Why the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is so important globally

Yesterday, the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons came into force after more than 50 member states of the UN ratified it (Britain was not amongst the states voting to ratify the Treaty, unfortunately), with Cambodia being the 52nd country to ratify it that day. So far the only European UN member states to have ratified the treaty are the Republic of Ireland and Austria, neither of which are members of NATO (the Vatican, which has UN observer status, has also ratified it).

This is one of the most important UN treaties ever created, and here is why:

1. Nuclear weapons could end up destroying the entire world. Therefore, for the sake of all humanity, they must be banned worldwide in the way biological and chemical weapons already are banned by the Geneva Convention. 

2. Nuclear weapons are fundamentally a threat to peace. Spending on nuclear weapons ties in with spending on unnecessary and dangerous arms races, at a time when peace and cooperation are crucial to the survival of humanity.

3. Nuclear weapons are an enormous waste of money. The money that nations have spent on nuclear weapons alone could easily be invested in global programmes that would have been able to feed every malnourished child on this planet and ensure every single child on earth had a right to education, for example.







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