Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty reaches threshold for Entry into Force

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) has been ratified by 50 countries, and will now enter into force on 22nd January 2021, 90 days after its 50th ratification was lodged at the United Nations. The Treaty was negotiated in 2017 with the backing of 122 countries, following a UN motion proposed by Ireland and 5 other states calling for talks on a new legal instrument to outlaw nuclear weapons.  

For the first time under international law, the treaty explicitly bans the use, development, testing, production, acquisition, possession, stockpiling, transferring, receiving, threat of  use and deployment of nuclear weapons. It also prohibits the provision of assistance to others to do any of these banned actions and provides a pathway to disarmament for states which possess nuclear weapons. 

Ireland ratified the TPNW on 6th August 2020, the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and has already transposed its provisions into Irish law in the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Act (2019). 

Welcoming the news that the Treaty has reached the threshold for entry into force, Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament chairperson, Dr David Hutchinson Edgar said: "This is a momentous step on the road to a world free of nuclear weapons. There is now an irrefutable international norm against nuclear weapons. While that will not bring about disarmament overnight, it clearly de-legitimises their development and possession. 

"Nuclear weapons are the most deadly, devastating and indiscriminate weapons ever developed. It is high time, 75 years after they were first used, that they were consigned to history forever. They are a prime example of the misapplication of scientific technology. The money and effort which has gone into their development and maintenance should now be diverted to tackling the other man-made existential crises facing the planet in the form of the climate crisis and biodiversity loss." 

Irish CND pays tribute to the tireless work of many campaigners, especially the hibakusha who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, many of whom have dedicated their lives - often despite serious health impacts from the bombing - to working to ensure that no future generation would have to endure the horrors they suffered. 

The work of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN - Nobel Peace Prize 2017), of which Irish CND is a partner organisation, deserves particular praise, in facilitating the development of a focussed global network of campaigners, working together towards the clear goal of the abolition of nuclear weapons. ICAN’s Executive Director Beatrice Fihn welcomed the historic moment. “This is a new chapter for nuclear disarmament. Decades of activism have achieved what many said was impossible: nuclear weapons are banned," she said.

ICAN Executive Director Beatrice Fihn and Setsuko Thurlow, who survived the Hiroshima bomb as a child, accept the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize.

Irish CND commends the Irish government for its international leadership in the negotiation of the TPNW and the process leading to its entry into force. It is very much to be welcomed that all shades of Irish political opinion have put their support firmly behind the TPNW, and have emphasised its importance in providing the framework for disarmament which the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) lacks. 

Irish CND wholeheartedly endorses the words of Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney, who stated*: "The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons offers us a path to nuclear disarmament by finally putting in place a workable legal framework for the total elimination of nuclear weapons. The Treaty is fully complementary with the NPT. The TPNW strengthens and reinforces the NPT and reaffirms it as the cornerstone of the disarmament and non-proliferation regime. It is a facilitator, not an impediment to progress. As recognised in the NPT, TPNW and throughout the discussions on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons, the only true guarantee against the horrors of nuclear war is the total elimination of nuclear weapons."

*Speech by Minister Simon Coveney, to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, 25th February 2019. 

Hiroshima remembered as Ireland ratifies nuclear weapons ban treaty

On the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, Ireland formally ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, depositing its instrument of ratification at the United Nations in New York. 

The news of Ireland's ratification of the treaty was welcomed at the annual commemoration for all those affected by the testing and use of atomic bombs, held in Merrion Square, Dublin, at the memorial cherry tree planted by Irish CND in 1980. 

Lord Mayor of Dublin Hazel Chu speaking at the Hiroshima commemoration 

Lord Mayor of Dublin Hazel Chu laid flowers at the cherry tree, stating: "As Lord Mayor of Ireland’s capital city, I warmly welcome Irish ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. It is my hope that this brings us one step closer to the day when no city will ever again face the threat of the horrific destruction by nuclear weapons inflicted on Hiroshima 75 years ago." Lord Mayor Chu praised the work of the Disarmament Section of the Department of Foreign Affairs for their efforts in bringing Irish ratification to completion. 

In his speech, Irish CND president, Canon Patrick Comerford, also welcomed the news of Irish ratification of the treaty. Japanese Ambassador Mitsuru Kitano evoked the plea of the hibakusha that the burden they have borne for 75 years should never again be inflicted on anyone, and noted Irish ratification of the TPNW as evidence of Ireland's long-term commitment to nuclear disarmament. 

Irish traditional musicians contributed several pieces, combining lament with hope.

Ireland was one of a group of six states which proposed the negotiation of a new international treaty explicitly outlawing nuclear weapons in 2016. Their motion was passed by a large majority of the UN General Assembly. Following two negotiating sessions in 2017, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was approved, again by a large majority, with Ireland playing a key role in the successful negotiations.  

The importance of a Treaty outlawing nuclear weapons was recognised by the award of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (of which Irish CND is a partner organisation), which joined forces with like-minded states, including Ireland, to campaign for the Treaty. 

The Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Act, signed into law by President Higgins in December 2019, transposed the provisions of the TPNW into Irish law in advance of formal ratification. 

Ireland's ratification, together with those of Nigeria and Niue, bring the total number of ratifications to date to 43. It is widely expected that the Treaty will enter into force by the end of 2020, when it has been ratified by 50 states. 

For the first time, it will be explicitly contrary to international law to "develop, test, produce, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices." The Treaty also contains provisions on providing assistance for victims and on environmental remediation, and explicitly recognises the disproportionate impact of nuclear weapons on women and children.