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ABOUT USWhat's New from British Pugwash
BPG
Chair John Finney and Executive Secretary Sandra Butcher What is Pugwash? An international movement of scientists and others with a professional concern about the social impact of science and seeking ways to prevent its misuse. Particular attention is given to banning weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, chemical, biological); to the solution of conflict without resort to force; to the creation of a sustainable environment; and to bettering the conditions of life of all people. The movement has its origin in the Russell-Einstein Manifesto of 1955, which called on scientists to meet to find ways to avert the threat to civilization created by the advent of thermonuclear weapons. It took its name from the venue of the first meeting in 1957 – the Canadian village of Pugwash. In 1995 it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, jointly with its then President, Joseph Rotblat. What does Pugwash do? It organizes meetings (8-10 a year) of scientists and scholars from all over the world with the aim of influencing government policies and public thinking on topical problems of global security. Meeting in private, as individuals representing only themselves, they are able to reach conclusions which often pave the way to governmental agreements and international treaties. The topics on the agenda of the workshops and at the annual conferences range from nuclear forces, to foreign debts, to social tensions and ethnic conflict, to the elimination of war. Reports on activities are published in the Pugwash Newsletter and Proceedings of Conferences. Pugwash also runs projects (eg. A Nuclear-Weapon-Free World; Conversion of Military R&D; Education for World Citizenship) which culminate in books. The British Pugwash Group holds seminars and public meetings on relevant international and UK topics; it prepares papers for the international Pugwash meetings; and nominates participants from the UK for international workshops and conferences. It also runs research projects and issues a variety of publications aiming to inform public opinion and to influence Government policy, especially on international security issues. The British Pugwash Group is part of the network of National Groups supporting the International Pugwash Movement. Membership is open to anyone living in the UK and qualified by profession or experience to contribute to the work of Pugwash. We coordinate closely with our associated Student Group. Pugwash traces its origins to the publication, in London in July 1955, of the "Russell-Einstein Manifesto". The launch meeting was chaired by Joseph Rotblat and attended by a number of other distinguished British scientists who, following the 1957 first international conference, in Pugwash, Nova Scotia, Canada, set up a "British Advisory Committee for Pugwash", which evolved, in 1963, to become the British Pugwash Group, initially under the chairmanship of Sir Neville Mott. What have The Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs achieved? By providing a channel of communications between influential scientists and scholars from East and West during the Cold War period, Pugwash was able to facilitate better understanding between the adversaries, which helped to make possible agreement on important issues, such as the Partial Test Ban Treaty, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the Biological Weapons Convention. Recently it has contributed to large reduction in nuclear arsenals, the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. However, much still needs to be done to secure peace in the world. More information about Pugwash can be found on the website of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs. British Pugwash |
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