This is a weekly electronic information service of the International Network of Engineers and Scientists for Global Responsibility

Editor: Tobias Damjanov, e-mail: < >
INES homepage: http://inesglobal.org
INES International Office < >
INES Chair Prof. Armin Tenner < >

INES Congress 2000

''Challenges for Science and Engineering in the 21st Century''

Stockholm, 14-18 June 2000

http://www.ines2000.org

 INES 2000 Conference Secretariat: mailto:

CONTENTS of WNII No. 44/1999

• Member Organisations' + Project Groups' News:
  • USA: Economists Allied for Arms Reduction (ECAAR)
  • Nuclear Age Peace Foundation: The Sunflower, No. 30, November 1999
  • USA: Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IEER)
  • The Role of NGOs in the 21st Century: Inspire, Empower, Act!, Seoul, 10-16 Oct 1999
• Nuclear Weapons:
  • Resources from "The Sunflower", No. 30, November 1999
• Whistleblowers:
  • Whistleblower Award for Alexander Nikitin
• Briefings:
  • VERTIC Vacancy for a Administrator/Legal Researcher
  • "Caucasus Reporting Service" now available in Russian language
  • International Week of Science and Peace (IWOSP) 2000
  • Network of scientific publishing houses planned
• Conferences, Meetings, Seminars:
  • Festival of Resistance in Seattle during the World Trade Organization meeting
• INES Web- and Email Service

MEMBER ORGANISATIONS' AND PROJECT GROUPS' NEWS

USA: Economists Allied for Arms Reduction (ECAAR) Please note the change of ECAAR's address: 211 East 43rd Street, New York NY 10017, USA; Tel.: (1-212) 557 2545, Fax: (1-212) 557 2589, e-mail:

USA: Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF), The Sunflower, No. 30, November 1999 http://www.wagingpeace.org/sf/index.html The latest edition of The Sunflower covers the following:

• Proliferation:
  • US Senate Fails To Ratify CTBT
  • Counting Nuclear Weapons: How Many and Where?
  • DOE Orders Review of Stockpile Stewardship Program
• Nonproliferation:
  • The End of a Nuclear Test Site In Kazakhstan
  • Obuchi Reaffirms Japan's Three Non-Nuclear Principles
• Y2K in Russia: State of Readiness Remains Uncertain
• Protest: Scotland Judge Acquits Protesters And Declares Trident Illegal
• Human Error and Nuclear Accidents: Nuclear Plants Worldwide Have Similar Accident Pattern
• Military Coup in Pakistan: General Musharraf Controls Country and Nuclear Weapons

USA: Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IEER)

On November 15, IEER has disseminated its comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on National Missile Defense Deployment (NMD) of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (September 1999) "in order to ensure that all relevant and significant environmental considerations are taken into account in the EIS process. Discussion of alternatives to NMD deployment here is intended to further that goal. It does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any particular approach to reducing the risks arising from weapons of mass destruction."

If you would like to obtain these comments, please send a request to IEER President Arjun Makhijani at < > Or to the WNII editor

The Role of NGOs in the 21st Century: Inspire, Empower, Act!, Seoul, 10-16 Oct 1999
A conference report by Sandra Striewski, INES Council member

Have you ever been to Korea ? "Inspire, Empower, Act!" was the title of the 1999 International NGOs Conference at the Olympic Park in Seoul, which was organized by a Korean Committee in collaboration with United Nations agencies. For five days, some 7,000 participants from the world over debated in 10 round-tables and over 180 working groups the following issues: Peace and Security, Environment, Education, Ethics, Human Rights, Social and Economic Development, Youth, Gender Justice, Aging, Health and Strengthening the NGOs. Representatives from a variety of NGOs presented their activities at the working groups, where particularly human rights and gender justice issues have been discussed. Cultural activities, an NGOs' exhibition hall, as well as other opportunities such as a Youth Forum, were made available as well.

