Photo by Senate of Mexico. From left to right: Senator Angélica del Rosario Araujo Lara (Secretary of the Foreign Relations Commission - International Organizations); Ambassador Luis Javier Campuzano (Director-General for the United Nations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico); Ambassador Luiz Filipe de Macedo Soares (Secretary-General of OPANAL); Senator Laura Angélica Rojas (President of the Foreign Relations Commission - International Organizations); Ambassador Emeritus of Mexico Sergio González Gálvez; and Senator Luz María Beristain Navarrete.
On Tuesday, 13 February 2018, at the Octavio Paz Auditorium of the Mexican Senate, it took place the presentation of the book of the International Seminar of OPANAL "A world free of nuclear weapons: Is it possible? Is it desirable? How could it be achieved?"
The presentation of the book was attended by: Ambassador Luiz Filipe de Macedo Soares (Secretary-General of OPANAL), Ambassador Luis Javier Campuzano (Director-General for the United Nations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico and Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico to OPANAL), Senator Laura Angélica Rojas (President of the Foreign Relations Commission - International Organizations of the Mexican Senate), as moderator; and Ambassador Emeritus of Mexico Sergio González Gálvez, former Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico. The discussion focused on the need to increase the international debate on nuclear weapons in the face of the growing threat posed to humanity by these weapons during the last 7 decades.
The Secretary-General of OPANAL noted that:
Since the beginning of the 90s, there is a general perception that nuclear weapons no longer represent a threat to humanity. The issue is not anymore a priority for public opinion in general.
In response to this perception, the Secretary-General noted that the publication of the OPANAL's International Seminar "A world free of nuclear weapons: Is it possible? Is it desirable? How could it be achieve?", seeks to contribute to the debate on nuclear weapons. The Secretary-General also added:
The value of the book published by OPANAL lies in its debate. In my opinion, it contains a broad approach to the current state of affairs on international security and nuclear weapons.
Since OPANAL is the only international organization devoted entirely to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, this publication is contributing to its mission and makes this debate available to the public. The text is available to be downloaded freely at the OPANAL and United Nations websites.
Senator Laura Angélica Rojas Hernández expressed that it persists the idea that nuclear weapons are a security factor. He recalled that Latin America and the Caribbean region has been a pioneer and leader on the path towards a world free of nuclear weapons, through the Treaty of Tlatelolco, which established the first nuclear-weapon-free zone.
Ambassador Luis Javier Campuzano affirmed that, given the existence of 15,000 nuclear weapons in possession of nine countries, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, open for signature on September 20, 2017 at the United Nations, "is an instrument that is indispensable" and that it represents "a pillar for nuclear disarmament ".
Ambassador Emeritus Sergio González Gálvez mentioned that according to the Doomsday Clock of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the world is close to another worldwide war in which nuclear weapons could be used. He also added:
We must emphasize that all members of the international community have the responsibility that this does not happen.
The presentation of the book of OPANAL also had a panel discussion entitled "The validity of the nuclear threat, perspectives for disarmament and multilateral commitments" that was moderated by Senator Angélica del Rosario Araujo Lara (Secretary of the Foreign Relations Commission - International Organizations) in which participated: Ambassador Franz Josef Kuglitsch (Ambassador of Austria to Mexico); Ambassador Mohammad Taghi Hosseini (Ambassador of Iran to Mexico); Ambassador Andrian Yelemessov (Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Mexico) and Ambassador Ruslan Spírin (Ambassador of Ukraine to Mexico).
Download the report made by the Foreign Relations Commission - International Organizations of the Mexican Senate.