Luck Is Not a Strategy: It’s Time to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons
AN ISSUES BRIEF IN PREPARATION FOR THE UN SUMMIT OF THE FUTURE 2024
DATE: JULY 2024
Author(s):
GEM ROMULD, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR TILMAN RUFF AO AND MELISSA PARKE
Abstract
Ahead of the UN Summit of the Future, this brief urges Australia to sign and ratify the UN Treaty of the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) to signal its commitment to disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation. The authors argue that Australia’s involvement is critical given the number of available deployed nuclear weapons is increasing for the first time in two decades, and cite the TPNW as the first nuclear weapons agreement to address the harm done by nuclear weapons use and testing.
About the series
The UN Summit of the Future is planned for 22–23 September 2024. It will see Member States agree on a package of reforms summarised in an outcome document: the Pact for the Future, which is currently under negotiation. The University of Melbourne’s Initiative for Peacebuilding has prepared a series of policy briefs to stimulate discussion of key issues on the agenda for the Summit, with particular consideration to Australia’s role and responsibilities. Please click here for more information.