Dear {name}

Lots of things have been happening at the Middle East Treaty Organization since our last bulletin! Here's a quick overview of what we've been up to...

1. Hosted a Round Table on The Abraham Accords and the WMDFZ
2. Launched our new podcast series: In The Zone
3. Expanded our team
4. Published our latest paper in the Brown Journal of World Affairs
5. Continued work on Draft Treaty versions 4 and 5
6. Expanded our network of partners

In December, alongside our partners at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, METO hosted a Round Table to discuss the implications of the recently signed Abraham Accords for the November Conference process, set up to negotiate a zone free of WMD in the Middle East.  Consultation with experts helped us identify the key issues that the negotiation process will face, and ways to advance the Zone in this new context. Read our report here. We are already working on plans for a webinar to disseminate our conclusions.

In January, METO launched a new series of podcasts called "In The Zone". Throughout the course of the series Paul Ingram and Anahita Parsa will interview experts across a variety of fields related to the WMD-Free Zone. To kick off, we interviewed our very own Sharon Dolev and Emad Kiyaei, founding directors of METO, and followed it up with an interview with Dr Tarja Cronberg of SIPRI. Our next interview features former head of Verification and Security Policy at the IAEA, Tariq Rauf. New episodes will be published once every two weeks. Check out our podcast page for the latest episodes.

Apart from on our website, our podcasts are also available on SoundCloud, Spotify and YouTube.

We are excited to say that our team has doubled in size since our last newsletter, growing to eight people! Our four new volunteer recruits are busy helping us organize Round Tables, preparing upcoming versions 4 and 5 of the Draft Treaty, managing our social media output and producing our podcast series. They have already made an important contribution to our work and we're all having a lot of fun in the process.  If you'd like to join us, volunteer through our website.

In the latest edition of the Brown Journal of World Affairs, METO directors discuss the history of the WMDFZ, proliferation, and state security matters. We highlight the need to advance regional cooperation and improve human security as an essential condition for regional stability. Read the article on our website.

Our priority for 2021 is to produce drafts 4 and 5 of the Draft Treaty.  Over the three previous iterations we have advanced in many areas and benefited from the wisdom and experience of dozens of people concerned about creating the zone.

Draft 4 will be a comprehensive text which considers in detail all of the points of contention that may arise during treaty negotiations plus different options to navigate them.

Draft 5 will be our view of what we would like to see in the final draft.

We will be organizing further Round Tables and Expert Workshops over the course of the year in order to finalize this work as quickly as possible.

The creation of a WMD-Free Zone is the dream of many organizations and networks both in the region and beyond. We are delighted to have confirmed  partnerships with Abolition 2000, BASIC, the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, the Geneva Disarmament Platform, ICAN, IPPNW, Pressenza International Press Agency and World BEYOND War. If your organization, campaign or network would like to partner with us in order to mutually reinforce one another, please head over to our partnership page.

The Middle East Treaty Organization is a civil society organization founded with the goal to eradicate weapons of mass destruction from the Middle East.

Our Vision  |  A peaceful, integrated and thriving Middle East built on human and environmental security.

Our Mission  |  Eradicate WMDs, broker peace and build security in the Middle East.

You can help us in one of three ways. Subscribe to our newsletter, donate money to help us fund our activities and volunteer your time.  Please click on the buttons below to do either of those things.

Middle East Treaty Organization - Achieving the Possible

www.wmd-free.me

contact: meto@wmd-free.me

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