Themes

PAX discerns overarching themes that are relevant in more than one region and that are often linked to national, regional and international developments. Consistency required us to develop a thematic policy. Within each theme we distinguish various theories and we rely on our own research and practical experience when we participate in public political debates related to these themes. PAX is especially concerned with the following themes

Humanitarian Disarmament

Some weapons don’t differentiate between civilians and soldiers, and lead to innocent victims decades after the conflict has ended. This is why PAX wants to bring an end to controversial weapons such as cluster bombs, nuclear weapons and killer robots. PAX works toward a form of disarmament called `humanitarian disarmament`: the focus is on the human suffering caused by these weapons. PAX is guided in this by International Humanitarian Law (IHL).  PAX is striving for humanitarian disarmament by working on better regulation and/or the prohibition of certain weapons, in particular weapons which by their nature, or through incorrect, use cannot differentiate between civilians and military personnel. This includes nuclear weapons, as well as cluster munitions, anti-personnel mines, depleted uranium or the use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas. PAX is also targeting new weapons technology, such as the rising use of armed drones or the fully autonomous weapons currently under development, the so-called `killer robots'. 

From development to trade

PAX targets the entire chain of conflict: from the development of new weapons, the investments by financial institutions in the production of such weapons, through the arms trade and the use of these weapons in conflicts. PAX does this through research, public campaigns and national and international lobbying. We demonstrate the effect of using particular weapons on civilians with the aid of research. We then use the research as the basis for lobbying campaigns, in order to persuade policymakers to improve the protection of civilians and to regulate or ban certain weapons. PAX also campaigns for strict interpretation and implementation of existing treaties such as the Arms Trade Treaty and the Convention on Cluster Munitions. 

International coalitions

Since we believe in the power of international networks, we carry out a large proportion of our work within international coalitions. You can find further information on the pages of the individual weapons programmes. 

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