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A World Council of Churches (WCC) webcast on 3 December will introduce a new campaign guide for churches concerned about autonomous weapons systems, also known as “killer robots”.

The Christian Council of Nigeria, Institute of Church and Society, based in Ibadan, recently commenced a second round of campaign initiatives to increase awareness of the threats posed by the development and production of killer robots.

A group of bikers from the Bike for Peace visited the World Council of Churches on 30 August as part of a commemoration in the Place de Nations. 

Daniel Högsta is campaign coordinator for the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. He reflects below on the tie between climate change and nuclear weapons, as well as on global progress toward a nuclear-free world. 

The World Council of Churches joined dozens of other faith-based and humanitarian groups in signing a Global Civil Society Statement on Myanmar urging the United Nations Security Council to impose a comprehensive global arms embargo on Myanmar to help prevent further violations of human rights against peaceful protesters and others opposing military rule.

Working on human rights and disarmament for the World Council of Churches (WCC) does not show instant results. The quest needs perseverance, says the WCC programme executive who interacts with the United Nations in Geneva. Jennifer Philpot-Nissen, a trained human rights lawyer, has the task of engaging on human rights and disarmament for the WCC's Commission of the Churches on International Affairs.

In conjunction with the International Day of Human Fraternity, the World Council of Churches, Pax Christi Northern California, and Soka Gakkai International issued a joint statement, entitled “A Plea for Preserving Our Shared Humanity,” that expresses concern over the insidious development of weapons systems that lack meaningful human control.

Following the January 2021 entry into force of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, a group of 60 German Christians including theologian Jürgen Moltmann and former World Council of Churches general secretary Konrad Raiser has demanded an end to the doctrine of nuclear deterrence.

The National Christian Council in Japan, in a “Statement Regarding the Enactment of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons,” expresses a “strong sense of disappointment that we have arrived at this point with the Japanese government neither approving nor ratifying” the treaty.

In a 27 January webcast hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC), speakers spoke candidly about encouraging signs and discouraging obstacles along the path to a nuclear weapons-free world.

Religious leaders in Hiroshima and Nagasaki are welcoming the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, even as Japan's Christian council “regrets” that the government has not supported or ratified the treaty.

The All Africa Conference of Churches has welcomed the coming into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, stating on 26 January that the treaty “addresses the disproportionate impact of nuclear weapons on women and indigenous peoples.”

As the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons enters into force on 22 January, the World Council of Churches joined other global faith communities in welcoming the groundbreaking moment.