11 December 2014 - The Philippines called on the international community to act swiftly to ban and eliminate the world’s remaining nuclear weapons at the two-day Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons from December 08 and 09.

The third conference to be held since 2012, the Philippines has actively participated in the humanitarian discourse to complement existing efforts towards nuclear disarmament.

 “There is no doubt that the countless testimonies we have heard from the hibakushas, as well as the studies and presentations made by various technical experts, have raised our global consciousness at a higher level on the evils of nuclear weapons,” Ambassador Lourdes O. Yparaguirre, Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna, said in her statement.

Ambassador Yparaguirre further stressed that discussions on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons must be two-pronged.

 “Firstly, our discourse must aim to heighten global awareness on the detrimental and lasting effects of these weapons on human life and the environment. Secondly, but more importantly, this awareness must translate into action on how we can immediately and effectively ban and eliminate the world’s remaining nuclear weapons,” she said.

The Philippine Ambassador also expressed hope that the humanitarian discussions could provide the much-needed impetus on possible actions to take towards the ultimate goal of nuclear disarmament when States Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) meet in April 2015 for the 2015 Review Conference of the Treaty.

The Philippines presided over the last review Conference held in 2010 which successfully adopted a 64-point action plan on the path towards total and compete nuclear disarmament.

The two-day Vienna Conference was attended by over 160 countries and representatives of international and regional organizations as well as civil society groups. The first two conferences were held in Oslo, Norway and Nayarit, Mexico. END