MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th October, 2020) The required 50 states have ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), and it will now enter into force in January, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) has announced.
"The UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons just reached 50 ratifications. On 22 January 2021, the ban on nuclear weapons will come into force. The #nuclearban is here," ICAN said on Twitter.
According to ICAN, Honduras was the 50th country to ratify the treaty.
Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson of the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, welcomed the ratification on Saturday.
"The entry-into-force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is the culmination of a worldwide movement to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons. It represents a meaningful commitment towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons, which remains the highest disarmament priority of the United Nations," Dujarric said.
According to the spokesperson, the Secretary-General is looking forward to carrying out the functions assigned to him by the Treaty.
"The Secretary-General commends the States that have ratified the Treaty and salutes the work of civil society, which has been instrumental in facilitating the negotiation and ratification of the Treaty," Dujarric said on Saturday.
Earlier this week, US media reported that officials in the United States had sent a letter to countries that had ratified the TPNW, urging them to withdraw their support. In the letter, US officials said their position was supported by Russia, China, the UK, and France, as well as NATO member states.
The TPNW prohibits the development, testing, production, stockpiling, use, transfer, and threat of nuclear weapons. The treaty was passed by the UN back in July 2017.
