A heartfelt thank you to all of you who made 2011 a remarkable year for Global Zero. Thank you signatories, students, staff and supporters for your work and commitment to creating a world without nuclear weapons. And now, here’s the 2011 Global Zero highlight reel:

APRIL

The GZ|DC Convention at The George Washington University brought together hundreds of exceptional students and young professionals for three days on the anniversary of the 2010 signing of the START Treaty and President Obama’s 2009 Prague speech calling for a world without nuclear weapons. Attendees participated in intensive leadership trainings and strategized on building the Global Zero movement with eminent leaders and experts, including US Under Secretary of State Ellen Tauscher, Special Advisory to the President Gary Samore, CNN political analyst David Gergen, and many others.

JUNE

The Global Zero Cut Nukes Campaign kicked off in June with an endorsement from the Financial Times (registration required) and The Economist. The message was clear: while budgets for education, public safety and health care are slashed, politicians spend billions each year on nukes. Our Cut Nukes petition called on leaders to cut nukes, not the things that matter most.
 
In the lead up to the Global Zero Summit, student leaders met in London for the GZ Student Institute where they learned how to bring the Global Zero movement to their own university campuses:

The Global Zero Student Institute in London from Global Zero on Vimeo.

 World leaders, student activists and others gathered at the Global Zero Summit in London in June where the media shone a bright light on the growing international movement to eliminate nuclear weapons. Here, Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan discusses nuclear spending with CNN:

JULY

The GZ Institute in Washington, DC provided another venue for policy discussions with distinguished signatories and campaign training for enthusiastic students and interns.

The support people showed for Global Zero’s call to cut nukes at the Pitchfork Music Festival encouraged student leader, Ellie Cooper. “Clearly, cutting nuclear weapons spending appeals to a wide variety of ages, professions, and localities. I hope G-20 leaders are as motivated by peoples’ passion as we are!” Read her blog post.

AUGUST

In August we launched the Student Petition Challenge. Students around the world competed to collect the most Cut Nukes petition signatures. With great prizes on offer, we were delighted to see so many students get their game on.

OCTOBER

Global Zero moms spoke out in support of the Cut Nukes campaign. Oscar-nominated actress Naomi Watts and former CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson made this PSA asking our leaders to cut nukes first. Valerie and Naomi are both mothers and active supporters of Global Zero. They want to make sure that children across the nation have access to the best education – and that they live in the safest possible world.
  

Naomi Watts and Valerie Plame Wilson say, “Cut nukes!” from Global Zero on Vimeo.

The GZ Institute in Los Angeles set the scene for the Global Zero Summit at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on the 25th anniversary of the historic Reykjavik Summit, when Presidents Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev nearly agreed to eliminate all nuclear weapons.

A hundred eminent international leaders participated in the event, including former US Secretaries of State George Shultz and James Baker and business leaders Sir Richard Branson and Jeff Skoll, who spoke on a panel on the cost of nuclear weapons.

In late October, The New York Times endorsed Global Zero’s plan to reduce the US nuclear arsenal in the editorial, The Bloated Nuclear Weapons Budget.
 

 With a new year ahead of us, we take inspiration from your support in 2011. Thank you for being part of the movement to achieve a world without nuclear weapons.