Today, 9 April 2013, the ten members of the Non Proliferation Disarmament Initiative held their sixth ministerial meeting in the Hague. The statement issued from the meeting outlined the group’s focus for the 2013 NPT Prepcom.
The NPDI said they will continue to put efforts towards reducing the role and significance of nuclear weapons in military and nuclear doctrines, addressing the question of non strategic nuclear weapons, helping other countries enact strict export controls to prevent nuclear weapons proliferation, and they “remain deeply concerned by the risk for humanity represented by the possibility that nuclear weapons could be used and the catastrophic humanitarian consequences that would result”.
The NPDI Members welcomed the offer of Mexico to host a follow-up conference on the issue of the devastating immediate and long-term humanitarian effects of nuclear weapons.
The NPDI also agreed to engage more with Civil Society, and will revise the working paper they submitted last year on the issue of disarmament and non-proliferation education.
IKV Pax Christi had circulated a recommendations paper to the NPDI members in advance of this meeting, including recommednations on civil soceity engagement, disarmament education, reducing the role of nuclear weapons in military doctrines and more. The NPDI statement that was released today does not elaborate on how NPDI members will support such efforts, hopefully the working papers they submit to the NPT Prepcom will.
Text of NPDI Final Statement can be downloaded from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.