War and conflict are major causes of human suffering. They also cause environmental degradation, perpetuate inequalities and undermine democracy. Nuclear bombs and other indiscriminate weapons of mass destruction are incompatible with the public health aims of safety and health protection.
But a vast complex of standing armies, militias, weapons manufacturers, arms traders and politicians promote war, violence and militarism out of self-interest and greed, or because they fail to see better alternatives for resolving conflict and disputes.
Health professionals have a long history of: providing humanitarian relief; facilitating ceasefires and the cessation of conflict; promoting disarmament and peacebuilding; and providing impartial evidence on the perpetration of war crimes.
Medact grew out of the medical peace movement and is the UK affiliate of the Nobel Laureate International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW).
Medact continues to promote disarmament and encourage investment in nonviolent responses to conflict; seek the abolition of nuclear weapons; and reduce the power and influence of the global military-industrial complex. It promotes the universal right to health as a platform for peace building and more effective international diplomacy and cooperation.
Latest
The UK Government must stand up for the rights of Sudanese protesters and healthcare workers
A letter from UK health workers calling on Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt to put pressure on Sudan’s President Bashir to end the violent crackdown on peaceful protesters and the targeting of healthcare workers.
Stop Funding the End of the World – Don’t Bank on the Bomb
Don’t Bank on the Bomb Scotland introduces their new toolkit, giving some tips for actions we can take to urge our elected representatives, institutions and banks to divest from nuclear weapons.
Medact Tyneside – Planning the year ahead
2019 is a pivotal year for the Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). This Treaty was agreed by the UN in July 2017 and so far has been signed by 69 states and ratified by 19. The British government must be encouraged to sign the Treaty, and in November 2018, the...
British Psychological Society divests from gas, oil and coal
The British Psychological Society is divesting from fossil fuels! It joins a growing number of health organisations that are cutting ties with gas, oil and coal. Dr Deirdre Duff reports on their divestment decision.
The risks of US abrogation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty on the centenary of WW1
On the centenary of the end of the most devastating humanitarian catastrophe the world had hitherto ever seen, in which at least 20 million people were killed and over 21 million wounded, Medact’s Nuclear Weapons Group warn of the risk of a humanitarian catastrophe on an even greater scale.