Philippines Highlights the Humanitarian and Health Effects of Nuclear Weapons and Tests 

GENEVA 31 July 2024 – On the sidelines of the ongoing Second Preparatory  Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of  Nuclear Weapons, (NPT), the Philippines, together with New Zealand, held a side  event to highlight the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons  and to promote a victim-centered approach on the issue of nuclear weapons entitled  “Humanitarian Consequences of Nuclear Weapons: A Raison d’Être for Nuclear  Disarmament”, on 26 July 2024.  

Philippine Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Carlos D.  Sorreta, welcomed the participants and the members of the panel, which included Ms.  Michiko Kodama, Assistant Secretary General of Nihon Hidankyo (Japan  Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations); Mr. Charles K. Johnson,  Policy Director of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War  (IPPNW); Ms. Veronique Christory, Senior Arms Adviser of the International  Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and Ms. Alicia Sanders-Zakre, Policy and  Research Coordinator of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons  (ICAN).  

Ambassador Sorreta revealed that the idea to conduct the side event was inspired by  the visit of Ms. Hinamoeura Cross, a French Polynesian politician, who along with  generations of her family, struggled and suffered from the ill-effects of nuclear testing  on their health. Ambassador Sorreta stated that the catastrophic humanitarian  consequences of nuclear weapons should be at the forefront of the efforts towards  nuclear disarmament. 

The members of the panel shared different perspectives and insights on the dire  humanitarian and health consequences of nuclear weapons and their testing on  innocent victims. Mrs. Kodama, who is a hibakusha (a survivor of the atomic bomb, as  called in Japan), narrated her experience as a 7-year-old girl, and that of her family,  during the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on 06 August 1945. She urged all states and  civil society to take a bold step towards a peaceful world without nuclear weapons. 

Mr. Johnson, meanwhile, highlighted the need to engage the public and take  advantage of opportunities in mainstream culture, such as the popularity of the  Hollywood movie, “Oppenheimer”, in order to better advocate for the elimination of  nuclear weapons. Ms. Christory also stressed on the need for a people-centered  approach for nuclear disarmament and for states to comply with international law and  International Humanitarian Law (IHL). Ms. Sanders-Zakre pointed out that it is  essential to discuss immediate health response capacity in the event of a nuclear  detonation.  

New Zealand Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Lucy  Duncan, closed the event by stating that the Philippines and New Zealand, which are  both situated in the Indo-Pacific, give high importance to the humanitarian impact of  nuclear weapons and nuclear testing. She stressed that the issue of nuclear weapons should not be seen mainly within the military context, but it should be about people  and their future, and that moving from fear to action to victory entails partnership with  civil society and the continued approach based on evidence and research. END

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