The Future War conference takes place on Saturday 12th November at Birkbeck University. On this page, you will find the conference programme with a detailed schedule, some reading on autonomous weapons and our speakers’ bios (button below).
Recordings will be added here after the conference. Please allow a few days for processing.
If you can make it to the conference, please register here.
In the meantime, check out the event’s trailer video made with Prof. Paul Rogers!
CND’s annual Conference this year, Nuclear Disarmament not Nuclear War! will take place over two weekends in October.
AGM & POLICY CONFERENCE
Saturday 8 October
This will be held by zoom, and determins the shape of our work for the year to come. London CND can send 5 representatives to speak and vote in accordance with London CND policies and priorities. Phil Sedler, John Morris, and David Leal will be three, two place for London reps are still open. If you’d like to put your name forward, please volunteer by relying to this email. (In the event of competition directly elected members of our committee will be given priority.)
Local groups and individual members of CND can also register to attend conference. Register here for the AGM & policy conference by 28 September at the latest. Individuals please note you must be a Company Member to vote at the AGM. Unsure whether or not you are? Contact membership@cnduk.org
PUBLIC CONFERENCE
Sunday 16 October
This takes the form of a Day of Action at Menwith Hill, Yorkshire – with workshops, a visit to the base, and transport back to Leeds railway station Julie and I will be there and we hope as many as possible London CND supporters will join us. Full details and registration here
The AGM and Policy Conference is a crucial part of CND’s democratic structure, and the discussions had and decisions made will shape the work of the campaign over the next year.
You find full details about CND’s national conference and AGM on the CND website here
Here’s the programme for our annual conference 2022. You can click on the images to enlarge.
In early March, London CND held it’s annual conference – this year, titled ‘Ethical Foreign Policy’. This vibrant event had a diverse panel of speakers, and video presentations from the USA and New Zealand. We’re delighted to now make this available for you to view online.
Part one
Welcome (start - 00:06:58)
Carol Turner, London CND
Nobu Ono, SOAS Student CND Society
Amber Goneni, Youth & Student CND
Plenary 1 (00:06:58 - end)
BRITAIN’S ROLE IN THE WORLD
Catherine West MP: View from Westminster
Video link with Marian Hobbs: The New Zealand experience
Hannah Kemp-Welch: Women and nuclear
Kristen Hope: Reflections on the Calais Convey
Facilitator: Carol Turner
Part two
Plenary 2
IRAN, IRAQ CONFLICTS
Carol Turner: Breaking the Iran nuclear deal
Abbas Edalat: Iran today
Sami Ramadani: Iraq 17 years on
Emma Dent Coad
Part three
Round Table
ENGAGING NEW ACTIVISTS
Video link with Emily Rubino: View from the US
Benali Hamdache: Climate and war
Kanako Higa: US bases
Nobu Ono: SOAS Students
Facilitator: Amber Goneni
If you missed our conference in January, no fear - all the sessions were recorded on video and are available now on YouTube. You can watch them all below!
Palestinian Ambassador Dr Hasan Zumlot
Dr Hasam Zumlot Q&A
Catherine West MP and Ann Feltham from CAAT
Video interview with Medea Benjamin of Code Pink USA
Rae Street, former CND Vice Chair, and Carol Turner, London CND
Rebecca Johnson, ICAN, and Bruce Kent, CND
Hannah Kemp-Welch, CND, and Sara Medi Jones, acting CND Vice-Chair
Jonathan Bartley, Green Party Co-Leader, and Nobu Ono, SOAS CND
Photo: Henry Kenyon
Last Saturday, CND supporters from across London gathered for our annual conference - this year taking the theme ‘Trump’s finger on the Nuclear Button.’
We were honoured to be joined by Ambassador Husam Zumlot, head of the Palestinian mission in Washington until President Trump closed it down. The Ambassador gave fascinating insights into the challenges facing those who seek a peaceful solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, and what the Trump administration’s policies mean for the region. We also heard from Catherine West on the UK Parliament’s response to the Trump administration, and from Ann Feltham from the Campaign Against the Arms Trade on the importance of ending arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
After the first session we crossed the Atlantic, with a video interview with Medea Benjamin from Code Pink USA, a women-led organisation opposing war and militarism. She told us about the varied tactics Code Pink uses - from traditional protest marches to inventive publicity stunts and educational programmes - and said she hoped to work more closely with the UK peace movement in the months and years ahead.
You can watch the video interview here
Our second plenary featured Dr Rebecca Johnson from the Acronym Institute, London CND Chair Carol Turner, and Rae Street, Vice-Chair of CND UK. The guests discussed the trashing of international treaties - such as Trump’s intention to pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, first signed in 1987 between the US and Russia. We heard about the importance of international agreements like the in building towards a nuclear-free world.
SOAS CND chair Nobu Ono speaking at the conference. Photo: Henry Kenyon
In the final plenary - ‘Think Global, Act Local’ - our speakers tackled the challenge of how to take concrete action as campaigners and communities to build this world. Sara Medi Jones, acting CND General Secretary, spoke about CND’s current campaigns; Nobu Ono told us about the work he’s been doing running SOAS CND, and the challenges and opportunities in youth and student activism. Green Party co-leader Jonathan Bartley left us with a message of hope: that we are living through times of intense change, in which the old political order is breaking apart - and we have the opportunity to build something new.
London CND vice-chair Hannah Kemp-Welch chairs the final panel of the day. Photo: Henry Kenyon
You can see all the photos from the conference here.
At our annual conference on the 12th January, titled ‘Trump’s Finger on the Nuclear Button’, we were lucky enough to carry out a video interview with Medea Benjamin from Code Pink USA, a women-led anti-war organisation. Watch it here!
The Future Wars conference explored the impact of new technologies on war and it took place on the 10th November at Birkbeck University of London. Below you can watch video clips from some of our amazing speakers!
We’re really excited to announce the details of this year’s London CND conference - with the theme ‘Trump’s finger on the nuclear button.’
We’ll be exploring themes of global conflict, nuclear escalation and grassroots resistance, with speakers including Catherine West MP, Ambassador Husam Zomlot, and Medea Benjamin from Code Pink USA.
Registration for CND UK’s AGM and conference closes this Friday, 12 October. It takes place in Bristol this year, on the weekend of Sat 20 and Sun 21 October. The AGM is Saturday – your chance to vote on policy for the coming year, including London’s motions, and elect CND’s national representatives for the coming year.
Full details here, including registration for individuals and organisations.
