Peacebuilding and disarmament
NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION

Though the end of the Cold War has meant a reduction in the amount of public attention dedicated to nuclear weapons, it has not reduced the threat. The unstable storage of Russian nuclear missiles, the withdrawal of the Bush administration from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, and the nuclearization of South-East Asian states demonstrates the need, greater now than ever, for churches to voice their demand for the eradication of nuclear weapons.

Following the May 2000 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference which called for the undertaking of nuclear states to eliminate nuclear weapons, supported by NATO members, and the subsequent contradiction in NATO’s December 2000 nuclear review whereby the organization asserted their intent to retain nuclear capabilities, the WCC Executive Committee issued a statement in January 2001.

The Statement on Nuclear Disarmament, NATO Policy, and the Churches called for the WCC to organize a delegation of church leaders to meet with government ministers and officials in key non-nuclear NATO states to encourage their acceptance of WCC policies in favour of nuclear disarmament.

In partnership with Project Ploughshares in Canada, the WCC prepared for such a delegation for visits in Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, and Norway in 2003.