Nuclear Prohibition Treaty

On 17 July 2017 the General Assembly of the United Nations imposed a total ban on - The threat or use of nuclear weapons The development and testing of nuclear weapons The storing and stationing of nuclear weapons overseas The Treaty offers a pathway for nuclear states to join in due course, and to destroy their nuclear weapons. 122 nations - all non-nuclear - voted for the treaty. One (the Netherlands, which hosts US weapons) voted against. One (Singapore) abstained. The conference was boycotted by all nine nuclear-armed nations and by all NATO member-states except the Netherlands.

Achievements of the Nuclear Prohibition Treaty -

• It challenges nuclear states to observe the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which requires them to pursue disarmament
• It highlights the medical, environmental, humanitarian and moral case against nuclear weapons
• It undermines policies of nuclear deterrence
• It places nuclear weapons in the same category as chemical and biological weapons, and land-mines and cluster-bombs
• It encourages civil society campaigns against nuclear weapons, especially through ICAN

• Nuclear states are not bound by any treaty they have not signed
• The Treaty was adopted by the UN General Assembly, but only the Security Council can authorise enforcement; all the Permanent Members of the Security Council have nuclear weapons - and the power of veto!
• The status of the Treaty under International Law is questionable,and indeed the authority of "international law" is itself open to dispute.