Why in news?
The ‘Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons” was adopted recently in the United Nations.
What is the treaty about?
- Nuclear weapons – unlike chemical weapons, biological weapons, landmines and cluster munitions – are not prohibited in a comprehensive and universal manner.
- Even the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) of 1968 and nuclear-weapon-free zone contains only partial prohibitions.
- This treaty is the first multilateral legally-binding instrument for nuclear disarmament.
- It prohibits a full range of nuclear-weapon related activities, such as undertaking to develop, test, produce, manufacture, acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.
- It also prohibits the use or threat of use of these weapons as well.
- It will serve as an "unambiguous political commitment" to achieve and maintain a nuclear-weapon-free world and act as a moral pressure.
- It was hoped that the new treaty will promote inclusive dialogue and renewed international cooperation aimed at achieving the long overdue objective of nuclear disarmament.
Who were the participants?
- 122 of the 124 nations that participated in the negotiations had voted in favour of the treaty.
- The treaty will enter into force 90 days after it has been ratified by at least 50 countries.
- The eight nuclear weapon states i.e US, Russia, Britain, China, France, India, Pakistan and North Korea along with Israel had not participated in the negotiations.
- Even Japan, the only country to have suffered nuclear attacks boycotted the conference.
What are stands of the boycotters?
- India maintained that it recognises the ‘Geneva-based Conference on Disarmament’-(CD) as the single multilateral disarmament negotiation forum & it is not convinced of the potential of the current treaty to address the disarmament issue.
- The Permanent Representatives of the US, UK and France are of the view that the treaty does not recognize the importance of nuclear deterrence.
- In the backdrop of the grave threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear programme, they feel that the treaty could ruin peace and stability.
Source: The Hindu
