On the final day of International Development Week, we are looking at what is described as the most destructive and inhumane weapon to exist: nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons have the power to completely destroy entire cities, killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people in an instant. But they don’t stop there. Nuclear weapons not only have catastrophic short-term effects, but also long-term effects on people and the environment. 

The short-term effects of a nuclear weapon completely destroys any development in the targeted city. Almost all of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) would be negatively impacted or even impossible with the detonation of a nuclear bomb. A singular nuclear weapon can destroy thousands of homes, hospitals, schools, roads, water facilities, grocery stores, and more. A concerning point to keep in mind is that the only nuclear bombs to be used in war time, the ones detonated over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, had a kiloton (kt) force of 15 kt and 20 kt respectively. A modern nuclear weapon can have a kiloton force of at least 100, and up to 300 kilotons, and there are approximately 13,000 of these weapons in the world right now. 

Any sustainable development goal that relates to individual or community health is instantly destroyed, or set back decades. If a community or city no longer exists, or more than half of its population has been killed and infrastructure destroyed, goals such as good health and well-being and quality education are doomed for that area. 

The immediate effects of nuclear attack would affect the following SDGs: No Poverty (SDG #1), Zero Hunger (SDG #2), Good Health and Well-Being (SDG #3), Quality Education (SDG #4), Gender Equality (SDG #5), Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG #6), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG #7) , Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG #8), Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (SDG #9), Reduced Inequalities (SDG #10), Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG #11), Life on Land (SDG #15), and Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (SDG #16). All of these goals relate to building a stronger community through infrastructure and planning as well as the protection of people and the environment. A nuclear blast would either instantly destroy the infrastructure needed to deliver these goals, and/or kill the people who the goals are meant to be achieved for. 

The connection between the destruction of an entire city and sustainable development is now clear, so we are going to look at how nuclear weapons harm the environment which in turn affects sustainable development. Nuclear bombs are radioactive and toxic to people, animals, and the environment. Mining uranium, testing the weapons, and dumping the waste all harm the environment before the weapon is even used. Contamination from nuclear weapons facilities, tests, and in Hiroshima and Nagasaki lasts decades. That is decades of unsafe water, unfarmable land, incurable cancer, and unimaginable harm long after the initial blast. 

This of course affects sustainable development as land and water is unusable for decades without risk of radiation. Scientists also predict that if even a small-scale regional nuclear war were to take place, the environmental effects would lead to a world-wide famine in which up to 2 billion people could die. The smoke and dust from the blasts would change the climate and lower crop yields by 90%. This threatens multiple SDGs, most notably Zero Hunger (SDG #2) and Good Health and Well-Being (SDG #3). 

We can’t let this happen. Weapons today are even more destructive than the enormous blasts that killed and injured hundreds of thousands of innocent people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Even though none have been used in combat since 1945, over two thousand more nuclear weapons have been tested. We need to listen to survivors of these attacks and tests and ban these inhumane weapons. Nuclear weapons can destroy sustainable development in an instant, and we can’t let that happen. 

A bomb goes off downtown in your city. Several hundred people are killed or injured, homes destroyed, transit systems down, roadways blocked, and grocery stores blown up in an instant. Rebuilding can’t happen as fast, and it could take years to have downtown be a space that supports the thousands of civilians, like you, who call it home. 

On Day 4 of International Development Week, we are examining how explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA) cause immense damage to civilian populations. In addition to the immediate death and injury these weapons cause, EWIPA causes severe damage to critical civilian infrastructure which can bring the economy to a halt and reverse progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Let’s dig into how the use of explosive weapons in populated areas negatively impacts the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

EWIPA affects goals that require working infrastructure to make possible. This includes Zero Hunger (SDG #2), Quality Education (SDG #4), Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG #6), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG #7), Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG #8), Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (SDG #9), and Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG #11). These SDGs all require working facilities; for example, to have clean water you need a water treatment facility, to have a quality education you need a school, and to have zero hunger you need access to grocery stores and markets. If these SDGs are all negatively impacted, Zero Poverty (SDG #1) and Good Health and Wellbeing (SDG #3) are inevitably impacted as well. Civilians can’t live free of poverty, in good health and happiness when they can’t access basic necessities after experiencing the psychological trauma of warfare. These are just some examples of how destroying civilian infrastructure creates barriers towards sustainable development. 

In 2022, 83 States endorsed a political declaration on explosive weapons in populated areas, vowing to  “implement, and, where necessary, review, develop or improve national policy and practice with regard to the protection of civilians during armed conflict involving the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.” This was an amazing step in the right direction, towards protecting civilians and their ability for development. This momentum needs to continue- the political declaration was only a commitment, and now States need to follow through with the commitments they have made by changing policy and practice. 

