Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty

Photo: Aude Catimel/ICAN

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

The tides are turning. On July 7, 2017, the U.N. adopted the first-ever treaty imposing a comprehensive prohibition against nuclear weapons.

Inspired by past efforts that led to bans on antipersonnel land mines and cluster bombs, the treaty reframes nuclear disarmament as a global health imperative and provides a vision for a nuclear weapons-free world.

With more than 120 nations in support of the treaty, it firmly places nuclear weapons states as pariahs in the international system. The nine nuclear-armed countries did not participate in negotiations and opposition to the ban can be confined to those states and those within their “umbrella”. It is worth noting no countries in South America or Africa opposed the treaty.

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) mobilized civil society across more than 100 countries to create the political momentum at the U.N. to achieve the treaty. ICAN won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for raising awareness on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons. PSR’s global affiliate, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), founded ICAN in 2007. PSR is a proud U.S.-partner of ICAN.

About the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty

On July 7, 2017, the U.N. adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which comprehensively prohibits nuclear weapons and related activities. The medical community’s advocacy and research helped civil society and the international community devise public health solutions to the threat of nuclear weapons.

Why is a ban on nuclear weapons necessary?

The 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty requires nuclear-armed countries party to the treaty to negotiate nuclear disarmament. However, all nine nuclear-armed countries are working to significantly upgrade and expand their nuclear arsenals. A twenty-first-century nuclear arms race obstructs progress toward disarmament and significantly increases the risks of a nuclear catastrophe.

Without the treaty, the nuclear-armed countries’ dangerous arms race has no end in sight.

How does the treaty work?

1. The TPNW fills the legal gap in international humanitarian law.

All other weapons of mass destruction, including biological and chemical weapons, cluster munitions, and landmines, have been sharply curtailed following a categorical ban introduced by the international community. Unlike the Non-Proliferation Treaty, the TPNW prohibits the possession of nuclear weapons and applies a universal standard to all countries.

2. The TPNW creates international norms that delegitimize nuclear weapons.

A comprehensive prohibition against nuclear weapons stigmatizes nuclear weapons as weapons of mass destruction that are inconceivable as tools of “security.” Once the norm against nuclear weapons becomes universalized, the TPNW will renew pressure on nuclear-armed countries by underscoring their existing disarmament obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

What’s included in the treaty?

Comprehensively bans nuclear weapons and related activities.
Bans any assistance with prohibited acts.
Creates a path for nuclear-armed countries to join the treaty and eliminate their weapons.
Creates verification mechanisms to ensure countries comply with the treaty. The treaty requires that the destruction of nuclear weapons and programs is verifiable, time-bound, transparent, and irreversible.
Requires victim and international assistance and environmental remediation.

How might the TPNW influence the nuclear-armed countries?

Ban, Stigmatize, Eliminate:

Outlawing nuclear weapons undercuts the political currents that sustain them. A ban creates international norms that stigmatize nuclear weapons. Further, the treaty fills existing legal gaps including expanding the scope of prohibited activities while applying a universal standard to all countries.

Read our resource, “Convincing nuclear-armed countries to take the path to total elimination of nuclear weapons” by Jeremy Cotton, to find out more

What is the current status of the treaty?

Featured Resource

Ban Treaty at a Glance

September 2017

Quick guide to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons approved by the U.N. on July 7, 2017.

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Photo: Clare Conboy/ICAN

By The Numbers

70

nations have ratified the nuclear weapons ban treaty

Ban Treaty Signatories

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons entered into force on January 22, 2021 after Honduras ratified the treaty, becoming the 50th nation to do so.

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0

nuclear states have ratified the nuclear weapons ban treaty

Nuclear-Armed Nations

Neither the U.S. nor any of the other 8 nuclear-armed states have supported the treaty. Activists in the U.S. are pushing for recognition.

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Photo: Clare Conboy/ICAN

Latest Ban Treaty News & Actions

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Member Perspectives on 3MSP in New York City

This blog post is intended to give you a sense of what citizen activism is achieving — the TPNW grew out of a proverbial ‘small group of dedicated people wanting to change the world,’ and now it is an official United Nations Treaty meeting in the UN Headquarters in New York City, working to abolish nuclear weapons!