Five more states have signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) at a special ceremony as part of the UN General Assembly, taking place in New York. Two further states that had previously signed have completed the ratification process.
The number of states to have signed the Treaty now stands at 91 after Barbados, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Haiti and Sierra Leone joined. The ratification by Dominican Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo takes the number of states formally joining the Treaty to 68.
There were many speeches from world leaders at the UN General Assembly, including from UK Prime Minister Liz Truss, condemning Russian threats to use nuclear weapons. By signing at ratifying the Treaty these states have taken firm action towards their elimination.
Earlier this year states gathered in Vienna to discuss the progress of the Treaty, as well as the next steps, for the first time. Amongst the states that joined the meeting were NATO members Norway, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands alongside Australia. unfortunately all of the nuclear-armed states chose to stay away.
Please join us as we thank God for these states and their leaders for their courage in joining the Ban Treaty and commitment to nuclear disarmament and peace. We also continue to pray that other states, including the UK, would engage with the Treaty.
