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Cesar Jaramillo

Executive Director of Project Ploughshares

Cesar Jaramillo is executive director at Project Ploughshares, an operating division of the Canadian Council of Churches, based in Waterloo, ON. His areas of expertise include nuclear disarmament, outer space security and conventional weapons control. As an international civil society representative, Cesar has addressed, among others, the UN General Assembly First Committee (Disarmament and International Security), the UN Conference on Disarmament, the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), and states parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). He has also given guest lectures and presentations at academic institutions such as the National Law University in New Delhi, the China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing, and the University of Toronto. An occasional columnist on matters of disarmament and international security, Cesar graduated from the University of Waterloo with an MA in global governance and has bachelor’s degrees in honours political science and in journalism. Prior to joining Project Ploughshares, Cesar held a fellowship at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI).
We Need To Ban Nuclear Weapons (In Spite Of ASSOCIATED PRESS

We Need To Ban Nuclear Weapons (In Spite Of Canada)

While every other category of weapons of mass destruction has been specifically prohibited under international law, nuclear weapons -- by far the most destructive of them all -- remarkably still have not. What is needed is a global legal ban on nuclear weapons, with specific provisions for the elimination of existing arsenals and a timeline for verified implementation.
09/22/2016 07:45 EDT
The Big, Fat Saudi-Arms-Deal Chris Wattie / Reuters

The Big, Fat Saudi-Arms-Deal Spin

According to Prime Minister Trudeau, proceeding with the multi-billion dollar arms deal with human rights violator Saudi Arabia is "a matter of principle." When have we heard this before? Ah yes, the previous government. Global Affairs Canada has released a statement explaining its rationale for authorizing the deal, ostensibly in response to the widespread backlash and barrage of questions in the wake of revelations that export permits for the deal were only authorized in early April.
04/18/2016 04:43 EDT
Here's An Entirely Legitimate Exit Strategy On The Saudi Arms Darryl Dyck/CP

Here's An Entirely Legitimate Exit Strategy On The Saudi Arms Deal

Questions about the dubious eligibility of Saudi Arabia as a recipient of Canadian-made military equipment have been raised for over two years. Yet two successive governments have failed to address the most basic question: how can the authorization of this deal be consistent with the human-rights safeguards of Canadian export controls?
03/07/2016 05:01 EST
Trudeau's Handling Of The Saudi Arms Deal Will Define His Ruskpp via Getty Images

Trudeau's Handling Of The Saudi Arms Deal Will Define His Legacy

No line taken by the government in this matter will please everyone. Perhaps it will plough through with the deal and weather the heat from critics, no matter how persistent. Alternatively, if it decides to open the books on the Saudi deal, and the contract is altered, suspended or cancelled, there will be complaints from those concerned for the economy. The Saudi arms deal presents the new government with an admittedly complex policy challenge. But challenges can result in opportunity.
01/28/2016 03:58 EST
Saudi Arms Deal Will Shape Canada's Bruce MacRae/Flickr

Saudi Arms Deal Will Shape Canada's Character

On the same week that Ottawa condemned the most recent human rights violation in Saudi Arabia, it confirmed that Canada was set to proceed with plans to arm the perpetrator. Every indication is that the $15-billion deal, which the Canadian Government brokered on behalf of General Dynamics Land Systems of London, Ontario to provide Saudi Arabia with Light Armoured Vehicles, will go ahead. But can this largest-ever Canadian military exports contract comply with the human rights safeguards of Canadian exports control policies?
01/13/2016 05:53 EST
Nuclear Weapons Are Unacceptable In The Hands Of Any Henrik Jonsson via Getty Images

Nuclear Weapons Are Unacceptable In The Hands Of Any Nation

North Korea's recent nuclear-weapons test constitutes provocative, destabilizing activity for the region and the globe and demands strong condemnation from the international community. Every effort must be made to keep North Korea's nuclear ambitions in check. But too often outside policymakers and observers seem to overlook the simple fact that the current standoff is in part a result of an unsustainable nuclear-weapons regime that perpetuates a double standard between states that have nuclear weapons and those that do not.
01/07/2016 03:32 EST
Saudi Arabia Doesn't Measure Up to Canada's Rights alexskopje via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia Doesn't Measure Up to Canada's Rights Recommendations

Less than two months before Ottawa announced a $14.8-billion military export contract with Saudi Arabia Canada provided substantial input concerning the Saudi human rights situation at the United Nations Human Rights Council. And while progress has been utterly lacking in relation to every single recommendation made by Canada, it is now all but certain that the deal with the autocratic Kingdom will proceed.
10/08/2015 06:04 EDT