Reaching Critical Will

Reaching Critical Will
Name	Reaching Critical Will
Formation	1998
Type	Non-governmental organization
Headquarters	New York City
Leader title	Director
Leader name	Beatrice Fihn
Parent organization	Women's International League for Peace and Freedom

Reaching Critical Will is an advocacy project focused on nuclear disarmament, arms control, and humanitarian law. Founded in 1998 as a project of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, it engages in policy monitoring, research, and campaigning within multilateral venues such as the United Nations, the Conference on Disarmament, and the Non-Proliferation Treaty review process. The project collaborates with NGOs, civil society networks, and coalitions including International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Abolition 2000.

History

Reaching Critical Will emerged during a period of intensified activity around the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review cycles and the post-Cold War debates over START Treaty implementation, Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty verification, and International Court of Justice opinions on nuclear weapons. Its early years coincided with campaigns led by groups such as Physicians for Social Responsibility, Institute for Science and International Security, and Federation of American Scientists. Key moments in its development include engagement with the Article VI obligations debates, participation in PrepCom meetings for the NPT Review Conference, and responses to events like the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster and renewed military tensions involving Russian Federation, United States, and North Korea. Directors and coordinators have included activists and scholars connected to networks such as Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Security Studies Program, and International Committee of the Red Cross dialogues.

Mission and Objectives

Reaching Critical Will's stated mission centers on promoting nuclear disarmament, strengthening arms control treaties, and advancing humanitarian approaches to armed violence. It frames objectives in relation to instruments and forums including the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the Chemical Weapons Convention, and the Biological Weapons Convention. The organization prioritizes transparency at venues like the United Nations General Assembly, the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, and the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. It seeks to influence states such as United States Department of State actors, delegations from France, China, India, and Pakistan, and regional blocs including the European Union and the African Union.

Activities and Campaigns

Reaching Critical Will conducts a range of activities: monitoring multilateral negotiations at the UN Conference on Disarmament, producing briefings for Permanent Missions to the United Nations, organizing side events at the UN Human Rights Council, and coordinating coalitions around instruments like the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Campaigns have addressed issues related to nuclear testing tracked against historical events such as the Tsar Bomba test and verification regimes tied to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization. It partners with organizations including International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Greenpeace, and Oxfam on thematic campaigns covering humanitarian consequences, legal prohibitions, and disarmament education. Reaching Critical Will has been present in diplomatic settings during negotiations over treaties involving Iran (in contexts relating to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), sanctions discussions tied to the United Nations Security Council, and regional security dialogues in forums like the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Organizational Structure

As a project of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Reaching Critical Will operates with a small core team supported by volunteers, interns, and associated researchers drawn from institutions such as King's College London, Harvard Kennedy School, and Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Leadership roles have included directors, program coordinators, and communications officers who liaise with coalitions like International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons and networks including Abolition 2000. Funding sources have historically included grants from philanthropic entities involved in disarmament work, partnerships with foundations active in human rights such as Ford Foundation and Open Society Foundations, and in-kind support from partner NGOs. Governance integrates reporting to the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom board and coordination with regional chapters in places including Geneva, New York City, and Vienna.

Publications and Resources

Reaching Critical Will publishes research briefs, legal analyses, daily reports during diplomatic sessions, and resource toolkits for activists and delegations. Notable outputs include monitoring reports for NPT Review Conferences, analytical pieces on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons negotiations, and compilations of state positions referenced against decisions from bodies like the International Court of Justice and resolutions from the United Nations General Assembly. The project draws on scholarship from authors affiliated with Chatham House, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and International Crisis Group, and disseminates materials to stakeholders including representatives to the Conference on Disarmament and members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Impact and Criticism

Reaching Critical Will has contributed to transparency in multilateral disarmament processes, supported normative shifts toward prohibition exemplified by the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and aided civil society coordination seen in campaigns like the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Nobel Peace Prize-linked advocacy. Critics from state actors and some policy institutes such as RAND Corporation and Center for Strategic and International Studies argue its approach emphasizes normative legal frameworks over deterrence-based security perspectives favored by parties like NATO members and Russian Federation officials. Other critiques address resource constraints compared with government delegations to venues such as the United Nations Conference on Disarmament and the challenge of influencing states with strategic doctrines tied to arsenals referenced in publications by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Category:Non-governmental organizations