2017-07-07
My name is Scott Ludlam, and I am a Senator in the Australian Parliament representing the Australian Greens.
You will understand that I am not here to represent the views of my Government. They have made those views clear by their absence.
Thankyou Madam President, and your staff, for your skilful facilitation of this historic process which is now so close to its conclusion.
I want to offer my profound thanks to all the delegations, who have put months, and in some cases years, into bringing this document together. It has truly been a partnership between governments and civil society.
I understand that ‘simply banning nuclear weapons’ is not simple at all, and that not everybody got everything they wanted into the consensus text, but thankyou for the spirit of constructive engagement that you have brought to this work.
Like all of you, I am looking forward to a consensus agreement on this text tomorrow.
I want to thank you for responding to the collective will of your peoples, and for listening to the voices of the Hibakusha, whose message has never been more important than today.
This treaty will change the way these weapons are spoken of all over the world, including in the states not represented here today. It helps us, as Parliamentarians and civil society representatives, to build the case for abolition.
As your work in here is now so close to its conclusion, for those of us returning to nuclear weapons states and their allies, our work is really only just beginning.
We commit to all of you this morning to make our way home and campaign for our governments to recognise that this treaty is the best chance we have to build a truly secure world free of nuclear weapons. One by one, we will bring them into the room.
So please know: you have allies and supporters in Parliaments and civil society organisations in all of the nuclear armed and umbrella states, who are committed to bringing your work to fruition.
Thankyou for everything you’ve done to make this moment possible.
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