Good News Service #47: November 2016

Posted on Murray Thomson
  1. Will President-elect Trump be another Republican Nuclear Disarmer?
  2. Hundreds of Nuns trained in Kung Fu are biking the Himalayas to oppose human trafficking
  3. Denmark & Canada in spirited fight for tiny island; will a condominium end it, with two bottles of cheer?
  4. “Pinball” Clemons extends his reach to the world
  5. Ottawa U leads the way for divestment campaigns
  6. Waving hello to clean energy
  7. Treebark: a new industry that contributes to both social and ecological development in Uganda
  8. Ethical Food Evolution in the Northern Barents Sea

Download the full issue here (docx)

U.S. Elections and Nuclear Weapons

Posted on Erika Simpson and Murray Thomson

The U.S. and Control of Nuclear Weapons

The U.S. elections focuses the mind on who will be Commander-In-Chief — and why we continue to have nuclear weapons anyway. Read Erika Simpson and Murray Thomson’s article for PostMedia here.

Erika Simpson & Murray Thomson | September 2016

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Canada Turns its Back on UN Nuclear Ban Plan

Posted on Hon. Douglas Roche, O.C.

Canada Turns its Back on UN Plan to Ban Nuclear Arms

Tariq Rauf, who specializes in nuclear disarmament, says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, seems disengaged on nuclear arms control. Read Douglas Roche’s Hill Times article here.

Douglas Roche | The Hill Times, August 24, 2016

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Smart Peacekeeping: Toward Tech-Enabled UN Operations

Posted on Walter Dorn

Smart Peacekeeping: Toward Tech-Enabled UN Operations

A publication to assist in creating a less violent and more peaceful world under the rule of law and justice. Download Smart Peacekeeping: Toward Tech-Enabled UN Operations (36 pp) here.

by A. Walter Dorn | July 2016

published by The International Peacekeeping Institute in New York

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Good News Service #46: July-August 2016

Posted on Murray Thomson
  1. Five Order of Canada recipients urge the Liberal government to pursue a nuclear weapons convention
  2. A major victory against cluster bombs
  3. The LEAP Manifesto: for a Canada based on caring for the Earth and one another
  4. Mozambique becomes free of landmines: A Global First
  5. Bioregionalism: Organic borders are often stronger than political ones
  6. The French connection: Marie-Claire Daveu, a champion in France for Sustainable Development
  7. Oregon passes bill eliminating coal and doubling renewable energy targets
  8. The creeping militarization of Canada’s police
  9. Realizing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Canada and abroad
  10. United Nations Environment Program shows that renewables beat coal and gas for investment
  11. Colombia, Rebels Talk Peace ending 50 years of political violence
  12. Happy City Birds take a liking to Colourful Condos

Download the full issue here (docx)

Good News Service #44: May 2016

Posted on Murray Thomson
  1. Tiny Marshall Islands Republic confronts Britain, India and Pakistan at the World Court
  2. Pope Francis Overturns the Concept of a “Just War”
  3. And what would Mohammad do?
  4. Cows, Cars and Coal: Three Tricks for solving Climate Change
  5. The End of the Road for Fossil-Powered Cars
  6. It’s Lights Out for Coal Power
  7. Women are the driving force for change in India, Bangladesh and Cambodia today
  8. Russians in Syria: mission (actually) accomplished
  9. Ban welcomes joint China-US pledge to sign Paris climate accord in April
  10. Products from the global South reaching the bistros of Autogrill
  11. Have your say on the next UN Secretary-General

Download the full issue here (docx)

UN’s Kim Won-Soo calls on Canada for disarmament role

Posted on editor

UN High Representative Calls on Canada to Play Special Role in Nuclear Disarmament

Canada is uniquely placed to play a catalytic role between the nuclear weapons states and the non-nuclear states in promoting nuclear disarmament, UN High Representative for Disarmament Kim Won-soo said in Ottawa on May 3, 2016.

Addressing a Parliamentary Forum organized by Canadians for a Nuclear Weapons Convention, Mr. Kim warned that the consequences of not resolving present geopolitical tensions in the world could prove “catastrophic” if nuclear weapons are not eliminated.  He said Canada, with a strong record in nuclear disarmament work over several decades, could play a “bridging role” bringing the nuclear and non-nuclear states closer together on forming common policies.

The High Representative’s two-day visit to Ottawa was elevated by the Government of Canada to official status.  He met with Foreign Minister Stephane Dion, who also gave a luncheon in his honour for officials and civil society representatives.

Mr. Kim also met with the Speaker of the Senate, George Furey and with senior officials in the Prime Minister’s office as well as giving a lecture, “Pursuing a Nuclear Weapon-free World: the Secretary-General’s Five-Point Plan on Nuclear Disarmament,” to the University of Ottawa.  Appearing before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, he urged parliamentarians to activate a motion already passed by the Parliament of Canada calling for progress in getting negotiations started that would lead to the elimination of nuclear weapons.

Senator Douglas Roche, former Canadian Ambassador for Disarmament, hailed the High Representative’s visit to Ottawa as “an outstanding success in raising the profile in Canada of nuclear disarmament issues at a time when the nuclear states are modernizing their arsenals and also boycotting ongoing talks in Geneva aimed at finding a legal path to the elimination of nuclear weapons.” 

Read the text of HR Kim Won-Soo’s speech here: UN High Representative Calls on Canada to Play Special Role in Nuclear Disarmament

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Good News Service #43: April 2016

Posted on Murray Thomson
  1. New UN initiative aims to protect millions of girls from child marriage
  2. International Agencies in Rome together commemorate Women’s Day with commitments for achieving World Wide Gender Equity
  3. India: an ethnic armed movement commits to prohibit the recruitment and use of children in hostilities
  4. “Rainbow Ruby” joins UNESCO to support girls’ education
  5. The AVAAZ Movement is alive and well in 18 countries and has nominated Greek Islanders for the Nobel Peace Prize
  6. Icelandic millionnaire gives up after slaughtering hundreds of
    endangered fin whales.
  7. Standing up to crimes in Saudi Arabia: Western parliament votes to ban arms sale to Saudis.
  8. UN Experts say Monsanto’s Glyphosate a likely cause of cancer
  9. Three major companies heed divestment call by Jewish rabbi
  10. Syrian Refugee Children Re-uniting with their Families
  11. Somalia Prime Minister joins call to ban female genital mutilation
  12. Greek Islanders are nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
  13. Fourteen women win case against Guatemala Generals convicted of crimes against humanity
  14. Meet the Visionary who is happy with nothing!

Download full issue here (docx>

Minutes to Midnight

Posted on Murray Thomson

 

MINUTES-TO-MIDNIGHT

Why more than 800 Order of Canada recipients call for Nuclear Disarmament.

By Murray Thomson, O.C.

The genesis for Minutes to Midnight arose from the action of 100 Nobel Laureates who marked the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Prize in 2001 with a newspaper advertisement warning that the security of the world hangs on environmental and social reform. A committee, formed to promote this statement through prominent Canadians, began soliciting the support of Order of Canada recipients. The movement has grown through the years as has the urgency of the global situation. This book is their call for immediate action on Nuclear Disarmament.

[Download a FREE copy of Minutes to Midnight]

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