News – Middle East Treaty Organization

In The Zone – Episode 19 – Ara Kheder Kareem

In this interview, Ara Kheder Kareem speaks to Aayushi Sharma of METO and Mina Rozei of Chemical Weapons Convention Coalition (CWCC) about the events of the Halabja Chemical Weapons attacks, the repercussions of which are still being faced by the communities living in Halabja. Ara has been actively working and campaigning for highlighting the challenges faced by the people of Halabja.

Marking the 36th anniversary of the attack on Sardasht

The Sardasht chemical attack is one of the most devastating uses of chemical weapons in the Middle East. On June 28, 1987, the Iraqi Air Force conducted an aerial bombardment on the town of Sardasht, located in northwest Iran. The attack involved the use of chemical weapons, specifically mustard gas and nerve agents. The attack was also one of the first instances of chemical weapons usage against civilians in an armed conflict. According to reports, thousands of people were exposed to the lethal gases and more than 134 people lost their lives.

Analysis: The eyes of the world on Egypt for COP27

Egypt will be hosting the upcoming COP27 Conference in Sharm El Sheikh from 6 November – 18 November 2022. Egypt has been consistently taking action to establish itself as a proponent of climate change action and has attained status as a Green Economy Flagship country. It has been implementing measures to combat air pollution, a major contributor to Egypt’s carbon emissions and has developed a series of objectives and policies in order to address climate change. However, it must be noted that this is the first time a COP Conference will be held in an African country and Africa only contributes 2-3% of global carbon emissions despite the fact that they are and will be disproportionately impacted by adverse climate change consequences.

In The Zone – Episode 18 – Jeremy Corbyn MP

In the 17^th episode of the podcast series, In the Zone, Anahita Parsa and Aayushi Sharma interview Zmnako Mohammad Ahmad. In the interview Zmnako highlights the significant aspects of his story as a Chemical Weapon Attack survivor, his pursuit to help amplify the voices of other survivors like him, the challenges and struggles survivors face, the need for tangible humanitarian assistance and the role of the state, as well as his vision for the Treaty text for a WMD free zone in the Middle East.

At the NPT, the Middle East has something to teach everyone

On Tuesday August 9th, METO hosted a side event at the 2022 NPT Tenth Review Conference in association with the Irish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the New York office of the German-funded, Rosa Luxemburg Foundation. The Conference, after having been delayed for the last two years due to COVID-19, lasted from August 1st-August 26th at the UN in New York. The nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) has been a part of international law for more than 50 years, and in 1995 it was extended indefinitely. The conference provides a channel for states and civil society organizations to discuss disarmament, nonproliferation, and the peaceful uses of nuclear technology. As a part of the NPT’s extension in 1995, the Conference adopted a resolution calling for a weapons of mass destruction free zone (WMDFZ) in the Middle East. At METO’s side event, we synthesized the updates to the fifth edition of our Draft Treaty for a WMDFZ in the Middle East, and welcomed Amb. Orlaith Fitzmaurice, Director of Disarmament and Non-proliferation at the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, and Amb. Mohamed Elghitany, Head of Disarmament and Peaceful Uses of the Atomic Energy Division in Cairo, to discuss the history of the Zone and the current discourse regarding peace and security in the Middle East.

METO is now on TikTok!

Our social media team has been focused on expanding its reach online to better platform and engage with our work on establishing a WMD-Free Zone in the Middle East, but also to dive further into wider issues on disarmament, peacebuilding, and the region. As part of this push, METO has started working on some fun video content across all our social media platforms. The rising prominence of video content online has opened a unique space to connect with a more far-reaching community from all over the world, and a more interactive sense of engagement with our work.

The voice of METO’s university network heard loud and clear in Vienna

Alice Filiberto delivers part of the Youth statement at the TPNW MSP in Vienna

The second day of the Meeting of State Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons began with a continuation of the previous day’s debate. The METO team listened to remarks made by delegates from Norway, Switzerland, Morocco, the Netherlands and more.

Youth participation elevated at the conference to ban nuclear weapons

The METO team arrived at the United Nations House in Vienna for the first day of the First Meeting of State Parties (MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). As the conference got underway, many members of the University Network began the day at the parallel Youth MSP.

Humanitarian Consequences of Nuclear Weapons under the spotlight in Vienna

The 2022 Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons took place at the Austria Centre in Vienna on the 20^th of June 2022. Given that the conference took place on the day before the First Meeting of State Parties on the Treaty of the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, it set the tone for the three days ahead, reminding delegates, media, and civil society members of the negative impact that weapons of mass destruction have for humanity.

In the Zone: METO’s Sharon and Emad speak at the Nuclear Ban Forum in Vienna

METO directors, Sharon Dolev and Emad Kiyaei, spoke at the first day of the Nuclear Ban Forum, hosted by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) on June 18. They hosted an hour-long workshop called “In the Zone: the TPNW and the Middle East.” Both Sharon and Emad discussed the possibility of establishing a Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone in the Middle East and announced the new METO campaign ‘It’s About Time.’