ICAN October 11, 2017: ICAN was awarded the XXXIII “Colombe d’Oro” (Golden Doves for Peace) prize in a ceremony held at maXXI, Rome’s modern art museum by Istituto di Ricerche Internazionali Archivio Disarmo (an ICAN partner via Rete Italiana per il Disarmo).
“This is an exciting time for ICAN. This year, ICAN’s efforts and focused campaigning resulted in the successful adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons” noted Susi Snyder from ICAN’s Steering Group who was in Rome to accept the Prize “This landmark treaty finally outlaws nuclear weapons because of their indiscriminate and inhumane effects. It is a tremendous success, the result of focused and unrecognised work. ICAN is extremely proud to be chosen to receive the Golden Dove for Peace in recognition of these efforts. The timing with the Nobel Peace Prize announcement is a great surprise, and reinforces the importance of these efforts that the Golden Dove for Peace was early to recognise”.
Susi Snyder was then received in the Italian Parliament by a delegation of Parliamentarians of all the Italian political groups, welcomed by vice-president of the Lower Chamber Hon. Marina Sereni and with the presence of Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs Sen. Benedetto Della Vedova. An important occasion to underline the importance of the Nuclear Ban Treaty and the necessity to work within this path for reach a world without nuclear weapons.
“All the attention on our campaign is useful to show that a solution to the nuclear weapons challenge is possible”. Snyder recalled the decision by the Italian parliament to explore the possibility of joining the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and reinforced the importance of this honest investigation. “We know that some political forces already want to sign and ratify the TPNW but they are not the majority: so we have to work through our Italian ICAN partners like Rete Italiana per il Disarmo and Senzatomica, and thank them for their work and for organizing all today’s events, for convincing more political groups to support the process. We are here and ready to help build the support that Italy needs to sign the Treaty”.
Italy, alongside Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands, is one of the few European Countries hosting US nuclear warheads on its territory. The presence in Rome of a member of ICAN’s Steering Group for the Golden Doves for Peace Prize was a well-timed occasion to underline all this and to take some more steps towards Italy joining the Treaty.