The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) today condemned North Korea’s rocket launch, saying it should be a “wake-up call” for the urgent need for progress on global disarmament initiatives.

Kate Hudson, General Secretary of CND, stated that the launch was “a stark reminder that failure to make concrete progress in nuclear arms reductions only encourages further proliferation.”

“This provocative rocket launch does nothing for the prospects of a peaceful and denuclearised Korean peninsula and must be condemned,” said Hudson. “At the same time, states which are not only maintaining but modernising their nuclear arsenals must recognise the role these weapons systems play in global instability and proliferation.”

“Today’s news must serve as a wake-up call that the status quo is unsustainable and insecure: renewed efforts towards nuclear stockpile reductions and the goal of global nuclear disarmament, as required by the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), are essential if we are to avoid further proliferation.”