefore seen by humanity.”

That message was repeated over and over again—at apacked ICAN campaigners meeting, a diplomatic brief-ing organized by the Norwegian Red Cross and IPPNWNorway, a press conference and countless media inter-views, and a rally preceding a torchlight processionthrough the heart of Oslo city center.

What ICAN has achieved, said executive directorBeatrice Fihn, who, with Hiroshima survivor SetsukoThurlow accepted the Prize on behalf of the campaign,is only the first step toward its ultimate goal. “The storyof nuclear weapons will have an ending, and it is up tous what that ending will be.”

Ira Helfand (inset, right) spoke at a briefing for diplomats and the media on the med-ical consequences of nuclear war. Other participants included (from left) TerjeSkavdal, Norwegian Peoples Aid; Bernt Apeland, Norwegian Red Cross; and SusiSnyder, PAX. Tilman Ruff, ICAN’s founding co-chair, answers media questions at thepress conference in Oslo on December 10, along with (from left) Olav Njølstad,Secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Setsuko Thurlow, and Beatrice Fihn.

The Norwegian royal family and hundreds ofinvited guests filled Oslo City Hall to witness theaward ceremony for the 2018 Nobel PeaceLaureate, ICAN. Outside, a ferris wheel at apopular winter market displayed the ICAN logo.

ONLINE: Nobel Peace Prize presentationspeech—tinyurl.com/y8cprhm8

ICAN Nobel Lecture—icanw.org/campaign-news/ican-receives-2017-nobel-peace-prize/

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n OSLOBEL PEACE PRIZEEMONIES

IPPNW.ORG

cutive director Beatrice Fihn with Nobel Peacewrote in the commemorative book (right), “Yourrd to the next steps of our dream, total abolition

ery continent joined hun-ers in Oslo, as the city wel-

L ureate with three days of Nobel Peace Prize award10.

Chair of the Norwegian housand invited guests at overflow crowd at the Nobelad “given new momentum tonuclear weapons....A nucleareople,” she warned, “dramat-

he environment for much ofs societies in a way never

ed over and over again—at as meeting, a diplomatic brief-egian Red Cross and IPPNWce and countless media inter-d ng a torchlight processionc ty center.

ed, said executive director Hiroshima survivor Setsukoe on behalf of the campaign,d its ultimate goal. “The storyave an ending, and it is up toe ”

John Gunnar Maeland,president of IPPNW’s

Norwegian affiliate (above,center), prepares to jointhe torchlight procession

with other NLMA mem-bers. Norwegian cam-

paigners (right) have chal-lenged their government to

join the Ban Treaty.

Thousands of Oslo residents and ICAN campaigners marched up Karl JohansGate to the Grand Hotel in a torchlight procession that was a highlight of theNobel Peace Prize events. IPPNW participants in the procession included (above,from left) Laura Fromow Guerra, Neil Arya, Ruby Chirino, Ruth Mitchell, BrendonChrist, Michael Christ, John Loretz, and Jans Fromow Guerra.

UN Programme of Action on Small Arms—how much progress since 2001?IPPNW was among the organizationsthat helped pass the UN Programme ofAction on Small Arms and Light Weapons(UN PoA) 17 years ago. At that time wewere optimistic that the landmark agree-ment would make real inroads toward itsgoal to “reduce the human sufferingcaused by the illicit trade in small armsand light weapons...and to enhance therespect for life and the dignity of thehuman person through the promotion of aculture of peace.”

At the next UN POA PrepCom in March,and at the 3rd Review Conference inJune, Dr. Cathey Falvo of PSR New Yorkwill represent IPPNW on a panel co-organized with the Parliamentary Forumon Small Arms and Light Weapons(PFSALW) on “Connecting the Dots:Supporting the 2030 Agenda, the ArmsTrade Treaty and the United NationsProgramme of Action on Small Arms.”

Small Arms Make Big CirclesIPPNW Austria mounted the exhibit"Small Arms Make Big Circles" at theVienna Peace Museum. The health con-sequences of the arms trade, the use ofchild soldiers, Austria’s role in the armstrade, and the medical and economicconsequences of gun violence weredepicted on ten posters developed byAustrian affiliate members and medicalstudents. The exhibit has been brought toUN meetings, medical schools and hospi-tals, and community events.

“Service to humanity” heartbeat ofIPPNW Nigeria Radio Project IPPNW Nigeria, with support fromIPPNW Finland, recently conducted a 10-part series “Bringing Peace to the People”

AIMING FOR PREVENTIONWORLD ROUNDUP

on Nigeria Info 95.1 FM radio in Abuja,Nigeria.

