Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)

Why in news?

• The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), or Nuke ban treaty, came into force on 22 January 2021.

About TPNW:

• The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), or the Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty, is the first legally binding international agreement to comprehensively prohibit nuclear weapons, with the goal of leading towards their total elimination.
• It was passed on 7 July 2017 by UN General Assembly.
• No nuclear-armed nation has signed the ban treaty. This includes  including India, Pakistan, North Korea, China and Israel.
• It was adopted on 7 July 2017, opened for signature on 20 September 2017, and entered into force on 22 January 2021.
• For those nations that are party to it, the treaty prohibits the development, testing, production, stockpiling, stationing, transfer, use and threat of use of nuclear weapons, as well as assistance and encouragement to the prohibited activities.
• For nuclear armed states joining the treaty, it provides for a time-bound framework for negotiations leading to the verified and irreversible elimination of its nuclear weapons programme.
• As of 22 January 2021, 86 states have signed the Treaty and 52 states have ratified or acceded to it.
• India did not participate in the negotiations on the TPNW and has consistently made it clear that it will not become a party to the Treaty.

ICAN:

• The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons is a global civil society coalition working to promote adherence to and full implementation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
• The campaign helped bring about TPNW.
• ICAN was launched in 2007 and counts 541 partner organizations in 103 countries as of 2019.
• The campaign received the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts towards creation of TPNW and consistent campaign against nuclear weapons.

PRELIMS QUESTION

Consider the following statements regarding “Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons”:
1.All Asian countries except India, Pakistan and North Korea are signatories to the treaty.
2.The Treaty came into force in 2019 with the ratification of all signatories.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c)Both 1 and 2
(d)Neither 1 nor 2

 Answer to Prelims Question