Actions taken:
The Belgian authorities and the Belgian Red Cross have held bilateral consultations on the issue of the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons, notably in the run-up to and following international conferences that are relevant in this respect. Examples: the NATO Summit in Warsaw on 8-9 July 2016, the sessions of the UN open-ended working group taking forward multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations in May and August 2016, the UN General Assembly First Committee in September-October 2016, the sessions of the UN negotiations on a ban treaty in 2017. The National Society took these opportunities to remind the Movement’s position and the key messages at these international meetings. It also discussed some concrete actions to follow up with the authorities.
Belgium supports a number of resolutions and statements which draw attention to the catastrophic consequences of the use of nuclear weapons. An important text in this regard is the resolution submitted by Japan at the General Assembly of the United Nations, which is entitled “United Action with renewed determination towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons”. This resolution states that concern about the humanitarian effects of nuclear weapons underpins our efforts towards nuclear disarmament and calls for more public awareness raising on this matter. Belgium co-sponsors this resolution, which was adopted after a vote by the General Assembly in 2016.
The Belgian Government declared its concern over the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons in national statements, notably during the proceedings of the “open-ended working group on nuclear disarmament” which met in Geneva in 2016. Belgium has cited the humanitarian impact as principal motive to make progress on nuclear disarmament.
From its side, the Belgian Red Cross was involved in different activities to express the Movement’s concerns and position on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons in trainings and events.
On 25 May 2016, the Belgian Red Cross gave a presentation on nuclear weapons and the position of the Movement before the members of the Commission on External Relations of the parliament. The Commission was planning to discuss a draft resolution inviting Belgium to support the Humanitarian Initiative and the prohibition of nuclear weapons at the international level for humanitarian reasons. Several documents were circulated among the Commissions’ members for their information, including Resolution 1 of the 2011 Council of Delegates and the Movement Plan of action adopted at the 2013 Council of Delegates, the ICRC factsheets on the consequences of the nuclear weapons and a summary drafted by the Belgian Red Cross on the Movement’s position and its perspectives for the future on the issue. Since then, the Belgian Red Cross has kept regular contacts with the Chair of the Commission on External Relations in order to be informed on the follow-up to the draft resolution.
The issue of nuclear weapons and the relevant rules under IHL, the Movement position as well as the humanitarian consequences after the use of such weapons were communicated during IHL trainings towards various target audiences.
On several occasions, the Belgian Red Cross-Flanders and the Belgian Red Cross – French-speaking Community communicated the Movement’s position and the outcomes of international conferences on their respective websites, on the pages dedicated to international humanitarian law. In June 2017, the Belgian Red Cross echoed through an op-ed the Movement’s appeal urging all the States to participate in the second round of the UN negotiations for a ban treaty:
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- and on the website of the Belgian Red Cross-Flanders (http://www.rodekruis.be/nieuws-kalender/blog/belgische-rode-kruis-roept-belgische-overheid-op-om-deel-te-nemen-aan-de-vn-onderhandelingen-inzake-een-verbodsverdrag-op-nucleaire-wapens/)
The Belgian Red Cross participated in the National Societies’ workshop on the implementation of the 2013 Action Plan, organized by the ICRC and the IFRC in Geneva on 30 April – 1 May 2016. The Belgian Red Cross also participated in the Nagasaki meeting on 24-26 April 2017 in order to adopt a new Plan of Action for the non-use, prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons. The Belgian Red Cross also signed the Nagasaki appeal. This appeal has been publicly disseminated by the Flemish Community and the French-speaking Community through their means of communication as their respective websites.
