Why Parliamentarians?

"The parliaments of the world are the bridges between government and civil society. They provide the funds to pay for national initiatives. Through their deliberations, they help to shape policy, and through their investigative and oversight powers they build public accountability. They provide a bulwark to ensure that governments comply with their international commitments and pledges — a role that at times requires the enactment of domestic legislation. These functions are absolutely vital to the future of nuclear disarmament. They help to give disarmament not only vision, but also some backbone, muscle, and teeth."

—UN Under-Secretary-General Jayantha Dhanapala, British House of Commons, July 3, 2000

Saving the Non-Proliferation Treaty: The Role of Parliamentarians

By Hon. Douglas Roche , O.C. Canada

Prepared for the international forum:

Parliamentarians, Nuclear Non-Proliferation

and Nuclear Weapon Free Zones.

Wellington , New Zealand . December, 2004