Campaigners welcome UN treaty banning nuclear weapons

History was made on Saturday when a treaty making nuclear weapons illegal was finally ratified at the Unites Nations. The UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) opened for signature three years ago. The treaty needed 50 countries to ratify it before it before it could come into force. On Saturday night that milestone was reached.

The terms of the TPNW only apply to the countries that have signed and ratified the agreement. And although the nine nuclear-armed states currently state they will not support it, the treaty is a significant pointer towards changing international attitudes to nuclear weapons. Previous treaties prohibiting chemical and biological weapons helped to stigmatise them in the minds of the public. This is now taking place with nuclear weapons.

Pax Christi said: "This historic agreement will no doubt generate international momentum towards global nuclear abolition. The treaty is a breakthrough in international disarmament efforts and will be of enormous support in achieving the goal that most of the world shares: that there is no place for these weapons of mass destruction."

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) will now officially enter into force on January 22nd after 50 countries ratified the agreement, with a further 84 signing.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said "The only way to completely eliminate nuclear risk is to completely eliminate nuclear weapons. I look forward to the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons."

Bruce Kent, vice president of CND said: "This is very good news. It makes it illegal for the countries that have signed to transport, develop, help test, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons."

"It also changes the tone of the debate. Why should a few countries go on with an indiscriminate weapon system which is illegal for most of the world?

"It is a tribute to the hard work of so many over decades. It is also a tribute to Pope Francis who has greatly helped to change the nature of the debate. For instance on 10 November 2017, he said '.. the threat of their use, as well as their very possession, is to be firmly condemned.'"

Pax Christi International said: "The treaty brings the force of international law to nuclear disarmament efforts. More than 80 countries have shown moral leadership through early signings and ratifications, and we urge remaining UN Member States to follow in their lead.

"The new treaty reinforces legal, diplomatic, and financial pressure in addition to public advocacy for the total eradication of nuclear weapons.

"Nuclear devices are weapons of mass destruction, with radiation disproportionately affecting women and girls. Indigenous people are especially vulnerable as their lands are exploited for resource extraction and testing in the development of nuclear technologies.

"The UN treaty obliges parties to help with victim assistance and environmental remediation, within and beyond their own jurisdictions. An estimated 200,000 people died as a direct result of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with many survivors-hibakusha-still struggling with discrimination, trauma, and extensive health problems.

"Pax Christi International and through members in all regions will continue to advocate for further signatures, ratifications, and full implementation of this treaty. Our work will continue with church leaders, governments, and at the United Nations. As the Catholic peace movement, we look especially to the Vatican for leadership, encouraged by Pope Francis' words, "The common destiny of humankind demands a world without nuclear weapons."

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is the first legally binding international agreement to comprehensively prohibit nuclear weapons. There are nine nuclear-armed states in the world, none of which have signed the treaty. It was adopted at the United Nations on 7 July 2017.

LINKS

Full text of the treaty: www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/tpnw/

ICAN website: www.icanw.org/the_treaty

CND: https://cnduk.org/

Pax Christi England and Wales: https://paxchristi.org.uk/

Pax Christi International: https://paxchristi.net/