President Joe Biden
White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Biden,
Two days after your inauguration as the 46th President of the United States, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Nuclear Ban Treaty became law in the first 50 nations that ratified it. Another 34 nations are in the process of ratifying, and many more will follow, including important allies of the United States. How will you respond to this historic development?
President Obama promised us “a world without nuclear weapons.” And it is our long-standing legal obligation under the Non-Proliferation Treaty to negotiate the elimination of these weapons “in good faith.” The rest of the world has now decided to take the logical next step and ban nuclear weapons under international law. Will you welcome this new treaty as being totally in keeping with America’s existing commitments?
As this new treaty was reaching its 50th ratification, the Trump Administration took the unprecedented step of pressuring countries to withdraw their ratifications. How will you re-build relationships with these countries?
Like the climate crisis, nuclear weapons pose an existential threat to the whole world. Our survival as the human race requires responding to both — before it’s too late. The Nuclear Ban Treaty opens the way for bold and decisive action on climate by freeing up enormous resources that are currently being squandered on nuclear weapons. Will you seize this unique opportunity to address both these existential threats at the same time?
Yours sincerely,
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