The new President of the IPU, Gabriela Cuevas Barron, met with Beatrice Fihn, Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Portuguese MP Mr. Duarte Pacheco, Chair of the Twelve Plus geopolitical group, was also at the meeting, which took place on 14 November 2017. They discussed ways of ensuring a more robust engagement by parliaments and MPs in the abolition of nuclear weapons.
For many years, nuclear disarmament has been high on the IPU agenda. IPU members have passed several resolutions, most recently in 2014 on Towards a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World: The Contribution of Parliaments. The Handbook on Supporting Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, produced jointly by the IPU and Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, has been designed to help parliaments work towards the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Earlier this year, the IPU welcomed the adoption of the groundbreaking United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. “We are keen to work closely with ICAN and other partners to ensure swift ratification of the Treaty and to build capacities in parliament for its effective implementation,” said the IPU President.
