This page provides links to and downloads of documents and resources that have featured on the site but may well be either dated or less relevant.
In an effort to make available documents no longer suitable for the main area of the site we have set up this archive. Please be aware that items here are not reviewed and may well be incorrect and out of date. Please judge their validity for yourself.
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Nuclear: Remember Your Humanity - Message from Nobel Laureate Sir Joseph RotblatA Message from Professor Sir Joseph Rotblat, Nobel Peace Laureate, with Pugwash, 1995
An Appeal to Delegates to the Seventh Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, United Nations Headquarters, 2-27 May 2005, New York, USA 04/05/2005
Nuclear: Seventh Review Conference of NPT (2005) - DocumentsThe 2005 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was held from 2 to 27 May 2005 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. 04/05/2005
Impacts of War: Count the Casualties CampaignBy its own admission the UK government has made no effort to count how many Iraqis have died or been injured since the 2003 US/UK invasion. 11/03/2005
Nuclear: Declarations for a Nuclear-free WorldThe very existence of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the most widely supported disarmament treaty ever with 188 signatory States, is under threat as solemn promises made at the last NPT Review Conference in 2000 have not been kept. 14/02/2005
WMD: WMD Awareness ProgrammeThe WMD Awareness Programme was launched on September 24 in London by President Mikhail Gorbachev. 24/09/2004
Working Groups: How to get involvedIf you would like to join the VCH Group e-list for information on upcoming events and meetings please contact Jack Piachaud on m.piachaud@ic.ac.uk.
The Group meets every two months for two hours (usually on a Sunday morning) in the Medact Office near Old Street. There is often a presentation, always discussion. Recent topics have included dialogue with Iraqi psychiatrists, and education for peace.
For more information contact Jack Piachaud. 07/09/2004
Working Groups: Current activitiesThe Group's attention is currently focused on the Iraq war and more generally on the long-term psychosocial health impacts of war. Contact with the Balkans continues through co-operation with the Together network and consideration of the long-term consequences of the war on mental health.07/09/2004
Working Groups: Recent workMental Health in Iraq A Workshop on the role of UK based Mental Health Professionals. Held at the Royal College of Psychiatrist 17 Belgrave Square, London SW1, Wednesday 23rd June.07/09/2004
Impacts of War: Health impacts of war on IraqMedact's health monitoring project looking at the effects of the war in Iraq has been in operation since 2002. Its aim is to identify and highlight the profound impacts of the ongoing conflict on an already vulnerable population in a way that addresses this wide spectrum of influences on health and offers greater insight than a simple set of health indicators. 17/08/2004
Impacts of War: Reconstructing Afghan health systemBrief report on the April 10 Workshop of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Medact on Reconstruction of the Health system in Afghanistan - Capacity Building in Primary Care and Public Health.16/08/2004
Psychosocial: Denial Notes from the workshop on Saturday 29th Nov 2003Here are some notes on the workshop organised by the VCH group. We are very grateful for the three speakers, Naomi Richman, Abby Seltzer and John Steiner. The discussion was free ranging and very participative; thanks to all who took part.16/08/2004
Psychosocial: The World report on violence and healthThe World report on violence and health is the first comprehensive review of the problem of violence on a global scale what it is, whom it affects and what can be done about it. Three years in the making, the report benefited from the participation of over 160 experts from around the world, receiving both peer-review from scientists and contributions and comments from representatives of all the worlds regions.15/08/2004
Impacts of War: Learning from KosovoIt is well recognised that war and violent conflict have significant public health impact - not just on direct combatants, but on wider society. It is increasingly crucial to minimise this impact. An entire edition of the British Medical Journal was recently devoted to addressing the issue. One quote in particular summarises the vast scale of the problem:
Although each of the over 38 major conflicts that have occurred in this decade since the end of the cold war is unique, all share similar characteristics. Most blatant is that they represent catastrophic public health emergencies in which over 70% of the victims are civilians, primarily children and adolescents.
( Full Document is available to download) 14/08/2004
Nuclear: Spin-offs of the nuclear arms race - Missile DefenceStar Wars was a controversial scheme put forward by President Reagan back in the 1980s. It was continued by President Clinton as National Missile Defense, and re-introduced by the GW Bush administration as Ballistic Missile Defense. The US has spent more than $120 billion on developing a system which would in theory protect the country from missile attacks; the first interceptors have recently been installed at Fort Greeley in Alaska. 12/08/2004
WMD: Chemical Weapons (CWs)Chemical weapons first appeared in World War 1 (1914-1918) when commercial chemicals were used by both sides against enemy troops.
First users were the Germans who opened cans of chlorine gas when the wind was blowing in the right direction so that a huge cloud could drift towards the Allied troops. Then the French put phosgene gas into an ordinary shell and this became the common method of delivery. The British also began to use gas shells. In 1917 the Germans used the deadly chemical mustard gas.11/08/2004
Impacts of War: Mine action after OttawaThe Ottawa anti-personnel mine Treaty binds more than two-thirds of the world's States to ban the production, trade and use of anti-personnel mines, eliminate them from their stockpiles and clear them from their lands. 09/08/2004
