The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, with its objective of alleviating human suffering wherever it may be found, is deeply concerned by the destructive force of nuclear weapons and the immense human suffering they inflict.
The Movement's involvement in the nuclear debate dates back to the moment when the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945, killing tens of thousands of people. The Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital escaped destruction and immediately filled with casualties. There was not enough equipment or medicine, and nearly all of the doctors and nurses had been killed. But in the midst of the turmoil there was dedication to humanitarian principles and help for the victims of the blast.
One month later, an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) aid worker, Dr Marcel Junod, was the first non-Japanese doctor to see what had happened to Hiroshima. His reports remain a chilling account of the threat to humanity.
Since then, Red Cross has consistently voiced its deep concerns about these weapons of mass destruction and the need for the prohibition of their use. In fact, the principle outlined in Additional Protocol I that one must employ a method of warfare and a type of weapon that can distinguish between those who are part of the fight, and those who are not, lies at the heart of international humanitarian law.
In 2010 the President of the ICRC made the strongest Movement statement to date on this topic, appealing to all States to "bring the era of nuclear weapons to an end". Recently, the ICRC published a brochure to outline why humanity is at a crossroads on this issue.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is also supporting a call to bring nuclear weapons to an end. Recently the President of the IFCR called on people to "act today, so we may see tomorrow".
Everyone has a stake in this issue. Each person can act to ensure that the political and legal commitments made in recent years are converted into an effective international process that produces concrete steps in the near future and leads to the prohibition and elimination of all nuclear weapons in the shortest possible time.
International Court of Justice and nuclear weapons
There is no comprehensive ban in international law on the use of nuclear weapons. However, in July 1996, the International Court of Justice concluded that their use would generally be contrary to international humanitarian law's principles and rules. Read more.
Who will assist the victims of nuclear weapons?
At an international level, there are no plans for assisting the victims of a nuclear attack which are both adequate and safe. Read more.
Nuclear weapons
Humanity at a crossroads: the catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons. Download the complete brochure.
Photo: AP