In 2017, following a decade of advocacy by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) and its partners, 122 nations voted to adopt a landmark treaty to outlaw the world’s worst weapons, known as the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). It entered into force in 2021.

Before that point, nuclear weapons were the only weapons of mass destruction not subject to a comprehensive, globally applicable ban. Thus, the new treaty filled a major gap in international law.

It was born out of deep concern at the growing threat that nuclear weapons pose to human survival, the environment, socio-economic development, the global economy, food security, and the health and welfare of current and future generations.

It is not only the first multilateral treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons outright, but also the first to establish frameworks for verifiably eliminating nuclear weapons and for assisting victims of their use and testing.

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Ukweli: Kufikia sasa, mataifa 74 yameidhinisha na kuuridhia Mkataba wa Kupiga Marufuku Silaha za Nyuklia, huku mataifa mengine 25 yakisaini. Zaidi yanapaswa kufuata mwongozo wao.

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Though no nuclear-armed nation has joined the TPNW to date, it remains an indispensable tool for strengthening the global taboo against the use of nuclear weapons and spurring long-overdue action for disarmament.

History has shown that the prohibition of certain types of weapons facilitates progress towards their elimination. Weapons that have been outlawed are increasingly seen as illegitimate, losing their political status and, along with it, the resources for their production.