News and Events

Thinking in terms of the lifetime of humanity
A new article in an American Heart Association journal draws a compelling analogy between preventing sudden cardiac death and preventing nuclear war. That the three authors are long-time members of IPPNW should come as no surprise. In “Cardiac Events and Nuclear War: Prevention by Cardiovascular Specialists,” in the June 4 issue of Circulation, James Muller, John Pastore, and Amir Lerman relate the risks of heart attack to the risks of nuclear catastrophe. (June 24, 2019)

23rd IPPNW World Congress to be held in Kenya
The next IPPNW World Congress will be held in Diani, Kenya, from May 25-29, 2020. "Disarmament, Development and Health" is a joint event of IPPNW and the Association of Physicians and Medical Workers for Social Responsibility (APMS), the Kenyan affiliate. Delegates from around the world will gather on Kenya's South Coast to discuss disarmament and development as a prerequisite for social justice, good health, and ecological sustainability in Africa and the world at large. Information about the program, accommodations, and registration will be updated regularly on the Congress website. (June 22, 2019)

New issue of Vital Signs
The May 2019 issue of Vital Signs includes updates on the Ban Treaty ratification process, Aiming for Prevention, and global affiliate and student activities. The issue features an interview with Greek affiliate activist Dr. Maria Sotiropoulou. (June 22, 2019)

The Fukushima nuclear disaster: 8 years on
IPPNW co-president Tilman Ruff writes that "eight years after the world’s most complex nuclear disaster, the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants and spent fuel ponds are still leaking and dangerous, vast amounts of contaminated water continue to accumulate, 8,000 odd clean-up workers labour daily and will need to for many decades, the needs of people exposed to radioactivity are still neglected, no one is in prison for a disaster fundamentally caused by the negligence of the operator and the government, and most of the lessons of Fukushima have yet to heeded." Dr. Ruff calls for continued international monitoring of health needs related to the disaster, and increased efforts to address public and environmental health consequences.Full text of article. (March 11, 2019)

India and Pakistan: a plea for sanity
In a new commentary just published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet, IPPNW co-president Arun Mitra, Dr. Zulfiqar A Bhutta of Pakistan, and Lancet editor Richard Horton warn that the escalation of hostilities between India and Pakistan is “a matter of urgent public health concern” and call on both countries to pursue “diplomacy, dialogue, and the promotion of person to person contact and engagement between civil society representatives and youth.”Full text of article. (March 11, 2019)

Kashmir conflict risks nuclear war
IPPNW calls on India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan to take immediate steps to deescalate the tensions in the disputed Kashmir region and to reduce the grave danger of nuclear war. Co-president Ira Helfand, warned that an exchange of nuclear weapons between the two countries would not only quickly kill millions in the region, but would cause “an unprecedented global catastrophe.” Arun Mitra, IPPNW’s Indian co-president said, “India and Pakistan must end their border clash before it engulfs the world. Leaders from both sides must sit down to finally resolve their issues peacefully at the negotiating table and to take immediate steps to reduce and eliminate the threat that their nuclear weapons pose to all humanity.” Full text of IPPNW statement. (February 27, 2019)

Red Cross urges world to “decide the future of nuclear weapons before they decide ours”
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have launched a new global video campaign about the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of a nuclear war. The goal is to encourage people to urge their governments to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Among the materials is a new video designed to engage “millennials” with the issue. (February 19, 2019)