On Zoom – register here. From the conditions of workers in arms production to the implications of the arms trade, to the use of weapons themselves, the impact of the global arms trade on human rights is extensive. The worst-affected countries in the Covid-19 pandemic are also those with the largest military budgets, showing that national security is not a simple matter of having the most guns. Military spending too often comes at the expense of funding for other vital public services such as health and welfare.
This Human Rights Day, join us for the latest webinar in our series Building Back Better for a discussion on the relationship between human rights and disarmament. Bringing together speakers from different stages in the arms trade process, we examine how the promotion of human rights without work towards disarmament is meaningless and the need for a new paradigm of security to build a just and peaceful future.
Confirmed Speakers:
– Kelly Smith, Poor People’s Campaign
– Carlos Umaña, IPPNW
– Akmal Ali, UN Association of Fiji
Moderator: Molly McGinty, Nuclear Programs Associate, IPPNW
On WBNY 91.3 FM (or streaming online at wbny.buffalostate.edu). Talking Peace, WNYPC‘S weekly radio show, has new episodes! From 1-3 PM on Mondays, tune in for insights on peace and justice. At the moment, the show is being pre-recorded (so graciously by Think Twice Studios!). Hosted by Vicki Ross, WNYPC Executive Director.
This week’s episode features:
– Medea Benjamin, #CODEPINK, in the first hour: US endless “war on terror”, Biden cabinet picks including warhawks; activists working to stop war profiteer Michele Flourney; US violence and war crimes including economic sanctions and drones, interventions; foreign policy dangers in remainder of Trump’s term; campaign for Cuban doctors to receive Nobel Peace Prize for international service during pandemic
– Myles Carter, community activist, in the second hour: County budget; legislature votes (Tues 12/8); County lock-ups (ECHC and Alden) together at 1/3 capacity taking ~10% funds during economic crisis; huge toll on POC in Buffalo; vicious cycle of violence visited on BIPOC communities; Speak-out on Erie County Holding Center on International Human Rights Day, Thurs 12/10 at 6:30 PM on Zoom (details on our website)
Register here. By Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Washington, DC, with the following speakers:
• Allison Macfarlane, US nuclear policy expert, Professor and Director, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia
• Arne Jungjohann, Energy policy expert, Lead editor of the report
Moderation: Linda Pentz Gunter, Founder of Beyond Nuclear and International Specialist in nuclear issues
..and check out the WORLD NUCLEAR WASTE REPORT for free: https://worldnuclearwastereport.org/
The amount of nuclear waste is growing worldwide. But even 70 years after the beginning of the nuclear age, no country in the world has found a real solution for the radiating legacy of nuclear power.The final disposal of nuclear waste poses major challenges to governments worldwide. No country has a final disposal site for nuclear waste in operation yet; Finland is the only country that is currently constructing a permanent repository. Most countries have yet develop and implement a functioning waste management strategy for all kinds of nuclear waste. Governments differ widely on their nuclear waste approaches: in trying to find a final repository, how to classify nuclear waste, which safety standards to require from operators, and how to secure funding for the ever-growing costs to pay for all of this.With reactors across the world approaching the end of their lives, decommissioning and dismantling of nuclear power plants will become increasingly important. This process will produce even more radioactive waste. In absence of final disposal sites, most of the high-level waste and spent nuclear fuel must be stored for many decades, challenging the safety requirements for storage facilities and causing much higher costs than previously estimated.Overall, there is a lack of understanding about how countries around the world are trying to address the complex challenges that nuclear waste poses. The World Nuclear Waste Report aims to change that. This first edition focuses on Europe and presents the latest facts and figures on nuclear waste and its challenges.