This political declaration can help all the previously mentioned SDGs be achieved, as well as Gender Equality (SDG #5), Reduced Inequalities (SDG #10), and Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (SDG #16). The EWIPA declaration is a rights-based, humanitarian centred approach where countries such as Canada can adhere to as part of their Feminist Foreign Policy which advances gender equality. When civilian infrastructures are damaged, inequalities are exacerbated as some people are unable to flee the area. Finally, there is no peace when weapons are being dropped indiscriminately and killing civilians. Too often, there is no justice either and militaries are left unaccountable. 

Not using explosive weapons in areas heavily populated by civilians helps protect or advance 12 out of the 17 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. If your country hasn’t signed the political declaration, urge them to do so without delay. If your country has signed the political declaration, keep the pressure on them to follow-through with the commitment. Using explosive weapons in populated areas has explosive consequences for development. Let’s choose to protect civilians and work towards sustainable development!

As our Mine Action Fellows stated at the Convention on Cluster Munitions MSP last year, “There is no place for cluster munitions in the future we are building.” International development is about sustainably building a better future for the world. On Day 3 of International Development Week, we will look at how this future can’t exist with explosive ordnance such as cluster munitions blocking progress. 

Cluster munitions become de facto landmines because 5-30% of them fail to detonate upon landing. We know how landmines stall sustainable development- when land is contaminated, many development activities cannot take place at all or happen unsafely. In 2021, there were 149 cluster munitions casualties which brings the total number to 23,082 casualties officially recorded by the Cluster Munition Monitor. If we want sustainable cities and communities (SDG #11), clearance needs to happen first. We cannot develop when children are being injured by landmines when they are trying to go to school. We cannot develop when farmland is being avoided because of suspected contamination. We cannot develop when clinics are hard to reach because contamination is surrounding the facility. Clearance comes first. Once the land has been cleared, then we can build schools, hospitals, markets, and clean energy facilities. 

Clearance is a legal obligation under the Convention on Cluster Munitions. States who have joined this Convention commit to clearing cluster munitions as soon as possible, but no later than 10 years after their entry. Two states completed clearance before joining, 5 states completed clearance after joining, and ten states submitted extension requests. Donor states need to contribute more to help affected states clear their land. Affected states need to make a firm commitment to clearing the land they are legally obligated to clear.

Only once clearance is completed will other UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) be achieved. Let’s take a close look at the goals clearing explosive ordnance will help achieve:

• SDG #1/ No Poverty: Clearance can open routes to sources of revenue (eg. farmland, access to another city) which will reduce poverty. 
• SDG #2/ Zero Hunger: Clearance will make land available for farming again which will reduce hunger.
• SDG #3/ Good Health and Well-Being: Clearance will ensure no future casualties and help with the well-being of communities who no longer have to worry about contamination. 
• SDG #4/ Quality Education: Clearance can give access to schools. 
• SDG #5/ Gender Equality: Clearance can help ease the gender inequalities seen in casualties. Further, many mine action organizations employ women on clearance teams which contributes to development even after clearance is complete because women have gained valuable work experience and skills which can help them prosper in new roles. 
• SDG #6/ Clean Water and Sanitation: Clearance can give access to clean water.
• SDG #7/ Affordable and Clean Energy: Clearance can give access to land where clean energy projects can take place. 
• SDG #8/ Decent Work and Economic Growth: Clearance can give community members decent work, and once clearance is completed economic growth can improve because all land will be safely accessible. 
• SDG #9/ Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: Clearance can give access to land to safely build new infrastructure, or access to existing infrastructure that was previously contaminated.
• SDG #10/ Reduced Inequalities: Clearance will reduce inequalities between affected communities and non-affected communities. Likewise if we think about another pillar of mine action for a moment, victim assistance, we see that will reduce inequalities between survivors/victims and the general population.
• SDG #11/ Sustainable Cities and Communities: Clearance is a step towards building a sustainable city or community because the more land that is accessible and safe, the more a community can do for themselves. 
• SDG #16/ Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions: Clearance can help bring peace to a community. 

Clearing explosive ordnance opens a safe path to development and reaching the UN SDGs without clearance is not possible. Clearance is step one, development is step two. 

On Day Two of International Development Week, let’s change it up and look at a weapon that is deceitfully futuristic. Autonomous weapons or killer robots aren’t here yet, but their threat to sustainable development is. Killer robots pose a serious threat to countries and individuals around the world, many of whom will not develop the technology to combat these weapons. You may think the impact of autonomous weapons will not be felt unless they are used, but you might be surprised to know that is not the case. UN Sustainable Development Goal #10 is reduced inequalities; the development of autonomous weapons will only increase existing inequalities as well as create new ones. 

