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Dear
Friends and Supporters of Article 9,
We
are pleased to send you some information about the Global Article 9
Campaign to Abolish War's recent activities and related developments.
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JAPAN'S UN SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP AND ARTICLE 9
 On
October 17, the UN General Assembly elected Japan to serve as
non-permanent member in the UN Security Council during 2009-2010, along
with Austria, Mexico, Turkey and Uganda.
Japan's candidacy easily defeated Iran's, the other contender for the Asian seat, after Mongolia withdrew from the election.
This will be the tenth time that Japan serves in the UN
Security Council as an elected member, making the country the most
frequent non-permanent member.
Japan
is looking at its upcoming term as an opportunity to intensify its bid
for permanent membership in the world body. As the second largest
contributor to the UN budget, Japan has long sought to play a greater
role in the maintenance of international security.
Many of the issues Japan will face as a Council member
will be related to Article 9 of its constitution, which renounces the
threat or use of force as means of settling international
disputes.
Committed
to making a proactive and constructive contribution to the work of the
Council, Japan should use its two-year term to promote the principles
of Article 9 that encourage the prevention of armed conflict, the
resolution of conflicts through peaceful means, and peace-building
efforts based on human rights and human security.
Picture Credit: United Nations
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HIBAKUSHA PRESENTATION IN THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY'S COMMITTEE ON DISARMAMENT AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
As part of Peace Boat's Hibakusha Project, a delegation of 4 atomic bomb survivors visited the United Nations Headquarters from
October 22 to 31 to address the UN General Assembly's Committee on
Disarmament and International Security and call for a nuclear-free
world.
Speaking on behalf of Peace Boat's Hibakusha delegation at the NGO
Presentation to the First Committee, Setsuko Thurlow, an A-bomb survivor from Hiroshima and
now a resident of Toronto, Canada, shared her
experience of the atomic bomb with diplomats from around the world.
 In a moving plea, she warned against the dangers of nuclear weapons and demanded that
nuclear weapon states fulfill their disarmament obligations under the
Non-Proliferation Treaty and bring the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
into force. She reminded the audience "that humanity
and nuclear weapons cannot coexist, and the only way to have security
and peace is through the total abolition of nuclear weapons."
In addition to the formal appeal to the First Committee meeting, the
delegation of Hibakusha participated in a panel discussion sponsored by
the Permanent Mission of Japan to the UN and the Japanese Delegation to
the Conference on Disarmament, along with Hanifa Mezoui, Chief of the
NGO Section of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and
Kathleen Sullivan, Education Consultant to the UN Office of Disarmament
Affairs.
Hibakusha also attended the opening ceremony of a Hiroshima and
Nagasaki Exhibition held in UN Headquarters, with the Mayor of
Hiroshima Dr. Tadatoshi Akiba, who delivered over 370,000 signatures
calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons to the President of the
U.N. General Assembly.
To watch a short documentary on the Hibakusha 's visit to the UN, see http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=eqH-A0JCGs8.
Also read Ms. Thurlow's full speech at http://www.hiroshimapeacemedia.jp/mediacenter/article.php?story=20081029145924321_en
Photo Credit: Peace Boat
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ECUADOR ADOPTS PEACE CONSTITUTION
On September 28, Ecuador approved a new constitution with 64 percent support.
In its Article 5, the new constitution states that "Ecuador is a
territory of peace" and prohibits the establishment of foreign
"military bases or installations with military goals within its
territory."
The text emphasizes that
the fundamental mission of Ecuadorian Armed Forces is the defense of
sovereignty and territorial integrity, and limits military activities
in indigenous communities. The new Ecuadorian Constitution also paves
the way for further regional integration and defense cooperation.
In addition, new
constitutional provisions expand social welfare policies, including
access to universal healthcare, pensions and free state-run education,
and increase indigenous rights. Furthermore, in a world premiere in
terms of environment protection, Ecuador's new constitution establishes
a bill of right for nature, granting it inalienable rights.
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| SDF MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN EXTENDED
In
late September, the Japanese Security Council and Cabinet approved a
bill extending the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in
the Indian Ocean for one year, before it expires in January 2009.
However,
due to the fact that the Cabinet of Prime Minister Fukuda was
subsequently dissolved, the new Cabinet formed under new Prime Minister
Aso will have to approve the bill again, before submitting it to the
Diet during its extraordinary session, where it may face opposition by
the Democratic Party of Japan in the House of Representatives.
Last
year, the opposition forced the operation to halt by voting against the
renewal of the bill in one house of Parliament. But this year, opposition
leaders announced they would let the renewal bill pass, focusing instead on calling for early elections.
Symbolic,
the move serves as an effort to show the Japanese and international public
that the government is committed to continue participating in the US-led war in
Afghanistan.
The SDF mission in Afghanistan remains widely unpopular in Japan.
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DISARMAMENT FOR DEVELOPMENT - NEW IPB CALL FOR ACTION
As
the world struggles to understand and react to the unfolding financial
crisis, the International Peace Bureau has drawn up an important call
for action on one of the most important elements in the world's
economic system, which could make a huge impact on the fate of the
world's poor: the military sector.
The
appeal on military and social spending is being circulated widely in
order to reach wide communities around the world, call for
organizational endorsements and stimulate actions at many levels.
The appeal and endorsements will be presented at the upcoming UN
conference on Financing for Development in Doha (November 29 - December
2, 2008), in hope it will resonate with many people's worries about the
current financial crisis and the on going mis-appropriation of huge
amounts of money.
Read the appeal on IPB's website at http://ipb.org/i/pdf-files/Call-for-Action.pdf
We invite you to send you organizational endorsements to IPB Secretariat at secgen@ipb.org before the deadline of NOVEMBER 15.
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Thank you for your interest in and support for the
Global Article 9 Campaign to Abolish War.
We look
forward to continue working with you all.
In
Peace,
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Newsletter Editor:
Celine Nahory
International Coordinator
Global Article 9 Campaign to Abolish War / Peace Boat |
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