Tuesday March 3, 13:00-14:30 / Room 2, Swiss Parliament, Bern
Hosted by Fabien Fivaz MP and Laurence Fehlmann Rielle MP
Open for parliamentarians and invited guests
Light refreshments (sandwiches and drinks) will be served from 12:40
Guest speakers:
- Margareta Kiener Nellen Member of the Swiss Parliament, 2003-2019. Former Head of Switzerland's Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
- Dr Beppe Savary-Borioli MDPresident, Swiss Physicians for Social Responsibility/International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War
- Alyn Ware Director, Basel Peace Office. Global Coordinator, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament. (Alyn will speak in English)
- Representative of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (tbc)
Outline:
On January 27, 2026, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists set the hands of the Doomsday Clock to 85 Seconds to Midnight, indicating how close humanity is coming to a civilizational catastrophe from climate change, nuclear war, biological threats, misuse of AI or a global war triggered by rising authoritarianism, militarism and acts of aggression.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has elevated the risk of nuclear war in Europe and has strengthened adherence to nuclear deterrence by NATO countries to prevent further aggression from Russia. This situation, as well as acts and threats of aggression involving nuclear-armed States in other regions, is putting additional strains on nuclear arms control and disarmament processes and treaties – including the START Treaty which expires February 2026, and the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty which will have its 5-yearly review conference in April-May 2026.
Diplomatic and legal approaches to addressing aggression, building common security and the rule of law, and resolving international disputes peacefully, are important to reduce nuclear risks, diminish reliance on nuclear deterrence, and achieve regional and global nuclear disarmament.
This event will explore opportunities to advance these approaches through the 2026 NPT Review Conference, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Inter-Parliamentary Union, United Nations, International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court.
Of note and inspiration for the event is that 2026 is the 125th anniversary of the first Nobel Peace Prize, which was jointly awarded to Henri Dunant (Switzerland) for founding the International Committee of the Red Cross and to Frédéric Passy (France) for co-founding the Inter-Parliamentary Union and for being instrumental in the establishment of the first international tribunal - the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The vision and leadership of these Nobel Laureates can help inspire us today.
Event cosponsors:
Basel Peace Office, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament, Swiss Physicians for Social Responsibility/IPPNW Switzerland and Youth Fusion.
RSVP to Alyn Ware