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Opening the Forum, Philip Jennings, UNI General Secretary said the world had failed to deliver on a solution to the threat of a nuclear armageddon and it was time to reset the clock by taking affirmative action.



Professor Gareth Evans, a world expert on nuclear disarmament said that the threat was ever present and very real. Watch his video interview here:

Disarmament for sustainability – Change of priorities for the poor

Reiner Braun, Executive Director of the International Association of Lawyers against Nuclear Arms (IALANA) explained the link between disarmament and sustainability,



Braun said, "Today most Sub-Saharan African countries suffer from lack of food and hunger and are living under the poverty line. We need to redirect the $1.7 trillion dollars spent today on military purposes and redirect it to save and improve lives of millions of people. We can only do this through cooperation not war. We also need to utilise the brains of researchers and scientists working for the military, be it the USA or Russia, and put their efforts into climate change and its consequences. There are many questions begging answers. How can we minimize the problem is one, what are the technical solutions for the society is another. Disarmament for sustainability is a key issue for the next 10 to 20 years.

For a world without nuclear weapons – proposals and actions



Arielle Denis, Senior Campaigner for the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, ICAN said " The role of trade unions is key. For instance, 5 million signatures were collected via trade unions for the movement against nuclear proliferation. It is important to address this question because there is new momentum taking place. There are for instance two well-known processes which are the UN Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Conference on Disarmament, but both processes are leading us nowhere. Countries need to act and sign up and trade unions have a role to push them to do so. To use an analogy. How can we possibly ask smokers to ban smoking? It sounds weird. So we have to change the rules."







Post Fukushima



The triple disaster in Eastern Japan has resulted in a new awareness of the fragilities posed by reliance on nuclear energy.



Shoichi Hachino, UA ZENSEN and UNI Liaison Council Japan said, "Fukushima has made us rethink the energy policy of our country. The Japan government has announced in its "Innovative Energy and Environmental Strategy" that it will realize a society which does not rely on nuclear energy as soon a possible. The Japanese national trade union centre, RENGO basically supports the strategy but will question the government about what concrete steps it will take to achieve this goal and what effects it will have on employment. There is a lot to be done by the Japanese trade union movement in this regard. "



The future energy mix: 100% renewable power is possible



Stephan Singer, Director for Global Energy Policy of WWF International said another world was possible.



Singer said, "By 2050, we could get all the energy we need from renewable sources." He said this assertion was based on research published in a 2010 WWF report:(http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/footprint/climate_carbon_energy/energy_solutions/renewable_energy/sustainable_energy_report/)



He said, "Renewable sources will solve most of the problems of climate change and dwindling fossil fuel resources.

Paramount will be the substantive increase in measures to conserve energy in all sectors. We can show that such a transition is not only possible but also cost-effective, providing energy that is affordable for all and producing it in ways that can be sustained by the global economy and the planet....Switching to renewable energy isn't just the best choice. It's our only option. The way the world produces and uses energy today is not sustainable"



But how many countries have official nuclear, coal, oil and gas targets?

The dual-use character of nuclear technologies



Dr. Wolfgang Liebert, physicist and philosopher, Scientific Director of the Interdisciplinary Research Group in Science, Technology and Security (IANUS), Darmstadt University of Technology, Germany gave a detailed scientific explanation but short sharp warning about the number of coutnries involved in the nuclear equation, Liebert said, "What is stunning is that what has started as spin off of civilian nuclear programme is being switched and used for military purposes....we have perhaps 50 countries with potential capacity today to develop nuclear fossile material and this is dangerous.



Global risks – food and conflict



The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report underlines dangers to peace from lack of access to water and food. This session will build a bridge to UNI’s Cape Town Congress in 2014. Starvation and food price inflation will be acute in Africa in the coming period.

Food, agriculture and conflicts – challenges for peace



Dr. Angelika Hilbeck, (Senior Researcher at the Geobotanical Institute of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich, Switzerland and board member of the Federation of German Scientists, an affiliate of INES) explained the vicious cycle between armed conflict, poverty & hunger, and the degradation of the environment. Hilbeck said must be honest about the challenges ahead and go act responsibly. We are facing a global challenge when it comes to agriculture and food production.



Hilbeck urged, "We have to develop a bottom-up approach with farmers participation in much in the developed world which is responsible for so many of the problems as the developing world. We are global and we are connected. It is not about returning to some romantic idea of the past but creating a global ecological system that works. And trade unions have a role to play and can be an important new partner in this fight."

Nigeria: Tensions in the street



Gabriel Babalola, Chairman of the UNI Nigeria Liaison Council gave an impassioned account of what happens when greed wins the day, referring to the removal of the oil subsidy in Nigeria at the beginning of the year which resulted in widespread action by the people and a reversal of the decision.



Babalola said that the theme for the UNI World Congress in Cape Town 2014 resonated with him. He said, “Including you” – include Africa in all your problems – we a rich continent but we have leaders who do not allow us to enjoy the fruit of our labour."



Rounding off a packed programme, UNI Global Union General Secretary, Philip Jennings said, " The abuses of the market have caused this misery. We are living on an unsustainable planet; we have heard that 50 states have the potential to create nuclear weapons and that our planet is exhausted. But there is hope: Why? Because we have heard here today about the kind of progressive thinking and action which is required. Another world is possible. What we as unions can do is get people out on the streets and make the call for a peaceful sustainable world heard. To quote Ghandi, " First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win."