The Conference aimed

• --- to continue the work of NGOs started in the 90s with regard to UN Conferences;
• --- to develop a vision for the upcoming 21st century;
• --- to approach the networking and strengthening of NGO activities and to implement the vision

At the Youth Forum, additionally introduced by the Graduate Institute of Peace Studies, an opportunity was offered to debate in further working groups the same issues as given at the main Conference. At this Forum, the goals were on the one hand to provide a forum for young people within a framework where they could exchange their views on current and future problems, as well as discuss the role of NGOs. On the other hand, the idea was that NGOs would be inspired by the results of this Youth Forum in terms of stimulating their own future activities.

In the second conference day, the programme was changed at short notice. The subsequent changes obviously led to some confusion, resulting in an unexpectedly high attendance to the Round-Table dealing with gender justice. The Final Declaration gave a vision for the 21st century emphasizing demands to governments, the United Nations and NGOs as to how to implement those visions:

• --- To Governments to implement aims adopted at previous UN conferences, to respect NGOs as equal partners and to support their work, as well as to strengthen the UN;
• --- To the UN to intensify their role as "peace founder" and to widen the process of NGOs' involvement into UN activities;
• --- To the NGOs to network among themselves, and to broaden cooperation with governments and the UN

In summarizing the conference, it should be stated that expectations were frustrated in various ways. For example, intercultural communication was hardly possible due to language problems with some working groups and speeches which were presented without any translation (e.g., given only in Korean language). Also, many projects and initiatives were presented without giving sufficient space for questions and discussion. The final debate was criticised for not sufficiently taking into consideration women-related aspects. Further critical voices, such as the demand by an Italian participant to introduce gay and lesbian issues into the Final Document, were welcomed only by "asian politeness."  Furthermore, working group issues appeared to be unbalanced: for example, the theme area of environment was covered only to a very low extent. Despite organisational problems and differences concerning the contents, it was possible to have a lot of talks, to establish contacts and to exchange ideas and experiences. Especially through these kinds of contacts, as well as actions such as the Youth Forum, motivation for many of the participants has been strengthened to continue activities. If you are interested in joining the drafting of the Working Programme, send an email to:   (translated and slightly edited by T. Damjanov)

NUCLEAR WEAPONS

Abolition 2000 homepage: http://www.abolition2000.org

Grassroots News: http://www.napf.org/abolition2000/news/  

Resources from "The Sunflower", No. 30, November 1999

• Robert S. Norris, William M. Arkin, and William Burr: "Where They Were" Informative article about where the US deployed nuclear weapons overseas from 1951-77; published in the Nov/Dec 1999 issue of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists: http://www.bullatomsci.org/issues/1999/nd99/nd99norris.html
• General George Lee Butler (former Commander-in-Chief of the US Strategic Command): "Ending the Nuclear Madness" available from the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation for $4.00 plus $3.00 S/H
• Where did the outside assistance for India and Pakistani nuclear weapons come from? Go to: http://www.nci.org/for-asst.htm   for a list of the countries that supplied the components, legally or illegally.
• More Y2K De-alerting sample sign-on letters to urge Presidents Clinton and Yeltsin to take nuclear weapons offline at the turn of the millennium can be found at: http://www.cornnet.nl/~akmalten/letters.html
• "The Izmit Earthquake and the Akkuyu Nuclear Plant Proposal" Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien will visit Cyprus and urge Turkey's government to stop all work on the Akkuyu Nuclear Plant because an earthquake could be a cause of a catastrophic meltdown accident with global consequences. The executive summary of this report is available at: http://www.cnp.ca   Also, goto: http://www.diaspora-net.org/nuclear   to learn how to contact government officials to protest, read on-line expert analyses.
• There are 52 nuclear reactors in Japan. For a map of their locations as well as other information - in English and French - about nuclear disarmament issues all around the world, visit the Peace 2000 site at: http://www.paix2000.org
• Women's International League For Peace And Freedom has created a new website to get ready for the 2000 Review Conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty at the U.N. scheduled for April 24-May 19, 2000 at UN headquarters in New York. Site is under construction, but go to: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org   and bookmark it.
• The 1999 edition of the booklet, "Chemical Disarmament: Basic Facts" is available from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Netherlands. Internet site is: http://www.opcw.org  Email for details on cost and shipping to < >
• Nuclear safety and Y2K may not mix well. For information and suggestions for action, such as petitions to governments asking them to take de-alert nuclear weapons, take them offline, go to: http://www.y2kwash.org   http://www.basicint.org  http://www.trendmonitor.com/y2kad.htm
• The publication "Security and Survival: The Case for a Nuclear Weapons Convention" is available from IPPNW for $12.00 (includes S/H). mailto:   or visit their website at: http://www2.healthnet.org/IPPNW  

