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.
