The International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons (ICBUW) is a global coalition of 160 groups in 33 countries. ICBUW was formed in 2003 in

Berlaar Berlaar () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Berlaar proper and . In 2021, Berlaar had a total population of 11,710. The total area is 24.57 km². History The current munici ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

to promote a campaign based on reliable information on

depleted uranium Depleted uranium (DU; also referred to in the past as Q-metal, depletalloy or D-38) is uranium with a lower content of the fissile isotope than natural uranium.: "Depleted uranium possesses only 60% of the radioactivity of natural uranium, hav ...

(DU)

weapons A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...

. Until 2018 it was based in Manchester, England, then the office has been transferred from

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. ICBUW campaigns for a ban on the use, transport, manufacture, sale, and export of all conventional weapon systems containing uranium (usually called

weapons). It also seeks health monitoring and compensation for communities affected by the use of uranium weapons and the

environmental remediation Environmental remediation deals with the removal of pollution or contaminants from environmental media such as soil, groundwater, sediment, or surface water. Remedial action is generally subject to an array of regulatory requirements, and may al ...

of such sites.About ICBUW
/ref>

Lobbying

In advocating for a treaty ban on uranium weapons, ICBUW states that it is following the example of the

International Campaign to Ban Landmines The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) is a coalition of non-governmental organizations whose stated objective is a world free of anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions, where mine and cluster munitions survivors see their right ...

and the

Cluster Munition Coalition The Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) is an international civil society movement, which campaigns against the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of cluster munitions. Cluster munitions, a type of munition stockpiled by more than 80 states, ...

. ICBUW’s grassroots member organisations lobby at a national level, while ICBUW itself lobbies supranational bodies such as the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

and the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

. ICBUW has prepared a draft Convention for a ban on depleted uranium weapons.Staff
Draft Convention on the prohibition of development, production, stockpiling, transfer and use of uranium weapons and on their destruction
on the website o
ICBUW
/ref> ICBUW's Draft Convention contains a general and comprehensive prohibition of the development, production, transport, storage, possession, transfer, and use of uranium ammunition, uranium armour-plate, and of any other military use of uranium. The Convention also outlines obligations concerning the abolition of uranium weapons and the destruction of uranium weapons construction facilities. In addition it obliges states to ensure a rapid decontamination of radioactive battlefields and test ranges, emphasising the protection of, and assistance to, civilians living in these areas, and obliges states to compensate the victims.

Media

In 2011, ICBUW released an animated short film developed in cooperation with Dutch

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

(NGO) ' IKV Pax Christi'. ''When the Dust Settles'' outlines ICBUW's position and calls for a precautionary approach to the weapons.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlGPtBX0IRY When the Dust Settles In 2012, ICBUW and Dutch NGO IKV Pax Christi launched the Toxic Remnants of War Project which aims to consider and quantify the detrimental impact of war, military operations and munitions on the environment and human health, with particular focus on the release of toxic materials during military activities.

Lobbying

Media

See also

References

External links