NTI Board of Directors Endorses Vision and Steps Outlined in Shultz, Perry, Kissinger, Nunn Op-Ed Calling for “A World Free of Nuclear Weapons”

NTI Board of Directors Endorses Vision and Steps Outlined in Shultz, Perry, Kissinger, Nunn Op-Ed Calling for “A World Free of Nuclear Weapons”

The Board of Directors of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) has endorsed the vision and the steps outlined in the op-ed that George Shultz, Bill Perry, Henry Kissinger and Sam Nunn published in the Wall Street Journal on January 4, 2007.

In the op-ed, the authors said that a “solid consensus” is needed “for reversing reliance on nuclear weapons globally as a vital contribution to preventing their proliferation into potentially dangerous hands, and ultimately ending them as a threat to the world.” They combined the vision of nuclear-free world with practical steps for beginning work in that direction. The authors believe that without the bold vision, the actions will not be perceived as fair or urgent, and that without the actions, the vision will not be perceived as realistic or possible.

The Board unanimously agreed that NTI would adopt, as a major focus of its work, both the vision and the steps outlined in the op-ed, while continuing its direct action work to reduce the dangers of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

“The overall content in the article is consistent with NTI’s mission,” said former Senator Sam Nunn, co-chairman of NTI. “I believe that the new emphasis to NTI’s work derived from the Wall Street Journal opinion piece will be an important complement and give new energy to NTI’s work to reduce nuclear dangers.”

“The vision of working toward a world without nuclear weapons is enshrined in the Nonproliferation Treaty, and the steps identified in the article are initiatives that NTI has been actively discussing and advocating for some time,” said Philanthropist Ted Turner, co-chairman of NTI. “It is my sincere hope that all nations will work together to build a safer, fairer world — free from nuclear weapons.”

NTI’s mission statement, since its inception in January of 2001, is: “To strengthen global security by reducing the risk of use and preventing the spread of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction and to work to build the trust, transparency and security which are preconditions to the ultimate fulfillment of the Nonproliferation Treaty’s goals and ambitions.”

NTI’s model for action is to use a combination of direct action projects in conjunction with its voice to catalyze greater action by governments and others. NTI will continue its work on these important direct action projects and will remain open to new projects as opportunities for significant action arise.

About NTI
NTI is a charitable organization dedicated to reducing the threats from nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. The Initiative is governed by an international board of directors with members from China, France, India, Japan, Jordan, Pakistan, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. It is a place where leaders with different perspectives and experience come together to find common ground and act on a common vision of global security.

NTI’s goal is to reduce toward zero the chance that any nuclear, biological, or chemical weapon will ever be used anywhere, either by intent or accident.

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