“The IPPNW Radio Project has at itsheartbeat ‘service to humanity,’ creatingawareness of the threat armed violenceposes to health and providing informationabout public health approaches to pre-venting it,” said Dr. David Onazi, one ofthe architects of the project.

Dr. Emeka Okolo joined Dr. Onazi at the stu-dio during two live programs on improvingthe health infrastructure for survivors ofarmed violence and the concept of “peacethrough health.” Eight recorded programscovered topics such as youth violence, OneBullet Stories, arms control treaties, andwomen’s role in peacekeeping.Communitysurveys were conducted before and after thebroadcasts to determine listener increases inknowledge about how violence affectshealth.

Linking SDGs and violence prevention “There is a storm brewing,” said Dr.Arturo Cervantes, a WHO ViolencePrevention Alliance (VPA) member

from Mexico, at the World HealthOrganization’s 8th MilestonesMeeting on Violence Prevention andVPA meetings in Ottawa, Canada.“People are fed up with gun vio-lence.”

“The truth is not always welcomedby politicians,” he said, beforeemphasizing that we need an eco-logical approach to health thatincludes preventing armed violence.

WHO Director of the Department ofViolence and Injury Prevention Dr.Etienne Krug opened the Milestonesmeeting by saying we know muchmore now about what works for vio-lence prevention. “The developmentcommunity has no excuse for notinvesting in violence preventionnow,” he said. The conferencetheme of linking the SustainableDevelopment Goals to WHO’s vio-lence prevention agenda was

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PHOTO: IDPD

VITAL SIGNS VOLUME 29 ISSUE 2 2018

IPPNW’s Maria Valenti with AlexGalvez of Guatemala’s TransitionFoundation

Contact Maria Valenti (mvalenti@ippnw.org) or follow on Twitter.com/mariaippnw

ONLINE: Radio programbroadcasts

tinyurl.com/y8blvcjh

Drs. Emeka Okolo, David Onazi at theradio station during broadcast of “BringingPeace to the People.”

[Continued on pg. 8)

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“RECHARGED, RE-INSPIRED, AND DETERMINED”An interview with student representatives Kelvin Kibet andFranca Brueggen

Kelvin Kibet from IPPNW Kenya andFranca Brueggen from IPPNW Germanyare IPPNW’s International StudentRepresentatives (ISRs) for 2018-2020.We asked them about their plans to buildthe IPPNW student movement and prior-ities during their tenure.

VS:You have developed a very ambitiousstrategic plan for student activity over thenext two years. Can you tell us what yourtop priorities are?KK & FB: We want to attract new mem-bers and keep our current members moti-vated to fight those monstrous nukes. Weare aware that for us to succeed we mustkeep students engaged and ensure thatthey have meaningful projects.

VS: Kelvin, you have said that climbingMt. Kilimanjaro as part of the IPPNWteam to protest nuclear weapons and ura-nium mining in Africa and to promotepeace was your most memorable IPPNWmoment so far. What do you hope yournext memorable moment will be?KK: I look forward to when we conveneonce again to celebrate the Nuclear BanTreaty coming into force. IPPNW has aninspired membership ready to do whatev-er it takes to achieve this. I know that afterrepresenting students at ICAN’s NobelPeace Prize ceremony in Oslo (anothermemorable moment!), I felt recharged, re-inspired, and more determined to contin-ue in the work of those before me. I thinkwe should do a bike tour or mountainclimbing to celebrate the Ban Treaty whenthe time comes.

VS: Franca, you joined IPPNW Germanyas a medical student, but you had anexperience that moved you to becomevery involved and active with IPPNW –please tell us about that.FB: I became seriously involved inIPPNW after taking part in a week-end “nuclear academy” held in 2016by ICAN and IPPNW Germany. We

learned everything about nuclearweapons and their humanitarianeffects. The weekend ended with avisit to the German Parliament,where we had the chance to speakto politicians and gain experience inlobbying. As a young person youhave so much energy and motivationto make the world a better place, butyou are missing knowledge andgood arguments. Once you have thetools the motivation only grows!

VS: Social media is an important commu-nications tool for young people. How canstudents help IPPNW improve its socialmedia presence?KK: Social media is now one of the mostpowerful tools any organization can have.It transfers information to many almostinstantly. However, for it to work well, weneed more engagement on the IPPNWStudents Facebook page and our othersocial media sites.

