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The 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki
•6 August 1945
•Ghassan Shahrour, MD
Dr Marcel Junod: like the palm of a hand.
‘We (…) witnessed a sight totally
unlike anything we had ever seen
before. The centre of the city was a
sort of white patch, flattened and
smooth like the palm of a hand.
Nothing remained. The slightest trace
of houses seemed to have
disappeared.
•ICRC delegate Dr Marcel Junod, first foreign
•Doctor into Hiroshima, 1945. ICRC photo.
•29 Monument in Memory of Dr. Marcel Junod
An early
medical
report City wiped out eighty percent. All hospitals destroyed or seriously
damaged. Inspected two emergency hospitals. Conditions beyond
description FULL STOP. Effect of bomb mysteriously serious STOP.
Fritz Bilfinger, ICRC delegate, writing from Hiroshima,
30 August 1945
•Conditions beyond description … FULL STOP.
International Humanitarian Law
• Weapons must not cause
damage to the natural
environment that is
widespread, long-term
and severe.
• The effects of nuclear
weapons are catastrophic
and cannot be contained.
International Humanitarian Law
• IHL bans weapons that
cannot distinguish
between civilian sites
and military targets.
• No nuclear bomb can
do that.
•Nagasaki, before and after
Disarmament efforts and treaties
- Partial Test Ban Treaty in 1963,
- Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty in 1968,
- Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, 1996.
•Ghassan Shahrour, MD
And today’s more powerful weapons
• Potentially equal Hiroshima X 7
• No adequate medical / humanitarian response would be possible
• Blast could be followed by worldwide famine
Photo source: www.mysticpolitics.com Photo courtesy US Navy. Japanese soldier walks through Hiroshima one month after bomb.
The Efforts of Red Cross Red Crescent Movement
• ICRC General Assembly Conf. since 1948.
• At NPT and IAEA.
• - Partial Test Ban Treaty in 1963,
• - Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty in 1968,
• - Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, 1996.
• The Global Conference on the Catastrophic
Humanitarian Consequences of any use of NWs
in Oslo 2013, Mexico 2014 and Vienna 2014.
•Ghassan Shahrour, MD
World Nuclear Forces November,
2013
United States 7,700
Russia 8,500
China 250
France 300
United Kingdom 225
Israel 80
India 110
Pakistan 120
DPRK (North Korea) Less than 10
Source: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Nuclear Notebook
COUNCIL OF DELEGATES
OF THE INTERNATIONAL
RED CROSS AND RED
CRESCENT MOVEMENT
Working towards the elimination of nuclear
weapons: Four-year action plan Resolution adopted:
Nov. 18, 2013
Sydney, Australia
Conference 1: Oslo, Norway March 2013
127 nations represented
Humanitarian Impact
of Nuclear Weapons
Conference 2: Nayarit, Mexico February, 2014
146 nations represented There were also 119 representatives
from civil society organizations, ten UN and non-UN international organizations
and agencies, 35 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, as well as
legislators and academics.
Conference 3: Vienna, Austria Fall, 2014
•The evidence before us today shows:
* that nuclear weapons are unique in their destructive power and in the
scale of human suffering they cause and that their use, even on a
limited scale, would have catastrophic consequences for human health
and the environment;
•* that the effects on human health can last for decades and impact the
children of survivors through genetic damage to their parents;
•* that the humanitarian consequences of a nuclear-weapon detonation
would not be limited to the country where it occurs but would impact
other States and their populations;
•* that, assisting survivors in the immediate aftermath of a nuclear
detonation, is beyond our resources; and finally
•* that the risk of accidental nuclear-weapon detonation remains a very
real danger.
•ICRC marks the 70th anniversary of the atomic
bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This
anniversary is a stark reminder of the appalling
human costs of nuclear weapons. It should inspire
all States to reaffirm their commitment to the
elimination of nuclear weapons. We know now
more than ever before that the risks of nuclear
weapons are too high and the dangers too real. It
is time to bring the era of nuclear weapons to an
end and we urge this Review Conference to take
the bold steps needed to achieve this noble goal.
Hibakusha testimonies
•https://youtu.be/cay0HWK5ziU?list=PL4UhoRnxMOGqKCi1xeOWFSrG8BK02LMpZ •Ghassan Shahrour