Celebrating Five Years of the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty

On Thursday, January 22^th, the world and New Mexicans will mark five years since the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons became international law. Nuclear weapons are now illegal. https://disarmament.unoda.org/en/our-work/weapons-mass-destruction/nuclear-weapons/treaty-prohibition-nuclear-weapons

In Santa Fe, on Thursday and Friday, January 22^nd and 23^rd from noon to 1 pm, we’ll be gathering on the corners of West Alameda and Sandoval to peacefully commemorate the fifth year of the Treaty. Join us!

In 2017, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, or ICAN, for its work to bring the Treaty to fruition. https://www.icanw.org/nobel_prize

ICAN continues its work. Currently most countries support the nuclear weapons ban treaty because they understand that any use of nuclear weapons carries extreme risks – by design, miscalculation or accident – causing catastrophic humanitarian consequences. We must continue to demand policy reform to debunk the myths of nuclear deterrence and defund the costs of continuing down that road.

In 2026, ICAN will work closely with states parties to the Treaty to make sure that diplomatic efforts reduce the risks of nuclear weapons and build towards nuclear disarmament. https://www.icanw.org/

Did you know about some of the changes have happened since the Treaty went into effect? In the last five years over $4.7 trillion dollars have been divested from nuclear weapons and the majority of the world refuses to accept doomsday as our destiny. https://www.icanw.org/take_action_now

Also, the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, or IPPNW, another Nobel Prize winner, has launched an online social media campaign called – 5 years, 5 reasons – to celebrate the 5-year anniversary of the Treaty’s entry into force and to mark the work ahead. Go to https://www.ippnw.org/ to learn more and contribute your thoughts, photos and videos. Tag them on social media. Tag 5 friends and encourage them to join you in sharing their 5 reasons for supporting the Treaty. https://www.ippnw.org/?s=nobel+peace+prize

Five reasons could include health, peace, security, justice and democracy.  A different five could be that the majority of the world supports the Treaty; the Treaty challenges deterrence; it reframes global security; nuclear weapons threaten everything we know and love; and emerging generations deserve a future without the threat and trauma of living with nuclear weapons.

Be sure to reach out to your elected officials, local governments and others to ask them whether they support the manufacture of plutonium triggers, or the pits, for nuclear weapons, at Los Alamos National Laboratory.  Do they know that nuclear weapons are illegal? Post what you discover.  Here are links to county commissions and city and town councils:

https://www.rio-arriba.org/Departments/County-Commission

https://www.espanolanmusa.org/266/City-Council

https://www.santafecountynm.gov/county-commissioners

https://santafenm.gov/elected-officials

https://www.taoscounty.org/238/County-Commissioners

https://taosnm.gov/225/Town-Council

1. Friday, January 16^th from noon to 1 pm – Join the nuclear disarmament community at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval in Santa Fe for the weekly peaceful protest in support of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Join with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners.

2. Saturday, January 17^th – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. March in Albuquerque. Meet at the intersection of Dr. MLK Avenue and University Blvd. Lineup begins at 9:30 am. March will start at 10 am. The 1.5-mile march will end at Civic Plaza. Dress warmly.

 The New Mexico MLK Jr. Commission encourages your participation.  “We march to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s call for justice, equality and dignity for all through peaceful collective action.  In that same spirit, communities across New Mexico will come together to continue his legacy. In additional to the flagship march in Albuquerque, marches will take place statewide.”  A schedule of commemorations is available at https://nmmlksc.org/2026-king-holiday-2/    The January 17^th march will be live streamed on Facebook @NMMLKJRC. For more information, email info@mlkjrc.nm.gov

3. Tuesday, January 20^th at 10:30 am – Gathering at the Santa Fe Plaza for a march to the Roundhouse for a powerful rally and mutual aid fair on the opening day of the New Mexico Legislature.

 Join the We Got Us Mass Mobilization where thousands of New Mexicans will march on the State Capitol to show the State what it looks like when New Mexico’s movements move together as one.

 Hosted by Youth United for Climate Crisis Action (YUCCA). RSVP, share the Mass Mobilization on Facebook, uplift latest Mass Mobilization flyer on Instagram at https://www.yuccanm.org/post/we-got-us-is-less-than-two-weeks-away-what-role-can-you-play 

4. Thursday, January 22^nd from noon to 1 pm – Commemoration of the Fifth Year of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Join the nuclear disarmament community at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval in Santa Fe in support of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Join with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners. Bring your signs, banners, etc.

 Get your letters to the editor in NOW about how the TPNW has changed the world!  Ideas, actions, talking points, graphics, join the campaigns, etc. available at https://www.icanw.org/take_action_now and https://warheadstowindmills.org/5-year-banniversary/    https://www.ippnw.org/

5. Tuesday, January 27^th at 8 am MT – Doomsday Clock Announcement by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. https://thebulletin.org/2026/01/join-us-for-the-2026-doomsday-clock-announcement/

Tags: 5 years – 5 reasons, ICAN, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, IPPNW, LANL, LANL FY 2026 total budget is $6 billion; LANL FY 2026 budget for nuclear weapons is $5 billion, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Nobel Peace Prize, Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty, Rio Arriba County and City, Santa Fe County and City, Taos County and Town, Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, West Alameda and Sandoval