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Today (Oct. 29), at the United Nations in New York, Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) launch the Nuclear Weapons Ban Monitor 2018, the first report of a newly established watchdog for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). The report tracks the progress of the historic nuclear ban treaty, adopted at the UN in 2017, and monitors progress on compliance with the TPNW.
Today, we’re launching the first Nuclear Weapons Ban Monitor, tracking progress towards the entry into force, universalization and implementation of the #nuclearban. Follow @BanMonitor for updates from this new research project. Find the full report on: https://t.co/Di39kdwuye pic.twitter.com/bnC12WvRjR
— NPA disarmament (@NPAdisarm) October 29, 2018
Main take-away: the world supports the Nuclear Ban Treaty
The report shows unprecedented support for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which is well on its way to entering into legal force. 157 states have either taken steps to join the treaty (signed, ratified or acceded) or voted for its adoption back in July 2017. In fact, the treaty is being ratified at a record pace for a treaty banning weapons of mass destruction. Grethe Østern, Editor of the Nuclear Weapons Ban Monitor said: “Nuclear-armed states and some of their allies are trying to prevent the ban treaty from becoming international law. But the ban treaty is well on its way to entering into force [...] We believe the ban treaty will enter into force by the end of 2019.”
Did you know that the rate of adherence to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is faster than for any other treaty regulating weapons of mass destruction (chemical, biological + #CTBT & #NPT)? Find out more on: https://t.co/i7L1GA7zG6 #nuclearban pic.twitter.com/Lfb6ZrySjN
— Nuclear Weapons Ban Monitor (@BanMonitor) October 29, 2018
Beatrice Fihn, Executive Director of ICAN, added: “The remarkable success of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons over the past year shows the vast majority of nations support an end to these weapons of mass destruction. We cannot rely on the whims of a few erratic and insecure leaders but must look to international consensus and international law to achieve the goals of non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament.”
Time for European states to step up
The Ban Monitor also evaluates the extent to which the policies and practices of all states comply with the core obligations in the TPNW. A key purpose of the report is to highlight specific activities that will need to be discontinued if the UN is to achieve its goal of creating a world without nuclear weapons. As a result, the report draws attention to the behaviour of the “hidden nuclear-weapon states”: 31 states that support the use of nuclear weapons on their behalf, of which 5 host nuclear weapons on their soil, and some are home to companies developing nuclear weapons or nuclear weapons parts. In Europe, the only continent where a majority of governments does not support the Treaty, 30 have policies that contravene the TPNW. By supporting the TPNW they could shift the security order away from nuclear weapons and apply incredible pressure on the nuclear-armed states to disarm.
More information about the state of compliance can be found in chapter 4 of the Ban Monitor, and in the individual state profiles in chapter 6.
About the Ban Monitor
The Ban Monitor is managed by Norwegian People’s Aid with contributions to the will be updated regularly. For more information, please visit: http://banmonitor.org/about, and for any comments, clarifications or corrections please contact [email protected]