The Road to the Commonwealth Games Passes Through #Nuclearban Territory

#Nuclearban - Practically a Commonwealth Project?
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It's a fact that is difficult to ignore: practically every one of the Commonwealth countries is a supporter of the UN effort to negotiated a global ban on nuclear weapons.

(Notable exceptions are the UK, Australia, and Canada.)

This means that, as the Queen's Baton Relay criss-crosses the world between now and 2018 when the Commonwealth Games are held in Australia, it passes through country after country after country that supports the nuclear ban.

Africa stage of Commonwealth Games relay - passing through #nuclearban
supporter countries like Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Seychelles, Mauritius,
Malawi, Zambia, Namibia, Botwana, Swaziland, Lesotho, and South Africa.
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(You can see the full details of the relay here. And compare them with the #nuclearban supporter countries here.)

So I have a modest proposal: as each country hosts the Queen's Baton, let's take a moment to lift up the efforts of that country to support the nuclear ban.

Thank you #SIERRA LEONE.
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Thank you #GHANA.
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Thank you #RWANDA.
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Thank you #UGANDA.
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Thank you #CAMEROON.
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Thank you #NIGERIA.
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Thank you #KENYA.
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Thank you #TANZANIA.
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Thank you #SEYCHELLES.
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Thank you #MAURITIUS.
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Thank you #MALAWI.
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Thank you #ZAMBIA.
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Thank you #NAMIBIA.
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Thank you #BOTSWANA.
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Thank you #MOZAMBIQUE.
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Thank you #SWAZILAND.
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Thank you #LESOTHO.
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Thank you #SOUTHAFRICA.
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By mid-May, the Commonwealth Games relay continues on to the Caribbean. We just passed the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Tlatelolco, creating a nuclear weapons-free zone throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, so it is very fresh in my mind that that is also #nuclearban territory:

Caribbean stage of Commonwealth Games relay - passing through #nuclearban
supporter countries like Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, St. Vincent and
the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Barbados, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda,
St. Kitts and Nevis, Jamaica, Bahamas, Belize, and Guyana.
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(Again: you can see the full details of the relay here. And compare them with the #nuclearban supporter countries here.)

Thank you #TRINIDADandTOBAGO.
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Thank you #GRENADA.
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Thank you #SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES.
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Thank you #SAINT LUCIA.
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Thank you #BARBADOS.
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Thank you #DOMINICA.
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Thank you #ANTIGUAandBARBUDA.
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Thank you #SAINTKITTSandNEVIS.
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Thank you #JAMAICA.
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Thank you #BAHAMAS.
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Thank you #BELIZE.
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Thank you #GUYANA.
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In August and September, the relay continues through the UK, and visits two #nuclearban-supporting countries in the region: Malta and Cyprus.

Thank you #MALTA.
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Thank you #CYPRUS.
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The relay continues on through Pakistan and India to Southeast Asia . . .

SE Asia stage of Commonwealth Games relay - passing through #nuclearban
supporter countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore.
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(Again: you can see the full details of the relay here. And compare them with the #nuclearban supporter countries here.)

Thank you #BANGLADESH.
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Thank you #SRILANKA.
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Thank you #MALAYSIA.
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Thank you #BRUNEI.
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Thank you #SINGAPORE.
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The relay continues in the Pacific Island nations . . .

Pacific Island stage of Commonwealth Games relay - passing through
#nuclearban supporter countries like Nauru, Kiribati, Tonga, Fiji,
Samoa, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
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(Again: you can see the full details of the relay here. And compare them with the #nuclearban supporter countries here.)

Thank you #KIRIBATI.
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Thank you #TONGA.
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Thank you #FIJI.
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Thank you #SAMOA.
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Thank you #TUVALU.
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Thank you #PAPUANEWGUINEA.
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Thank you #SOLOMONISLANDS.
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Thank you #VANUATU.
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The next to last stop is nuclear ban negotiation co-sponsor New Zealand.

Thank you #NEWZEALAND.
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Read more about the work of New Zealand and neighboring countries to elimate nuclear weapons here: Why People Want a Pacific (and World) Free of Nuclear Weapons.


The relay concludes in Australia.

(See even more memes of nuclear ban supporters here: 133 Is a Lot of #Nuclearban-Supporting Countries.)

As each country hosts the Queen's Baton, let's take a moment to lift up the efforts of that country to support the nuclear ban.


MORE:

A Peace-building Commonwealth Wants to Ban Nuclear Weapons


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