Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

On 22nd January 2021, the Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons came into effect. It has been signed by 86 countries and ratified by 51 including New Zealand, Austria and Bangladesh.

The treaty was adopted in July 2017 in the hopes of accelerating the disarmament movement.

For the signatories, nuclear weapons are illegal under international law. The ban prohibits the countries from producing, testing, acquiring, possessing or stockpiling nuclear weapons. It also outlaws the transfer of the weapons and forbids signatories from allowing any nuclear explosive device to be stationed, installed or deployed in their territory.

Nations that signed the treaty cite "the catastrophic humanitarian consequences that would result from any use of nuclear weapons," including by accident or miscalculation, saying those effects would transcend international borders. Detonating a nuclear weapon, the signatories say, would "pose grave implications for human survival, the environment, socioeconomic development, the global economy, food security and the health of current and future generations, and have a disproportionate impact on women and girls, including as a result of ionizing radiation."

The treaty, however, is largely symbolic. The US and other nuclear powers have not signed the treaty and are therefore not bound by it. 35 countries including India and Pakistan did not attend the negotiations.

by Swarnim Agrahari

The Corporate Law Journal29 January 2021Comment