Citizenship issues

Joseph Rotblat and global citizenship
Author: Peter Campbell

www.pugwash.org

Joseph Rotblat worked on developing the atomic bomb, but then spent most of his long life speaking out against it. Following his death in August, a memorial event to honour his life was held at The Royal Society on 9 December 2005. People from all over the world gathered to remember and pay tribute to a remarkable man.

After leaving the Manhattan Project which was developing the atomic bomb in 1944, Jo sought to educate the public about the dangers of nuclear proliferation. Pugwash, the organisation he founded, seeks to reduce the danger of armed conflict and to find cooperative solutions for global problems. In recent years Jo advocated not only an end to nuclear weapons, but also an end to war itself. But he could not be dismissed as a cockeyed optimist. In person and in writing, he was persuasive because he came across as a realist.

I had the privilege of meeting him in February 2002 when working with the Wellcome Trust. I organised of a one-day conference for some 400 teachers, about citizenship education through science. And Jo agreed to speak. A physically fragile man in his mid-90s, he mounted the stage at Central Hall Westminster mid-afternoon. The audience collectively gasped when he almost lost his footing. Jo then gave a moving speech that stirred everyone in the Hall. A standing ovation went on and on. No curriculum materials were needed.

Teachers left knowing that they must carry back to their students the message of global citizenship and responsibility.

See the Pugwash website (link above) for more about Joseph Rotblat's work on global citizenship.

Comment