Until today I was mystified that no one seemed to understand how nuclear weapons set the stage for a world that lacks the international trust needed to implement the SDGs. Everyone agrees the nuclear weapons money would be very useful to fund the SDGs. And, no surprise, everyone agrees that nuclear war would be a setback. But today I have finally found a couple articles that do stress the point that to me seems primary.
In 2008 the co-leaders of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament wrote this: “The threats to our planet – of climate change, poverty and war – can only be overcome by nations and the global community working in cooperation – something not possible while nations maintain large and expensive militaries and threaten to destroy each other.”
In the Move the Nuclear Weapons Money Handbook there is this: “Progress on nuclear disarmament would assist in achieving these goals in three key ways, through: 1) Re-allocation of financial, scientific, intellectual, political and personnel resources from nuclear weapons to SDG implementation; 2) Reduction of tensions and conflicts currently perpetuated by nuclear threat postures, and the increased cooperation that would occur from joint verification of nuclear disarmament agreements, which would enhance the cooperation and trust required for SDG implementation; 3) Ending the production and testing of nuclear weapons which create catastrophic impacts on the environment for current and future generations.”
To me it is clear that nuclear disarmament has to be included in the process if the Sustainable Development Goals are to be met by 2030. But, we need also to be aware that Nuclear disarmament cannot be achieved without complete and general disarmament. In our distrustful world some nations will insist on keeping their nuclear weapons to deter potential enemy nations that are better armed with conventional weapons. The SDG package therefore has to include the original goals of the UN, peace and disarmament. To simplify, we need a global movement for all the goals of the UN. That is our best way forward to a win-win world.
Easier said than done. We must create bottom up sense of human unity if we are to succeed - and that is where Voices of Humanity has a role to play.
#UNgoals4cities #peace #apart #nuclear_disarm
