Nuclear weapons threaten everything you know and love.
IPPNW is the only international medical organization dedicated to the abolition of these indiscriminate and illegal weapons. Together, we have a common-sense plan for their complete, irreversible elimination.
More than 200 national and international civil society organizations issued a joint statement today demanding that the United States Congress immediately intervene to prevent the use of nuclear weapons against Iran.
The unified declaration, initiated by Back from the Brink, IPPNW, and PSR, follows repeated nuclear threats against Iran and escalating rhetoric from President Trump regarding potential military action after the upcoming midterm elections.
“The use of even a single nuclear weapon in Iran would destroy a taboo that has held since Nagasaki, with unimaginable consequences for all humanity,” the organizations stated in their declaration. “The US president should not have the unchecked authority to launch nuclear war.”
9 nuclear armed states – US, UK, Russia, China, France, India, Pakistan, Israel, North Korea- possess approximately 12,000 nuclear weapons. These arsenals, possessed by only a few countries, have the power to destroy the world as we know it many times over. Only 3% of their nuclear power could kill up to every 3rd person on earth.
Around the clock, IPPNW affiliates are working to rid the world of the nuclear threat. Our affiliates know that the only answer to this existential threat is total abolition. We are hard at work to achieve this reality through the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Peace and Health Blog
- Over 200 Global Organizations Demand US Congress Prevent Nuclear Strike Against Iran
by IPPNW on October 30, 2026 at 1:00 pmRead the statement in full here. More than 200 national and international civil society organizations issued a joint statement today demanding that the United States Congress immediately intervene to prevent the use of nuclear weapons against Iran. The unified declaration, which was initiated by Back from the Brink, IPPNW, and Physicians for Social Responsibility, follows
- Ronald McCoy: A physician in the service of peace and nuclear disarmament
by Dr. Ghassan Shahrour on October 29, 2026 at 11:30 amThe passing of Malaysian physician Dr. Ronald Steven McCoy (1930-2026) leaves an enduring legacy in the global movement against nuclear weapons. A clinician and advocate who seamlessly integrated professional responsibility, moral courage, and strategic vision, Dr. McCoy played a pivotal role in launching one of the most consequential international initiatives aimed at ending the nuclear era. Notably,
- UN votes to negotiate nuclear weapons ban
by Xanthe Hall on October 26, 2026 at 9:22 amFollowing on from the recommendation of the Open-Ended Working Group in August 2016, a major breakthrough towards a nuclear weapons‘ ban took place in the First Committee of the United Nations, on 27 October 2016. Resolution L.41 (renumbered 258 in the General Assembly Vote) was passed by a resounding majority. The resolution mandated the UN
- We remember an IPPNW giant
by IPPNW on October 20, 2026 at 5:45 am[Former IPPNW Co-President and “godfather” of ICAN Dr. Ron McCoy died on 1 September at the age of 96. The IPPNW family mourns his loss and celebrates his life in a tribute that can be downloaded here. Following are excerpts from a remembrance of Ron written by his colleague and close friend Tilman Ruff.] After
- Bridging Geopolitical Divides: IPPNW Revitalizes Dialogue in Russia and China
by IPPNW on October 14, 2026 at 3:41 pmby Michael Christ, IPPNW Executive Director. September 29, 2026. Originally published in Vital Signs. This month marks the 40th anniversary of the 1986 Reykjavík Summit, the historic meeting where Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev came astonishingly close to completely abolishing the nuclear arsenals of the two superpowers. While the meeting concluded without an official accord