WHISTLEBLOWERS

Whistleblower Award for Alexander Nikitin

On 12 November, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the German section of the International Association of Laywers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA) celebrated in Berlin, the Whistleblower Award was bestowed in Germany for the very first time. The award was endowed by the German IALANA section, the Association of German Scientists (VDW) and by the Initiative for Ethical Protection, the German INESPE affiliate. As Dr D. Deiseroth [IALANA] explained, whistleblowing means that employees oppose unlawful, dishonest or ethically dubious practices which came to their knowledge at their working place or office. In other words: whistleblowers are "ethical dissidents."

The Award was given to Alexander Nikitin, a former high-ranking officer of the Soviet Red Navy and an expert on radiation security. He is the co-author of a study concerning the sources of radioactive pollution of the areas of Murmansk and Archangelsk with particular emphasis on the nuclear waste dumping by the Soviet/Russian Northern Fleet at Andrejew Bay, some 45 km away from the Norwegian border. Having been arrested in February 1996 for the first time, Nikitin has to go to court on 23 November this year for the eighth time. He was unable to personally receive the Award because the Russian authorities refused travel permittance. (Dr Guenter Kuehne, German Peace Council)

BRIEFINGS

VERTIC - Vacancy for a Administrator/Legal Researcher

The London-based "Verification Research, Training and Information Centre" (VERTIC) seeks a multi-skilled Administrator who is able to contribute to the substantive work of the organisation (research, training and information dissemination) as well as managing a small but rapidly growing office. You should have a law degree and a knowledge of and demonstrated interest in more than one of VERTIC's areas of interest (arms control, disarmament, non-proliferation, the environment, peace agreements and monitoring and verification in general). You should also have administrative, legal, sub-editing, word-processing and accountancy skills and experience and experience working in a non-governmental organisation. You will be responsible for managing and maintaining the office; budgeting and accounting; formatting and sub-editing documents and publications; managing publication sales and distribution; organising meetings and assisting the Executive Director. In addition approximately one-third of your time will be devoted to providing advice to VERTIC staff on and conducting research into international legal issues relating to VERTIC's areas of interest. Salary range: £20-28,000  Contract period: Indefinite, with a 6-month probation period.

Application procedure:
Applicants should send a letter addressing the selection criteria, nominating three referees and providing a curriculum vitae to: The Administrator, VERTIC, Baird House, 15/17 St Cross Street, London EC1N 8UW Tel. 44-, Fax. 44-, Email.   Faxed or emailed applications will be accepted.
Applications close 8 December 1999. Further particulars, including job description and selection criteria: http://www.fhit.org/vertic

"Caucasus Reporting Service" now available in Russian language
(see also WNII No. 39/1999)

The London-based Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR), the award-winning reporting and media development charity, is pleased to announce the launch of the Russian language version of its weekly Caucasus Reporting Service (CRS). IWPRs Caucasus Reports, gathering the work of journalists and analysts from the regions, offers weekly information and analysis on human rights and political issues throughout the region.

The primary contributors will be members of IWPRs Southern Caucasus Human Rights and Media Development Project. The project assists the development of local journalism and supports regional and international understanding of an area grappling with major issues of democratisation, conflict resolution and development. The service is produced in collaboration with leading local research and human rights institutes, through the generous support of the UKs National Lottery Charities Board.

