WCC News: Nuclear victims of Marshall Islands remembered in Geneva

The legacy of the 67 known nuclear weapons tests in the Marshall Islands between 1946 and 1958 caused long-lasting impacts to the environment and health of the population, and this year, the devastating tests were acknowledged and lamented at a ceremony in Geneva. Exhibition honouring the victims and survivors of nuclear testing done in 1950s in Marshall Islands, hosted at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva by the World Council of Churches and the Permanent Mission of the Marshall Islands in Geneva on 8 March 2024. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 11 March 2026 Ambassador of the Republic of the Marshall Islands H.E. Doreen de Brum delivered a speech about the poignant moment of reflection and sacred space for remembrance. “We remember a time when our islands—once a place of peace, abundance, and ancestral belonging—became the testing ground for weapons of unimaginable destruction,” said de Brum. “Many lives were irreversibly shattered by decisions that were made far beyond our shores, and even further beyond our control, imposed upon us by global political forces and the drive to test the destructive power of nuclear weapons.” De Brum called for people to continue to build on each other's knowledge and experiences. “We are committed to equipping the next generation to carry this truth and responsibility forward with understanding and confidence, so that one day meaningful and lasting redress is realized,” she said.  This year, the Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Marshall Islands in Geneva, together with the Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation, co-hosted the commemoration. A lived reality  Jennifer Philpot-Nissen, World Council of Churches (WCC) programme executive for Human Rights and Disarmament, spoke at the National Nuclear Victims Remembrance Day for the Republic of the Marshall Islands held on 6 March at Geneva’s Maison de la Paix, co-sponsored by the WCC. “Through visits, consultations, and listening to survivors and their descendants, one message has become unmistakably clear: the nuclear legacy is not history—it is lived reality,” said Philpot-Nissen. “Over the last year, we have spoken particularly to our constituents and others who are members of the Marshallese diaspora living in the US. Many of these told us that they trace their migration directly to the impacts of nuclear testing, compounded by climate change and limited opportunities at home.” This year’s commemoration is significant as the world approaches 80 years since the US nuclear weapons testing programme began in the Marshall Islands, on 1 July 1946, Philpot-Nissen explained. Participants of the National Nuclear Victims Remembrance Day for the Republic of the Marshall Islands held on 6 March at Maison de la Paix, Geneva, Switzerland. Photo: Peter Kenny/WCC The nuclear tests continue to challenge the right to life, right to health, right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, among other rights, for the Marshallese. In 2026, 1 March was the 72nd anniversary of the Castle Bravo Test, the largest nuclear weapon ever detonated by the United States, causing catastrophic human rights and humanitarian consequences for the Marshallese people. US immigration enforcement  “Changes in immigration enforcement have caused some Marshallese families—many of whom have lived in the United States for decades—to worry about deportation over minor infractions,” said Philpot-Nissen. “Some community members have even expressed fear of simply taking a morning walk. And yet, amid these challenges, there are also powerful stories of solidarity.” The theme of the 2026 event was “Añin Jitbon Mar – Spiritual Calling from our Islands.” Philpot-Nissen explained that church communities have walked alongside the Marshall Islanders in practical and spiritual ways, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, congregations provided financial assistance for food, rent, and medical bills. Churches opened their buildings so Marshallese congregations could worship and preserve their spiritual traditions. Declassification of records        Still, she insisted, “There must be recognition of and truth about the full harm done to the people, lands, and waters of the Marshall Islands, through full declassification of records.” The 2026 theme for the ceremony is inspired by the recognition that the Marshallese experience with nuclear weapons is an atrocity to humanity and calls for a universal response. Philpot-Nissen said the Marshallese people are appealing to the global community’s conscience to acknowledge, address, and seek justice for the lasting human rights violations caused by the nuclear legacy. Ignacio Packer, executive director of Caux Initiatives of Change said, “Between 1946 and 1958, 67 nuclear weapons were detonated in the Marshall Islands. “For many of us, those numbers belong to history books. For the Marshallese people, they belong to family stories — to illness, to lands that could never be returned to, and to a relationship with the ocean and the land that was deeply disrupted,” said Packer. “Today, we listened to those voices. And they were not speaking only about the past. They were warning the world.” The Marshall Islands is an island country in Oceania, and its official population in 2021 was 42,418. WCC member churches in the Marshall Islands WCC's work on the Arms control and disarmament See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa.  Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland