By Elena Kerr
This event was hosted collaboratively between the ICRC and other national Red Cross associations, representing Italy, Norway, Japan, Iraq, and the USA. The speakers were looking at nuclear weapons through a human rights lens considering food insecurity, climate, wellbeing of future generations, and human security. The Japanese Red Cross society along with the ICRC Youth Delegate from Japan, discussed their involvement in the nuclear explosion in Hiroshima, where 51 of their staff passed away at the Red Cross Hospital. However, their contributions benefited over 10 000 survivors. They emphasised the need for spreading knowledge of the facts where language is an obstacle in conveying the reality of effects of atomic bombs. Public education is key in this process where there is a need for linking the TPNW with domestic education. They have done initiatives where youth have met with survivors of nuclear explosions online to connect and pass on the stories for empowering youth to engage. The Italian Red Cross also mentioned how society plays a key role with a bottom-up approach. Italy hosts nuclear weapons of the US as they are a NATO state, however, 70% of the population wish to remove these weapons. To influence the decision-makers, the Italian Red Cross has therefore started initiatives such as podcasts and blogs, as well as advocacy campaigns to enhance communication.
The Norwegian Red Cross held a conference collaboratively with the Belgian Red Cross and Norwegian People’s Aid, where they discussed scenarios of atomic bombs in Oslo and Brussels. With 100 kilotons 1/5 of Oslo’s population would experience an immediate death, and in Brussels there would be 177 000 immediate deaths alongside over 300 000 injuries. What was found in this exercise is that the response service is not prepared for these outcomes. This would overwhelm medical staff, electricity would go down leading to a breakdown in communication systems and tools for evacuation. Due to destruction of the buildings and radiation there would be no entry to the city, as well as the whole country alongside neighbouring countries would be affected by the explosion. The outcomes of this conference met reluctance and there was observed a neglection of government addressing and speaking on these issues, as Norway are supporting a policy for deterrence. The speakers emphasised the widespread threat of nuclear weapons and how raising awareness on risks through campaigns are essential. The speaker from Iraq also emphasised the importance of the devastating impact nuclear weapons has had on their country where it has not provided security, rather the development of the weapons has stolen valuable resources that the world is facing such as food security.
Read more about the ICRC here: https://www.icrc.org/en
Read the report from the conference mentioned by Norwegian and Belgian Red Cross hosted along with Norwegian People’s Aid here: https://www.npaid.org/news/nukeexpo-online-report