Reiterating ICW Resolutions previously adopted since 1895 on disarmament, especially the ones adopted after World War II like the ones of Athens 1951 Control of Atomic Energy, Helsinki 1954 Atomic Energy, Montreal 1957 Agreement to Limit Nuclear Test Explosions, Montreal 1957 Protection Against Radiation, Istanbul 1960 Nuclear Weapons, Washington 1963 Disarmament, Tehran 1966 Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Vienna 1973 Disarmament, Vienna 1973 Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Vancouver 1979 Nuclear Pollution, Seoul 1982 Disarmament, London 1986 Reaffirmation of ICW Policy in Nuclear Matters, Washington 1988 Environmental Health Risks, Washington 1988 Dumping of Nuclear and other toxic wastes, Ottawa 1997 The use of radioactive waste in weapons and military vehicles,
Conscious that the year 2015 marks the 70th Anniversary of the use of nuclear weapons in Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
Recalling the findings of the Conferences on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons held in Oslo (Norway, 2013) and Nayarit (Mexico, 2014) and Vienna (Austria, 2014),
Noting that the importance of the entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) is far overdue,
Realising the fact that the risk of nuclear weapons use with their unacceptable consequences can only be avoided when all nuclear weapons have been eliminated,
Recognizing the complexity of and interrelationship between the consequences of a nuclear weapon explosion on health, environment, climate, infrastructure, food security, development, displacement and migration, social cohesion and the global economy are systemic and potentially irreversible,
Aware that radioactive contamination as a consequence of testing nuclear weapons disproportionally affects women and children,
Also Aware that women are biologically more vulnerable to harmful health effects of ionizing radiation than men, that women have 50% more high-risk tissue compared to men,
Noting the percentage of increased cancer risk between females and males (3:2) and the lifetime risk of cancer incidence,
Aware of the psychological consequences of nuclear disasters causing greater harm to girls and women, such as the fear of having sick children,
Noting the imperative of prevention as the only guarantee against the humanitarian consequences,
THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF WOMEN CALLS ON ITS NATIONAL COUNCILS TO:
• Cooperate with all stakeholders and work towards stigmatising, prohibiting and eliminating nuclear weapons in the light of their unacceptable humanitarian consequences and associated risks;
• Request the implementation of the 2010 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference Action Plan;
• Remind governments of their moral and ethical responsibilities to prevent nuclear disasters and the immediate and long-term health consequences of such disasters;
• Stress the urgent need to work towards the achievement of nuclear disarmament including a Nuclear Weapons Convention.
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Source: International Council of Women (ICW-CIF) — 34th General Assembly, Izmir, Republic of Turkey, May/June 2015. Resolution No. 1.
