[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 33 (Friday, February 23, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E212]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





   RECOGNIZING THE INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO ABOLISH NUCLEAR WEAPONS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JAMIE RASKIN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 23, 2018

  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the International 
Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), which was awarded the 2017 
Nobel Peace Prize for its powerful and invaluable work to make the 
world a safer and more peaceful place. The organization is a coalition 
of non-governmental organizations (NGO) that pursues one of the 
continuing great imperatives of our time: the control and eventual 
elimination of nuclear weapons.
  ICAN sought to build on the notable success of the Ottawa Treaty, 
which 163 signatories have signed agreeing to ban the use and 
possession of landmines. Previous international agreements have banned 
cluster munitions and the use of biological and chemical weapons, but 
no such agreement prohibits the use of nuclear weapons. By combining 
the efforts of hundreds of NGOs in 100 countries, ICAN draws 
international attention to the horrifying humanitarian consequences of 
armed conflict and the devastating specific threat posed by nuclear 
weapons.
  After its founding in 2007, ICAN coordinated efforts around three 
international conferences--in Oslo, Nayarit, and Vienna--that 
considered the effects of nuclear detonation and worked toward a 
binding international agreement. After the Vienna agreement, ICAN 
worked with more than 100 governments on a nuclear humanitarian pledge 
to cooperate on efforts to ``fill the legal gap'' in the international 
regime governing the use of nuclear weapons. This effort helped the 
United Nations develop the first legal framework for nuclear 
prohibition. Thus far, 122 governments have signed the Treaty on the 
Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the first binding international 
agreement of its kind. Through ICAN's efforts, the world is moving 
forward in the campaign to eliminate some of the most inhumane and 
destructive weapons ever created.
  The existential threat of nuclear conflict looms ever larger in our 
daily lives. Although anti-proliferation efforts have dramatically 
reduced the number of state-held nuclear arms, the 15,000 nuclear 
weapons that remain continue to pose an unparalleled and complete 
threat to the future of humankind. The consequences of nuclear war are 
devastating and irreversible. We must do everything in our power to 
prevent such a calamity.
  I commend ICAN for its tireless advocacy for a strong and effective 
nuclear weapons ban treaty, and applaud its essential work to make the 
world a safer place for us all humanity.

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