Interview with Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, on the “humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons”
Mar. 3, 2015
by Yumi Kanazaki, Staff Writer
Momentum to recast nuclear weapons, from the perspective of their “extreme inhumanity,” is growing among the international community. This momentum is said to have been triggered by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), headquartered in Switzerland. Peter Maurer, 58, the president of the ICRC, recently visited Hiroshima and spoke to the Chugoku Shimbun about the link between the ICRC and the “humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons.”
For the past several years, discussions involving the “humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons” have been particularly active. How do you view this development?
Attention toward the issue of nuclear weapons has been growing, and from a new perspective, including the three “International Conferences on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons” organized by the Norwegian government in 2013, and by the Mexican and Austrian governments last year. I welcome this trend.
It’s important to note that, at these conferences, the participants have used a scientific approach to assessing how grave the damage to our health, the environment, and agriculture would be if nuclear weapons are used. I believe that the conferences have built a common foundation for understanding the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons.
It is said that, after your predecessor at the ICRC issued a statement referring to the “humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons” in April 2010, countries and NGOs pressing for the abolition of nuclear arms received a boost in their efforts.
I would be delighted if we have been able to contribute to putting the issue of nuclear weapons on the stage for discussion. The ICRC sent representatives to the three international conferences to help foster momentum in a proactive manner. On the other hand, I would like to emphasize that the ICRC cannot substantiate itself to the representatives of states to negotiate. It is up to the countries themselves.
The Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), held every five years, will open in late April. Based on our common understanding gained from the three international conferences, how can the participants of the review conference link political momentum with real action? Each nation must now face up to this question.
What issues are of particular importance to the ICRC in dealing with nuclear weapons?
The ICRC regards international laws as the legal basis of its efforts to advocate and promote the ICRC mission. Countries waging war must clearly distinguish combatants and civilians and must attack only military targets. They must always pay heed not to inflict damage on civilians and civilian facilities, and they are not permitted to render extreme damage to enemy nations.
Nuclear weapons have devastating power, and there is concern over health effects which could last generations. As in the case of Hiroshima in the aftermath of the atomic bombing, hospitals would be destroyed and doctors and nurses would lose their lives. If nuclear weapons are used, relief operations by the ICRC would be hindered. Based on the principle of an international humanitarian law, the use of nuclear weapons would be a grave breach.
What have you felt during this visit to Hiroshima?
I listened to the A-bomb account of Sadao Yamamoto, an A-bomb survivor, and visited Peace Memorial Museum. I have understood the gravity of this issue that only firsthand experience can offer. My heart was moved by the fervent desire of the survivors for peace, and I feel I’ve gained energy from them.
Today, the need to abolish nuclear weapons is drawing the attention of the people of the world, thanks to our understanding of the enormous damage that nuclear arms bring, conveyed through the accounts of the A-bomb survivors, and the scientific knowledge discussed at the three international conferences on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons. I recognize, even more strongly, that we are now standing at a critical moment for advancing the desire of the A-bomb survivors to create a peaceful world without nuclear arms.
Profile
Peter Maurer was born in Switzerland in 1956. He joined the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1987. After serving as permanent representative of Switzerland to the United Nations, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, he assumed his current post in July 2012.
(Originally published on February 15, 2015)
Momentum to recast nuclear weapons, from the perspective of their “extreme inhumanity,” is growing among the international community. This momentum is said to have been triggered by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), headquartered in Switzerland. Peter Maurer, 58, the president of the ICRC, recently visited Hiroshima and spoke to the Chugoku Shimbun about the link between the ICRC and the “humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons.”
For the past several years, discussions involving the “humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons” have been particularly active. How do you view this development?
Attention toward the issue of nuclear weapons has been growing, and from a new perspective, including the three “International Conferences on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons” organized by the Norwegian government in 2013, and by the Mexican and Austrian governments last year. I welcome this trend.
It’s important to note that, at these conferences, the participants have used a scientific approach to assessing how grave the damage to our health, the environment, and agriculture would be if nuclear weapons are used. I believe that the conferences have built a common foundation for understanding the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons.
It is said that, after your predecessor at the ICRC issued a statement referring to the “humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons” in April 2010, countries and NGOs pressing for the abolition of nuclear arms received a boost in their efforts.
I would be delighted if we have been able to contribute to putting the issue of nuclear weapons on the stage for discussion. The ICRC sent representatives to the three international conferences to help foster momentum in a proactive manner. On the other hand, I would like to emphasize that the ICRC cannot substantiate itself to the representatives of states to negotiate. It is up to the countries themselves.
The Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), held every five years, will open in late April. Based on our common understanding gained from the three international conferences, how can the participants of the review conference link political momentum with real action? Each nation must now face up to this question.
What issues are of particular importance to the ICRC in dealing with nuclear weapons?
The ICRC regards international laws as the legal basis of its efforts to advocate and promote the ICRC mission. Countries waging war must clearly distinguish combatants and civilians and must attack only military targets. They must always pay heed not to inflict damage on civilians and civilian facilities, and they are not permitted to render extreme damage to enemy nations.
Nuclear weapons have devastating power, and there is concern over health effects which could last generations. As in the case of Hiroshima in the aftermath of the atomic bombing, hospitals would be destroyed and doctors and nurses would lose their lives. If nuclear weapons are used, relief operations by the ICRC would be hindered. Based on the principle of an international humanitarian law, the use of nuclear weapons would be a grave breach.
What have you felt during this visit to Hiroshima?
I listened to the A-bomb account of Sadao Yamamoto, an A-bomb survivor, and visited Peace Memorial Museum. I have understood the gravity of this issue that only firsthand experience can offer. My heart was moved by the fervent desire of the survivors for peace, and I feel I’ve gained energy from them.
Today, the need to abolish nuclear weapons is drawing the attention of the people of the world, thanks to our understanding of the enormous damage that nuclear arms bring, conveyed through the accounts of the A-bomb survivors, and the scientific knowledge discussed at the three international conferences on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons. I recognize, even more strongly, that we are now standing at a critical moment for advancing the desire of the A-bomb survivors to create a peaceful world without nuclear arms.
Profile
Peter Maurer was born in Switzerland in 1956. He joined the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1987. After serving as permanent representative of Switzerland to the United Nations, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, he assumed his current post in July 2012.
(Originally published on February 15, 2015)