VS: You have started a pilot programcalled “United Universities” (UU), mod-elled after the sister city concept. Can youtell us how your pilot programs are going?FB: We started with three pilot programsthat are working well: Japan-Poland,Croatia-Kenya and Germany-Iran. We

are also strengthening the connectionbetween Kenya and Germany throughthe Medical Peace Work (MPW)exchange program. Participants will con-duct small projects related to MPW topicsduring their stay in the host country. Oneof the first topics will be urban settle-ments in Nairobi and Berlin–what prob-lems do people face and are they sim-ilar in the different cities? The UU willhelp students feel supported byIPPNW student chapters worldwideand emphasize the strength of theinternational IPPNW family.

(An extended version of this interview ison the IPPNW Peace and Health Blog.)

ONLINE: facebook.com/ippnwstudents/medicalpeacework.org/

Your donations help support thework of IPPNW students world-wide. Please give as generously

as you can to help strengthentheir movement and help IPPNW

achieve its goals to abolishnuclear weapons and prevent

armed violence.

ippnw.org/donate.html

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Make an ongoing commitment topeace and disarmament Monthly giving helps ensure thatIPPNW has the funds necessaryto manage our global educationand advocacy programs, whilereducing our environmental foot-print and fundraising costs.Becoming a Partner in Peace issimple: Sign up online and choosethe amount you wish to donateeach month. Whether it’s $10,$25, or $100, a little from manymakes a lot. You can change orcancel your pledge at any time.

IPPNW is a non-partisan federation of national medical organizations in 64 countriesdedicated to safeguarding health by working to ban nuclear weapons and to address theimpact of militarism and war on human health.

All gifts to IPPNW are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. IPPNW is anon-profit organization registered under Section 501(c)(3) of the US Internal RevenueCode. Tax ID# 04-2702110

Vital Signs is published twice a year by IPPNW.339 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148 USATel:+1.617.443.1733 || Email: director@ippnw.org

IPPNW Staff: Michael Christ, Chuck Johnson, MariaValenti, George Cani; editing and layout: John Loretz

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AIMING FOR PREVENTION

addressed in presentations andworkshops on topics such as how toprevent online cyber bullying, cam-pus safety, and trauma, violence andsubstance abuse. Strengthening thehealth sector’s capacity to addressviolence against women, girls andchildren was also a key focus.

IPPNW is an active member of theVPA, a 68-member network of WHOMember States, international agen-cies and civil society organizationswhich support the goals of the WHOWorld Report on Violence andHealth (WRVH).

Medical Peace Work The Medical Peace Work (MPW)online course with twelve case stud-ies has been a successful tool torecruit and educate medical studentsand young doctors in Africa. MPW isbased on the following concept: “Asmedical professionals we care for

the life, health and well being of ourpatients. Violence, weapons and warcause enormous suffering and mis-ery, and endanger what is importantfor us. It is therefore our profession-al responsibility to work towards theprevention of violence and the pro-motion of peace, human rights andhuman security.”

More than 100 medical studentsfrom IPPNW affiliates in Kenya,Uganda, Zambia, Tanzania, andNigeria have participated in coursesand follow-up workshops organizedby IPPNW leaders from Kenya,Germany, and Norway to help buildskills in advocacy, communication,fundraising, and other areas toenable students to transfer the les-sons learned online into their profes-sional lives.

IPPNW Zambia will be working withInternational Student Representative

Kelvin Kibet to help build the Zambiastudent chapter by organizing morestudents to take the course and par-ticipate in workshops.

ONLINE:ippnw.org/donate.html

[Continued from pg. 6]

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Victor Sidel, 1931-2018 Victor W. Sidel, MD, a founder and presi-dent of Physicians for Social Responsibility(PSR), a former co-president of IPPNW,and one of the world’sforemost experts on themedical consequencesof nuclear war, died onJanuary 30, 2018. Dr.Sidel was Chair of theDepartment of SocialMedicine at MontefioreMedical Center in theBronx from 1969-1985.He then becameD i s t i n g u i s h e dUniversity Professor ofSocial Medicine atMontefiore and the Albert Einstein Collegeof Medicine. In 1985 he was elected

President of the American Public HealthAssociation. He was the author of numer-ous books and articles about the human

consequences of war,international health,and the impact ofpoverty and deprivationon health and wellbeing, including Warand Public Health andTerrorism and PublicHealth, both co-editedwith long-time collabo-rator Barry Levy.

ONLINE:ippnw.org/pdf/2007-medi-cine-nuclear-war-sidel.pdf

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