Signatories

I detest the use of any weapon anywhere, big or small.  A nuclear weapon is the weapon of ultimate brute force and destruction. Weapons have not and they cannot ever conquer or crush peoples. Weapon mentality is immoral, unethical, addictive and only evil can come of it. Nonviolence is the only antidote against nuclear bomb. Nonviolent and peaceful resolutions require courage of a superior order. I have no doubt that some day soon every nation, particularly big nations, will shed their desire of exploitation of the weak lest the whole world is left with hunger and killings.

Ela Bhatt is the founder of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in India – a trade union benefiting the poor which now has more than 1,000,000 members. Bhatt was a Member of the Indian Parliament from 1986 to 1989, and subsequently a Member of the Indian Planning Commission. She has received honorary doctorates from Harvard, Yale, the University of Natal, and other academic institutions. She is a member of The Elders, a collection of world leaders working to address difficult global challenges.