All you need to know about the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

04/09/2017
1:36 pm
News

On 7 July 2017, 122 States voted to adopt the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The treaty will open for signature at UN Headquarters in New York on 20 Sep 2017. Here are the answers for the most common questions on the nuclear ban treaty.

How does the treaty enter into force?

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons opened for signatures on 20th September 2017. More than 50 countries signed it on the same date. The treaty will enter into international law as soon as 50 countries ratify it. If you want to follow the signature & ratification status please visit this page. Further nations can join at any stage. The treaty is legally binding on those nations that join it.

Who voted what?

There are 193 sovereign states that are members of the UN

135 countries formally participated in the negotiation & more participated informally

122 nations (2/3 of the total UN membership) voted in favour of adoption.

1 abstain – Singapore

1 against – Netherlands

Most countries had great contributions, but states like Austria, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, New Zealand and Ireland were particularly keen to get this treaty.

Nuclear weapons states, including UK, refused to participate in the the process & made efforts to block it. US was writing to its NATO allies in an unclassified briefing calling them to vote against starting negotiations for a treaty and describing how the treaty could limit and impact on their nuclear military doctrines and capability.

What is prohibited?

Developing, testing, producing, manufacturing, transferring, possessing, stockpiling, using or threatening to use nuclear weapons.
Assisting, encouraging or inducing anyone to engage in any of these activities.
Station or deployment of nuclear weapons on their territory.

How abut the obligations?

Providing adequate assistance to all victims of the use and testing of nuclear weapons, including medical care, rehabilitation, psychological support, social and economic inclusion, recognising the disproportionate impact on women and girls.

Taking measures towards the remediation of environments contaminated as a result of activities related to the use and testing of nuclear weapons.

How would it work?

It will stigmatise and change the moral atmosphere around NW, placing them firmly in the category of illegitimate WMD
It will compliment the Non Proliferation Treaty, particularly the obligation to disarm
It will make it easier for member states which are not nuclear-armed to work for a nuclear-free alliance.
It will impose practical difficulties on nuclear-armed states

Nuclear armed stated would not:

– be able to obtain materials such as Uranium from states signed up to the treaty

– not be able to transport nuclear weapons related material through their territory;

Weapons that have already been outlawed have lost their political status and, along with it, the resources to produce them. Recently, Textron, an US arms manufacturer stopped producing cluster munitions following the introduction of a ban treaty, even though the US was not signed up to it.
The treaty also distinctly prohibits any type of assistance that might be provided towards nuclear weapons possession, development or manufacture. This will affect investment policies in multilateral companies, including banks in Scotland (eg. RBS).

Can nuclear states join?

Yes, they can join after they disarm or before, so long as they have a plan agreed by all parties to remove and eliminate their entire nuclear arsenals.

How about states in a military alliance?

They can also join, so long as their participation does not involve giving any support to nuclear weapons..

How about Scotland?

General public as well as our Scottish Government and Parliament are in favour of the ban treaty. However, as Scotland is not a sovereign state we had to be represented by UK who disregarded our position.

The Peace Movement in Scotland mobilised and sent 7 representatives to New York. We were one of the largest civil society delegations and we were complimented for our consistency and unity. In addition, Bill Kidd MSP attended the discussions in his role as Co-President of the Parlamentarians for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (PNND). He handed in a letter of support from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Our group was involved in many aspects of the international campaign while keeping the focus on the core purpose of highlighting Scotland’s supportive position of this treaty.

Moreover, many campaigners and supporters based in Scotland did their upmost to raise awareness of the talks, inform the general public, organise solidarity events and support the ban treaty process.

What next?

Organise a talk. We were there at the United Nations in New York and we would love to come and tell you more about the nuclear ban treaty.
Write and tell the UK Prime Minister to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Send ICAN’S parliamentary pledge for the TPNW to your own MP and to your constituency MSP and all your 7 list MSPs. Highlight Scotland’s position in your letters or emails http://www.icanw.org/projects/pledge/
Read the Treaty Text. Scottish ICAN Partners will have hard copies to pick up soon, along with a new campaigners’ leaflet which will be distributed to any interested groups.
Use the TPNW to re-frame your discussions about nuclear disarmament.
Help us stop the #NukesofHazard convoys from taking Trident warheads on public roads. See www.nukesofhazard.co.ukfor more information and see nukewatch.org.ukfor the new report “Unready Scotland”.
Check out TPNW opportunities in Scotland through partner organisations,Scottish CND, UN House, Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre and Medact.
Join the Scotttish Nuclear Ban Forum (groups and individuals from all over Scotland working on the ban will come together two times a year to discuss, share and strategise – more details to come)

If you want to read more about the ban visit www.nuclearban.scot or nuclearban.org

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) has been awarded the 2017 Peace Nobel Prize for “for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons”.

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All you need to know about the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

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