News & Announcements

  Several Pacific island nations are ramping up pressure on Australia over climate change during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa, declaring that Canberra must phase out fossil fuel exports to help ensure their survival. Among the leaders at CHOGM, the Tuvaluan prime minister, Feleti Teo, told a press conference in Samoa's capital Apia that the current policies of major polluters represented a "death sentence" for his country. Read more at RNZ International/Pacific news. Photo credit: Michael Coghlan/wikicommons          

  A UN General Assembly First Committee resolution tabled last week seeks to mandate an international independent scientific expert study of the effects of nuclear war. The last such UN study was in 1988, more than 30 years ago. The UN resolution “Nuclear War Effects and Scientific Research” is sponsored by Ireland and New Zealand, and has a significant number of cosponsors. The resolution seeks specifically to establish a panel of 21 scientific experts, to be appointed by the UN Secretary-General following nominations from Member States and a public call for candidates, to conduct a new UN General Assembly mandated study on the potential effects of nuclear war. The panel would be charged with “examining the physical effects and societal consequences of a nuclear war on a local, regional and planetary scale, including inter alia the climatic, environmental and radiological effects, and their impacts on public health, global socio-economic systems, agriculture and ecosystems, in the days-weeks-decades following nuclear war, and that it reviews and commissions relevant studies, including modelling where appropriate, and publishes a comprehensive report, makes key conclusions, and identifies areas requiring future research.” Some of the background and key points for the UN resolution are in this article: Zia Mian, “Nuclear War Effects and Scientific Research: Time for a 21st Century UN Study”. The Princeton Program on Science and Global Security (SGS) did a special event in support of the resolution at the United Nations First Committee on Disarmament and International Security on 9 October -- “Expert panel on nuclear war impacts and the role of the scientific community”. The event was organized together with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, and the UN missions of Ireland and NZ. Izumi Nakamitsu (UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs) delivered the opening remarks at this panel. In the 2020/2021 fiscal year, the US Congress asked the National Academy of Sciences to do a study on nuclear winter (the first such study since the 1980s). It has not yet been published. Photo credit: shutterstock.com        

  Hearings are set to begin at the International Court of Justice on 12 December 2024 on Vanuatu's push for states to clarify their legal obligations to combat climate change and protect vulnerable communities. A record-breaking 100 oral statements are scheduled to be presented, with Vanuatu's arguments scheduled for 12 December. Read more from RNZ international/Pacific News. Photo credit: shutterstock.com        

Director's Statement on the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize by Kevin P. Clements The Toda Peace Institute congratulates Nihon Hidankyo for being awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.  Nihon Hidankyo is an organisation of Hibakusha from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They have long argued for a world free of nuclear weapons using their own tragic experience and suffering to argue strongly for a total taboo on the production, distribution or use of nuclear weapons. The announcement comes ahead of next year’s 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings on the two cities, which killed a combined estimate of 210,000 people. As a Japanese Peace Research Centre, the Toda Peace Institute, welcomes the award to a Japanese organisation and looks forward to cooperating with Nihon Hidankyo and its co-chair Toshiyuki Mimaki in our common cause of ensuring that nuclear wars can never be won and must never be fought. Nihon Hidankyo, which means the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, dates back to 1956. It was originally aimed at campaigning against the 1954 Bikini Atoll hydrogen bomb test that exposed the crew of the Fukuryū Maru No. 5 to radioactive fallout. It is right and proper that the Nobel Committee award their 2024 prize to this organisation.  The few remaining survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will not be around forever to give personal eye witness accounts of the indiscriminate use of such weapons on civilian populations.  It is good, therefore, that they have been honoured for their anti-nuclear witness. Because Russia and other countries have started to erode the nuclear taboo by threatening the use of such weapons in Ukraine and elsewhere, the Toda Peace Institute stands in solidarity with all Hibakusha and Nihon Hidankyo for constantly reminding us that the use of these weapons is illegal under international law and must never be used in war ever again.   Photo credit: shutterstock.com        

A dialogue between Helen Clark and Kevin Clements 4 October, 2024   On 4 October 2024, an important peace symposium titled “Challenges to Peace in Turbulent Times” was hosted at the New Zealand Parliament Banquet Hall. Organized by Toda Peace Institute, SGI-NZ and several other prominent organizations, this event featured a thought-provoking dialogue between Rt. Hon. Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, and Prof. Kevin P. Clements, Director of the Toda Peace Institute. The event could not have come at a more critical time, as the world grapples with unprecedented social, economic, and political challenges, with conflicts raging from Ukraine and the Middle East to Sudan. The dialogue first revolved around the role of the United Nations and multilateral institutions in these turbulent times, as these bodies struggle to maintain peace amidst crises in Ukraine, the Middle East, Taiwan, and other global hotspots. Helen Clark and Kevin Clements shared their deep concerns about the perceived inefficacy of today’s global organizations. While they emphasized the need for robust reforms to strengthen the UN’s peace and security architecture, there was a shared sentiment that current action points, such as those in the Pact for the Future from the recent UN Summit, were "too high in rhetoric and low on implementation."   The Climate Crisis as a Core Challenge Both speakers passionately highlighted the global threat of climate change, stressing its disproportionate impact on vulnerable communities. They argued that addressing climate-induced crises requires intergenerational collaboration, particularly with youth. Youth involvement was deemed vital in creating effective solutions to what they see as humanity's most pressing challenge. One of the key areas of concern for both speakers was New Zealand’s potential involvement in AUKUS, the trilateral security pact between the US, UK, and Australia. They advocated for the country’s independent foreign policy and firmly opposed military alignments that target specific nations, particularly China. Clark and Clements warned against the dangers of "politics of fear," which they argued breeds polarization and stifles the pursuit of constructive, peaceful visions for the future. In response to a question on how young people should maintain hope in the face of global adversity, Professor Clements dedicated a powerful message from Daisaku Ikeda, the late founder of Toda Peace Institute, to the young people of the world: "Hope transforms pessimism into optimism. Hope is invincible. Hope changes everything. It changes winter into summer, darkness into dawn, barrenness into creativity, agony into joy. Hope is the sun. It is the light. It is passion. It is the fundamental force for life’s blossoming.”   Professor Clements emphasized that every individual has the potential to be a source of hope, encouraging the audience to become active agents of positive change. The event was hosted by Ingrid Leary, MP for Taieri. Video clips of the dialogue will be introduced on Toda’s YouTube Channel soon.   Photo credit: SGI-NZ