The call, part of the council’s commitment to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear (ICAN) Weapons Cities Appeal, comes on the 74th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9.
ICAN, established in Australia in 2007, was awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for its ground-breaking efforts to achieve a global treaty for the prohibition of nuclear weapons.
On July 7, 2017, 122 nations voted to adopt the treaty. Now, the treaty has been signed by 69 nations and ratified by 19 nations. Once ratified by 50 nations, it will enter into force.
While the Federal Government supports the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons, it has not yet signed or ratified the treaty.
Late last year, the council voted unanimously to:
Endorse the ICAN Cities Appeal which is calling on the Australian Government to sign and ratify the treaty; write to the Foreign Affairs Minister calling for the Australian government to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons on behalf of the Australian people; and congratulate ICAN on its historic achievement of winning the Nobel Peace Prize and its valuable contribution toward global nuclear disarmament.
The treaty prohibits the use, production and stockpiling of nuclear weapons and lays the foundations for their total elimination.
As well, the treaty calls for governments to take steps to ensure that their funds are not invested in companies that produce nuclear weapons.
Join call for treaty
INNER West Council is one of 18 Australian cities and local councils calling on the Federal Government to join the United Nations Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.