To subscribe to the Russian language version of the weekly Caucasus Reporting Service please send an e-mail to: < > Other IWPR reports and information about the Institute are available on-line at: http://www.iwpr.net 

International Week of Science and Peace (IWOSP) 2000

From the International Coordinator Dr. Hildegard Faessler
Dear colleagues, For this year I thank all of you who remembered the IWOSP and contributed events of their country to remember Armistice Day this year again. Especially I thank Alan and Shigeo who helped me again to go on.

1. To Alan´s kind advice for the IWOSP National Coordinators to join an electronic conference or discussion list: A worldwide exchange of ideas of scientists could certainly strengthen our efforts for peace. To bring SCIENTISTS TOGETHER I repeat Eric´s [Fawcett] invitation (from May, the 20th) to the sfpint listserver for international news items of interest to Science for Peace members and others. These messages are posted on the SfP website under the title: SfP Newsletter: Editor, Eric Fawcett at http://www.math.yorku.ca/sfp/  

2. But the idea of IWOSP is going beyond an electronic conference for scientists. It is rather the idea to reach people of many countries, to show that science could have a great impact on the POLITICS and therefore decides between War and Peace. Thus it would even in the future be necessary to organise events in real life (IRL) in many countries to change the public thoughts and actions of the people AND of the POLITICIANS. Our annual memorial of the Armistice Day should BRIDGE THE GAP between SCIENCE and PUBLIC LIFE.

3. Chair 2000. I was not very successful in finding a new chairman. If any of you would take the chair, I would gratefully accept your offer up to until the end of November. If nobody wants to follow me, I will go on for the next year supposing you were prepared to help me to organise IWOSP 2000.

4. NC. I ask the National Coordinators who don´t think they had time to organise IWOSP events in their country to find a successor and tell me his/her E-mail address. Thank you for your kind help. I will try to invite some more colleagues from other countries for the year 2000 to join us.

5. Report to the UNO General Assembly according the UN resolution for "science and peace" 1988. The report 1999 will be sent on November the 29th. Twelve National Coordinators have reported events in their countries. All who have not sent their report can do this until the 27th of November. Thank you for your interest and help. Best regards from the mountains in the Tyrol. We have lots of snow and it looks already like Christmas. If we all could use our scientific knowledge to give peace to the world!

Hildegard Faessler e-mails: < >, < > http://homepage.uibk.ac.at/homepage/csaa/csaa1214/iwosp.htm   http://info.uibk.ac.at/homepage/Hildegard.Faessler  

Network of scientific publishing houses planned

Twelve internationally renowned scientific publishing houses are planning a network of their online publications such as "Nature" and "Science."  It should help scientists gain Internet access to scientific articles. The project is about to start with three million articles at the beginning of next year. Every year, over half a million new contributions should be added. In the future, articles' references to other scientific publications, for example, footnotes, should directly lead to the articles and contributions referred to even if they have been published by a journal of another publishing house. An increasing number of scientists are using the Internet for their daily work, according to Richard Nicholson from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) which publishes the journal "Science."  Therefore, the Internet Service planned would contribute to even more effective research.

In addition, Johannes Velterop from the magazine "Nature" highlighted that the main focus of the project was the scientists' interest in scientific information. Among others, the project consists of the Academic Press, Oxford University Press, AAAS (Science), the American Institute for Physics, the Association for Computing Machinery, Blackwell Science, Elsevier Science, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Kluwer Academic Publishers, "Nature" of Macmillan, John Wiley and Sons, and the German Springer Publishing House. The publishing houses and institutions involved will cooperate with the "International Digital Object Identifier" (DOI) Foundation. All articles will be processed according to DOI standards.

The project which does not have a name yet will be open for cooperation with further publishing houses and institutions. [Source: Spiegel Online No. 46/1999, 17 November 1999]

CONFERENCES - MEETINGS - SEMINARS

Festival of Resistance in Seattle during the World Trade Organization meeting

• Date: 29 November 3 December 1999
• Venue: Seattle, USA

Info available at: http://agitprop.org/artandrevolution  

INES WEB AND E-MAIL SERVICE

No new or changed email or web addresses in this issue.
All INES e-mail addresses and homepages are available upon request from:

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