The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear weapons (TPNW), which only entered into force on January 22 2021, after reaching 50 signatories and has since gained 92 signatories and 68 ratifications. In 2022 alone The last of these supporters was Djibouti who signed on January 9, 2023, following the strong support the treaty saw in 2022. This past year saw the First meeting of State Parties (1MSP) for the TPNW in Vienna, Austria, with 49 states participating and 34 state parties attending as observers, including Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands all three of which currently hold American Nuclear Weapons. The 1MSP successfully adopted the Vienna Declaration and a 50 point action plan with concrete plans on victim assistance, environmental remediation and international cooperation and assistance among many others. The momentum of this treaty has been fuelled by the widespread support seen across the world by governments and civil society and as the new year starts bringing us to the second anniversary of the TPNW on January 22nd we must carry that momentum forwards. With each new state that ratifies the treaty, we get closer to building a nuclear free world that is vital for the security of future generations. |
