Stakeholders urge government to support nuclear weapons ban

Accra, Oct. 5, GNA - The government has been urged to play an active and leading role in the humanitarian initiative to ban nuclear weapons in Africa and beyond.

The Foundation for Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA) and representatives of various stakeholder institutions and organisations on peace, security and environmental issues, in a communique issued at a meeting, commended the government for Signing the Austrian Humanitarian Pledge to abolish nuclear weapons.

The meeting was organised by FOSDA in commemoration of the Nuclear Abolition Day.

The communiqué, which was copied to the Ghana News Agency on Monday by Mrs Theodora Williams Anti, FOSDA Project Officer, acknowledged the government for supporting global calls to ban nuclear weapons in a statement made at the Nayarit Conference in Mexico on the humanitarian impact of Nuclear Weapons in February 2014.

It urged government to continue supporting the global call to ban nuclear weapons, consistent with the letter and spirit of its statement in Nayarit; 'Ghana believes that among the variously advanced bases for the elimination of nuclear weapons, their humanitarian impact is the strongest and most compelling.

We will continue to support this justification at any relevant forum as one of the most legitimate bases for a convention banning the production, stockpiling and use of nuclear weapons by any state.'

It called on government to openly express support for a treaty banning nuclear weapons as the logical next step for the humanitarian initiative.

The communique urged the government to encourage other African states to support the humanitarian initiative to ban nuclear weapons, as well as express their support for a treaty banning nuclear weapons.

It said it was concerned about the possible recruitment of the youth by radical groups that wish to deploy nuclear weaponry in conflict areas, and called on all stakeholders and the government to engage the youth constructively to avert this possibility.

'Call on Civil Society Organisation and other institutions to support and educate the media on issues of Nuclear Weapons and the need for a treaty banning them.

'Call on the Ghanaian Media to educate and sensitize the public on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons and the initiative to ban it and call on all Ghanaians to support the initiative to ban nuclear weapons for a safer world, which can be achieved through national stakeholder meetings on the said subject,' the communique observed. GNA