Declaration of the World Uranium Symposium 2015

Published by MAC on 2015-04-16
Source: World Uranium Symposium

Declaration of the World Uranium Symposium 2015

Quebec City, Canada

16 April 2015

Link to PDF version

We, the signatories of this Declaration, including the participants of the World Uranium Symposium 2015, coming from 20 countries on five continents, having gathered in Quebec City, Canada, in April 2015:

Acknowledging that in 1943 Quebec City was the site where the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada entered into a formal cooperation agreement to develop the first atomic bombs, resulting in the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945;

Respecting the moratorium imposed by the Cree Nation of Eeyou Istchee in Northern Quebec on all uranium-related activities on their lands; supporting the demand for a moratorium by the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador, as well as the large consensus against uranium mining as expressed by the Inuit of Nunavik and over 300 municipalities and organizations across the province of Quebec;

Recognizing the growing awareness that nuclear power is not a cost-effective, timely, practical or safe response to climate change, and applauding the enormous expansion of the use of renewable energy and the significant strides made in recent years to phase out nuclear power;

Acknowledging the need for sustainable development and responsible environmental stewardship;

Recognizing the unique health, environmental and social dangers present at all stages of the nuclear chain, from the exploration, mining and milling of uranium, to nuclear power generation, the development of nuclear weapons and the storage of radioactive waste;

Recognizing that the risk of contamination resulting from the extraction, use and storage of radioactive substances presents a unique and grave threat to all living creatures, their environments and watersheds, transcending all political and geographic boundaries and enduring for eons to come;

Recognizing that there are stores of radioactive waste throughout the world that have not been effectively isolated;

Recognizing that there is compelling scientific evidence that there is no safe dose of exposure to radioactive emissions, and that even small doses can present health risks to miners and local populations, animals and plant life;

Recognizing that more must be done to understand, recognize and acknowledge the full scope and extent of all social, health and environmental short and long term impacts of uranium and nuclear-related activities on human life, wildlife and plant life;

Recognizing both that the technological development of nuclear energy opens the door to the development of nuclear weapons against which there is no effective protection, and that nuclear power generation facilities present a serious threat in and of themselves;

Insisting that nuclear regulating bodies be independent and work solely in the best interests of people, animals and plant life;

Recalling the tragedies at Three-Mile Island, Chernobyl, Fukushima Daiichi and many other places around the world;

Convinced that all non-military end-uses of uranium, including energy and medical uses, can be readily satisfied in an alternative manner;

Insisting that nuclear weapons and weapons using depleted uranium be criminalized and that all signatories be held accountable to the obligations set out in the Non-Proliferation Treaty;

Appalled by the nuclear destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, alarmed by the maintenance and proliferation of nuclear arsenals, and convinced that the devastating consequences of nuclear detonations can be avoided only when all nuclear weapons and the systems that manufacture them have been eliminated;

Affirming that it is in the interest of the survival of humanity and of life on this planet that nuclear weapons are never used again, under any circumstances;

Recognizing that those most immediately affected by uranium and nuclear related activities often lack proper capacity and resources and that, as a result, such activities infringe their fundamental human rights to life and security of the person;

Affirming our commitment to the principles of sustainable and equitable development, and respect for the fundamental human rights of all individuals and peoples for all time;

Acknowledging that unique and irreplaceable cultures and landscapes have been and continue to be endangered by uranium and nuclear related activities;

Acknowledging that the world’s Indigenous Peoples have disproportionately borne the harmful burdens of the global uranium industry, nuclear activities (including nuclear weapons testing) and the dumping of radioactive waste;

Recalling that the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples affirms the rights of the world’s Indigenous Peoples to self-determination, and to territorial, social and environmental integrity which includes free, prior and informed consent achieved through an independent, fair, transparent and impartial process, and recognizing that the survival and well-being of Indigenous Peoples depends on full respect for these fundamental and inalienable rights;

Determined to reduce the burden on future generations resulting from the extraction and use of radioactive substances;

Dedicating ourselves to a nuclear-free future;

WE SOLEMNLY DECLARE THAT:

We reaffirm the Declaration of the World Uranium Hearing in Salzburg, Austria in 1992, of the Indigenous World Uranium Summit in Window Rock, Navajo Nation, USA in 2006, and of the IPPNW-World Conference in Basel, Switzerland in 2010:

Uranium and its associated radioactive substances must remain in their natural location.

• We demand a worldwide ban on uranium exploration, mining, milling and processing, as well as the reprocessing of nuclear waste, and the irresponsible management of radioactive waste;
• We call on all states, authorities and Peoples to recognize and respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples including the right to self-determination and to free prior and informed consent achieved through an independent, fair, transparent and impartial process, and to cease the pursuit of uranium- and nuclear-related activities on Indigenous Peoples’ lands in violation of these rights;
• We urge all states, authorities and Peoples to provide full, fair and equitable redress to all those harmed by uranium- and nuclear-related activities and to ensure that those responsible are held accountable for their actions and failures;
• We demand that all states, authorities and Peoples phase out and eliminate nuclear power generation and use, and dedicate themselves to the development and use of intelligent energy services based on sustainable, safe and renewable energy resources;
• We call on all states, authorities and Peoples to strengthen their commitments to nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, to eliminate all existing nuclear weaponry, to cease any and all development of nuclear weapon technologies, and to support and advance a legal treaty to ban all nuclear weapons;
• We call on all states, authorities and Peoples to ensure that all existing radioactive products, material and structures from all phases of the nuclear weapons and power systems are secured and managed in accordance with the best and safest available technology for the people, animals and plant life.