The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons has today reached 50 ratifications, meaning that it will enter into legal force on 22 January 2021. Honduras confirmed ratification of the Treaty in New York today after Jamaica and Nauru joined on Friday
The Treaty was agreed by the United Nations in July 2017 after negotiations last several months. 122 states voted in favour of the Treaty at the final stage and since then many votes at the United Nations have confirmed the position of the international community in opposing nuclear weapons. The Treaty will ban nuclear weapons on the ground of their humanitarian consequences, in the same way that chemical and biological weapons have previously been banned.
This is a moment of great joy for all of us who have been working for this Treaty for so long. Christian CND is proud to have been part of this global movement through our partnership with the International Campaign for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). ICAN was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017 for its work on bringing the Treaty about.
Please join us as we thank God for the decision of Jamaica, Nauru and to join the Treaty and for those campaigners around the world who have been working to bring this moment about.
There will be much more work to do in the future, especially in calling on the UK to engage with the Treaty, along with the other nuclear-armed states, but for now we celebrate the Treaty and give thanks to God.
