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Pugwash UK

The British Pugwash Group

An affiliate of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs ©


About Us Membership Meetings Projects Publications Student Group

ABOUT US


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.

Obituaries

Anne McLaren, Pugwash Council Member, Member British Pugwash Executive Committee. Died 7 July 2007. Obituary, The Times (London).

Jack Boag, leading figure in the science of cancer radiation therapy, Member British Pugwash Executive Committee. Died 2 January 2007. Obituary by Professor Kit Hill, The Guardian.

 

In Memory of Sir Joseph Rotblat


Tributes to Joseph Rotblat

As a way to honour Joseph Rotblat's life and legacy, Pugwash has set up a special fund to help make possible the establishment of his archives at Churchill College Cambridge. If you would like to contribute, please make your cheque payable to 'British Pugwash Trust (Nobel)' and send your donation to: Joseph Rotblat Archive Fund, Pugwash Conferences, Ground Floor Flat, 63A Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3BJ.


Sebastian (Bas) Pease, former Chairman of the British Pugwash Group, died on 17 October 2004 - Obituary by Robert Hinde and Joseph Rotblat

Martin Kaplan, former Secretary General of Pugwash, died on 16 October 2004 in Geneva, Switzerland - A remembrance by Francesco Calogero, a tribute from Paolo Cotta-Ramusino and Jeffrey Boutwell, and an appreciation by Joseph Rotblat

More information about Pugwash can be found on the website of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs.

 

British Pugwash
Office: Ground Floor Flat, 63A Great Russell St, London WC1B 3BJ, UK.
Tel.: +44 (0)20 7405 6661
Fax: +44 (0)20 7831 5651
Email: pugwash@mac.com