Scientists see the potential for robots and AI to help with sustainable development, but if autonomous weapons are created then many people will lose trust in AI which could otherwise be used for helpful purposes. We aren’t advocating for the end of artificial intelligence and robots - we are saying there is a clear line of what robots should and shouldn’t be able to do, and killing people has crossed that line. Technology is helpful, and can help the world in many different ways including by furthering the Sustainable Development Goals. If people lose trust in this technology because they are also being killed by it, we lose a chance to advance development. 

Further, the amount that governments spend on military equipment is already exorbitant. Add killer robots to the arsenal, and the costs are going to be astronomical. In 2022, Canadian Department of National Defense announced 8 billion dollars of military spending over the next 5 years. We don’t want to see this number increase to pay for autonomous weapons when this money can be better spent investing in sustainable development goals. The SDGs have a real and direct impact on people’s lives, including Canadians and especially Indigenous populations in Canada. Developing autonomous weapons would be a distraction from good work that can be done to improve the lives and livelihoods of people across Canada, and the world. Let’s invest our money in improving lives and meeting development goals, and not creating a dangerous weapon. 

Finally, one of the main concerns Stop Killer Robots has with autonomous weapons is the discrimination that will be built into the artificial intelligence system, also known as “algorithmic biases”.  Although artificial intelligence has the ability to act on its own, it has still been programmed and created by humans. Humans have biases, and without a diverse team that takes into account differences, biases are inevitable. There are concerns from the disability community that AI wouldn’t be able to detect their movements correctly and view them as a threat. There are concerns from racialized communities that AI would recognize their darker skin colour as a threat. This is already happening - AI that is being used right now (eg. motion sensors and photo labeling) often do not recognize darker skin. If AI that is already being used on a mass-scale has biases, it’s unlikely that autonomous weapons will be developed without any biases. This brings us to Sustainable Development Goal #10, which strives to have reduced inequalities. If killer robots are programmed to be more likely to target a disabled or darker-skinned person, this will only bring existing inequalities to a new and deadly level thus impeding sustainable development. From an international security perspective, autonomous weapons will increase inequalities between states who have the weapon and states who do not. 

Canada, we shouldn’t let killer robots target sustainable development. Let’s push for a treaty banning autonomous weapon systems!

It’s International Development Week, and we want to share how indiscriminate weapons negatively impact the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

On Day One, we’re looking at how landmines can completely stop development and affect 12 out of the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs). When thinking about landmine contamination, it is important to think about the area of land suspected to be contaminated, and not how many landmines have actually been laid. Think about your backyard for example: If you thought there was even one landmine there, you would avoid that area - even if there were actually zero landmines, or ten. So, when a community has an area of land that is suspected of contamination, safe development activities cannot happen on that land as it should be avoided. The contamination could be on farmland (SDG #1, Zero poverty & #2, Zero Hunger), at a clinic (SDG #3, Good health and well-being), near a school (SDG #4 Quality Education) or water well (SDG #6, Clean water and sanitation) - wherever there is landmine contamination there are lethal barriers to development. 

If land is suspected to be contaminated, or is confirmed contaminated, these important activities cannot take place safely. This means that development is stalled as children are unable to walk to school or families are unable to farm their land. This leads to poverty, hunger, poor health, not receiving a quality education or being unable to access clean water. Of course, people need to eat, access healthcare, go to school, and drink water. Since clearance takes decades, people in affected communities are often left with no choice but to either displace or stay put and go about these daily activities, risking their lives. This risk is not sustainable, as many people lose their lives or limbs in the process. This is clearly not peaceful and too often no one is held accountable for the civilian harm caused (SDG #16, Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions). People experience this risk in different ways, as men, women, boys, and girls have different activities that they perform which either makes them higher or lower risk for an incident (SDG #5, Gender Equality). For example, in many communities it is the men who farm the land which puts them at higher risk for contamination on farmland. Being forced to take these risks, or being unable to and therefore stopped from daily activities increases inequalities (SDG #10, Reduced Inequalities).

When people are risking their lives for daily necessities such as farming, it is easily seen how SDG goals of affordable and clean energy (SDG #7), decent work and economic growth (SDG #8), industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG #9), and sustainable cities and communities (SDG #11) are extremely difficult to achieve. When landmines are contaminating large areas of land, it is impossible to build new infrastructure and invest in clean energy to create sustainable cities without clearing the landmines first. 

Landmines stop progress towards sustainable development, this much is clear. Later this week we will talk about the importance of clearance and how this will help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Clearance is step one, development is step two.