Events

18 Jan 2018

The planetary health Imperative to ban and eradicate nuclear weapons

The Doherty Seminar Series Organising Committee is pleased to announce the forthcoming seminar with Professor Tilman Ruff AO, founder of The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Wepons (ICAN) and the 2017 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Professor Ruff's work through ICAN, which culminated in the historic UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, will be explored through his presentation "The planetary health imperative to ban and eradicate nuclear weapons”.

"The World Health Organisation has concluded that nuclear weapons pose the greatest immediate threat to human health and welfare. They are the only weapons which pose an existential threat to planetary health. Yet rather than disarming, all nuclear-armed states are massively investing in modernising and retaining their arsenals. The dangers of nuclear war breaking out are growing and as high as they have ever been. Current evidence on the effects of nuclear weapons, and successful approaches to control other indiscriminate and inhumane weapons, underpin the historic UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, adopted by 122 nations on 7 July 2017. The Treaty is a public health good of the highest order. It provides a path for all states to the eradication of nuclear weapons, a stated aspiration of and legal obligation for all governments. All states should join the Treaty and implement it without delay". (Professor Tilman Ruff, 2017)