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Historic negotiations will take place at the United Nations in 2017 on a treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons. This booklet explains the potential impact of the treaty, and how the negotiations have come about.

On 23 December 2016, the UN General Assembly adopted a historic resolution to convene negotiations in 2017 on a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons. The voting result was 113 nations in favour and 35 against, with 13 abstentions.

The United Nations General Assembly today approved a historic resolution to launch negotiations in 2017 on a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons. The vote follows a decision on 27 October by the General Assembly's First Committee – which deals with disarmament and international security matters – to begin work on the new treaty despite fervent opposition from some nuclear-armed nations.

Sign the petition to join the hibakusha in saying "never again" to nuclear weapons.

A breakdown of votes on resolution L.41 at the United Nations.

The United States warned other NATO members that efforts to negotiate a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons or to delegitimise nuclear deterrence "are fundamentally at odds with NATO's basic policies on deterrence".

Brussels/Strasbourg. European Union’s legislature takes clear stance on upcoming negotiations on international treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons: the EU’s Member States should “support the convening” and “participate substantively” in its negotiation. 

The United Nations' First Committee adopted a landmark resolution on 27 October to launch negotiations in 2017 on a treaty outlawing nuclear weapons. This historic decision heralds an end to two decades of paralysis in multilateral nuclear disarmament efforts.