By: Ahmed Fathi
New York: The Non-Proliferation Treaty NPT review conference is being held at the UN Headquarters in New York. It brings together delegates from treaty member states and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) involved in the treaty's three pillars: non-proliferation, peaceful use of nuclear energy, and disarmament. The conference is held during a time of increased nuclear tensions not seen since the time of the cold war.
Among the conference attendees Soka Gakkai International-SGi, a Japanese NGO with its roots Buddhism, and holds UN ECOSOC consultative status, SGI aims to eradicate nuclear weapons and has 12 million members and branches around the world. ATN interviewed SGI Director General Hirotsugu Terasaki.
With the increasing hazards of escalation from Russia's threat to use nuclear weapons against countries opposing its invasion of Ukraine to North Korea conducting nuclear testing, the stakes for Iran galloping to acquire nuclear weapons could not be higher. This was reiterated by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and several European and Middle Eastern Foreign Ministers.