“” Critical disarmament instruments are eroded”Said Izumi nakamitsuHigh representative of disarmament affairs, who spoke on behalf of the UN chief at the opening of the Third meeting of States Parties At Treaty on the ban on nuclear weaponswhich takes place at the UN headquarters in New York from March 3 to 7.
She remained concerned about the fact that current unpredictable situations can exacerbate the fear of the public and increase belief in “false story” according to which nuclear weapons are “the ultimate supplier of security”.
Cause of hope
However, there are reasons for hope in the face of this difficult perspective, said the head of the United Nations disarmament.
On the one hand, there is a growing global recognition of the devastating impact of these weapons, she said, pointing the historic pact of the concentration of the future on a world without nuclear weapons and the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024 awarded to a Japanese non-governmental organization Nihon Hidankyowhich aims to carry out total elimination.
More hope comes from growing membership in the nuclear weapons treaty, the continuation of a broad commitment with civil society and its new scientific network whose experts provide information based on evidence, said Nakamitsu.
To date, 73 states have ratified or accessed the treaty and 94 have signed it.
Disarmament Week in 2011 honored the testimony and activism of Japanese atomic bomb survivors. (deposit)
Step to the world without nuclear weapons
This week, governments, international organizations and civil society meet at the third meeting of the States, with a program to prepare for the first conference for examination of the treaty and the next phase of the existence of the Convention.
Discussions and debates will focus on thematic issues, especially Risks for the humanity of nuclear conflicts and its devastating humanitarian consequencesSafety problems, victims assistance and environmental correction.
Delegates should also adopt a political declaration before the end of the meeting on Friday.
Signature ceremony for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons at the UN Headquarters in New York on September 20, 2017 (file)
What is in the treaty?
The legally binding treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons is the first multilateral nuclear disarmament convention to negotiate in more than two decades During its adoption on July 7, 2017 and entered into force on January 22, 2021.
At the time, the UN chief called him “An important step towards the objective of a world without nuclear weapons and a strong demonstration of support for multilateral approaches to nuclear disarmament».
The treaty contains a full set of prohibitions to participate in any activity related to nuclear weapons. This includes companies not to develop, test, produce, acquire, own, store, use or threaten to use nuclear weapons.
This also prohibits the deployment of nuclear weapons on the national territory as well as the provision of assistance to any state in the conduct of prohibited activities and obliges the states parties to help individuals under their jurisdiction affected by the use or tests of nuclear weapons as well as to take environmental remedy measures in areas under their nuclear weapons.
Read the full treaty on the ban on nuclear weapons here.
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First published in this link of The European Times.
