Nuclear disarmament education

Publications

• Learn abolition: how students can rid the world of nuclear weapons (2008)
• Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation education: what role should Australia play? (2009)

Why disarmament education?

The Peace Organisation of Australia is committed to promoting peace and human security through education. We consider the process of nuclear disarmament to be inextricably linked to the opinions, emotions and knowledge of populations. In other words, disarmament necessarily involves entire peoples, not merely governments, and takes place beyond the halls of the UN and the offices of political leaders — in school classrooms, at public forums, via the media and in our homes.

If we are to succeed in the quest for a world free of nuclear weapons, disarmament education must play a central role. Only knowledge and understanding can create an environment conducive to disarmament, while their opposites — ignorance and irrational fear — will simply lead to the further build-up of arms. In a broad sense, disarmament and non-proliferation education will help us to move from a global culture of war to one of peace.

According to a landmark UN study carried out in 2002, disarmament education should be education for disarmament, not merely education about disarmament. POA considers this an important distinction. The study argued: ‘There has never been a greater need for education in the areas of disarmament and non-proliferation … Changing concepts of security and threat have demanded new thinking. Such new thinking will arise from those who are educated and trained today.’ Australia has on five occasions endorsed the study’s recommendations in the UN General Assembly.

Disarmament and non-proliferation education should have the following aims, among others: (1) it should people’s minds to the dangers of nuclear war; (2) it should encourage populations to critically assess the merits of various nuclear doctrines, such as first strike, high-alert status, nuclear deterrence and nuclear umbrellas; (3) it should promote public debate on proposals for achieving a nuclear-weapon-free world; (4) it should find answers to difficult technical, legal and political questions relating to nuclear disarmament; and (5) it should create a culture in which fear and intolerance have been replaced by compassion and a feeling of solidarity towards fellow human beings.

The Australian Government’s role

In various international forums, from the UN General Assembly to the Conference on Disarmament and review meetings of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Australia has expressed a firm commitment to nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament education. While no treaty provision specifically requires Australia to promote or facilitate education of this kind, Article VI of the NPT requires it to pursue negotiations for nuclear disarmament and to attain that goal and Article 10 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights requires it to provide education that ‘promote[s] understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations and all racial, ethnic or religious groups, and further[s] the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace’.

Australia has not in any systematic fashion sought to implement the recommendations of the 2002 UN study into disarmament and non-proliferation education. In fact, on three occasions, Australia declined invitations by the UN Secretary-General to report on its progress towards implementation. POA encourages the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to work with other government departments and civil society in promoting and facilitating disarmament education. In particular, we call on DFAT to engage in a dialogue with the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations on this subject.

POA urges the Australian Government to include disarmament education in the curriculum of all primary and secondary schools. The benefits of disarmament education should be thoroughly explored in the review of existing state and territory curricula and in the planning of a national curriculum. Disarmament education should also be offered as a course of study for undergraduate university students wherever possible, and the government should award scholarships to postgraduate students wishing to carry out research into disarmament.

It is important that disarmament education also take place beyond formal educational institutions — that is, via the mass media, in community consultations carried out by the government, at public forums and through the campaigns of non-government organisations. All facets of disarmament should be thoughtfully debated and examined, including questions relating to law, politics, health, science and human security. POA encourages the Australian Government to consider a wide array of options for promoting disarmament education ‘beyond the classroom’.

Civil society’s role

In January this year, UN member states including Australia recognised ‘the importance of the role of civil society, including non-governmental organizations, in the promotion of disarmament and non-proliferation education.’ At last year’s review meeting of the NPT, Australia specifically commended civil society for its role in promoting nuclear disarmament. POA encourages the government to work cooperatively with civil society in promoting disarmament education by creating opportunities for dialogue and sharing ideas and information.

POA is proud to be a partner to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), which has introduced thousands of people around the world to the idea of a nuclear weapons convention — a new treaty to help realise the decades-old promise of a nuclear-weapon-free world — and has produced a 50-page nuclear disarmament education booklet for primary and secondary school students. The Australian Government could assist in the dissemination of this valuable educational resource, which consists of activities in the areas of language, art, drama, social studies and outreach. Specific activities include:

• Hosting a mock UN debate on nuclear disarmament;
• Role-playing a crisis situation involving nuclear weapons;
• Designing a peace symbol and folding paper cranes;
• Using the Internet to promote nuclear disarmament;
• Conducting an opinion poll/survey on nuclear weapons; and
• Organising a disarmament art or writing competition.