UN / NPT DOUGLAS

Actor and UN Messenger of Peace Michael Douglas takes part in a panel discussion on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The world's top diplomats and experts are gathering here in New York this week to work on strengthening the NPT and global security. UNTV

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:50
• Production Date: 7 May 2009
• Asset Language: Original
• Subject Topical: DISARMAMENT; CULTURE; COMMUNICATIONS; MASS MEDIA; NUCLEAR SCIENCE
• MAMS Id: U090507d

Description

STORY: UN / NPT DOUGLAS
TRT: 1.50
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ NATS

DATELINE: 7 MAY 2009, NEW YORK CITY/ FILE

Shotlist

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior UN building

7 MAY 2009, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, dais
3. Wide shot, audience
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Douglas, UN Messenger of Peace:
“If we meet this challenge, all of your hard efforts will be passed on to the succeeding generations. I think it is time to rely on our most practical insights, our passion for peace and cooperation, to coordinate the efforts between the United Nations, governments and NGO groups, because you are the people tasked with making this happen.”
5. Med shot, audience
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Douglas, UN Messenger of Peace:
“I get the impression that in the last sixty years since the United Nations had begun dealing with these, that this is the time. And that we may possibly see, as slow as the momentum has been, there may be dramatic, dramatic steps taken and I think that we just have to be open to that and keep that energy alive.”
7. Zoom out, audience
SOUNDBITE (English) Jonathan Granoff, President of the Global Security Institute:
“By putting the nuclear weapons convention in the ground as a principle, we are addressing an anomaly in the international order that I think goes like this, and it’s easy to understand. If the biological weapons convention said polio and small pox are prohibited as weapons, but nine countries are permitted to use the plague as a legitimate weapon because they are so responsible, I think we would see how utterly foolish the regime is.”
8. Wide shot, audience

Storyline

Actor and UN Messenger of Peace Michael Douglas took part in a panel discussion today (7 May) on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), one of the events taking place in New York this week as the world’s top diplomats and experts gather to work on strengthening the NPT and global security.

Douglas said it is time to rely on “our passion for peace and cooperation” and stressed that it will require coordinated efforts “between the United Nations, governments and NGO groups” to end the threat of nuclear weapons within this generation.

The two-time Academy Award winner pointed to renewed momentum and said that we may soon see “dramatic steps taken” on nuclear weapons reduction.

The President of the Global Security Institute, Jonathan Granoff, said that if polio and small pox were prohibited as weapons under the biological weapons convention “but nine countries were permitted to use the plague as a weapon, we would see how utterly foolish the regime is.”

The panel discussion was co-sponsored by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs and the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs and also included presentations by UN High Representative Sergio Duarte, former Under-Secretary General Nobuyasu Abe and former Under-Secretary General Jayantha Dhanapala.