Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons - Press Conference | United Nations

Press Conference by President: H.E. Ambassador Akan Rakhmetullin, First Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan; Ms. Melissa Parke, Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons; Ms. Eirini Giorgiou, Legal Advisor, International Committee of the Red Cross; Ms. Taraem Taukaro of Kiribati, A representative of affected community.

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As the third Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) got underway today (3 Mar) at United Nations Headquarters in New York, Kazakh First Deputy Foreign Minister Akan Rakhmetullin welcomed new ratifications of the Treaty by Indonesia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone and the Solomon Islands.

Rakhmetullin, who is presiding the meeting, said, “we are now working on the final documents, final declaration on the decisions on various aspects, on various facets of our process.”

Melissa Parke, who is the Executive Director at the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, said, “disarmament is eminently achievable. In fact, of all the global challenges we face, this is the least complex. Humans built nuclear weapons. Humans can dismantle them. All it requires is political will and leadership.”

At present, she said, “that leadership is coming from TPNW states parties, civil society, communities impacted by nuclear weapons use and testing, and from parliamentarians, scientists, artists, cities and investors who are taking their money out of nuclear weapons.”

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Legal Adviser Eirini Giorgiou said, “nuclear weapons continue to cast a deep shadow over our common future. The risk that they are used deliberately or inadvertently has grown exponentially. It's fuelled by ongoing conflicts, strident nuclear rhetoric and various technological developments.”

Giorgiou said the international community has “a duty to prevent the unspeakable from happening again,” and the TPNW “is a response to this urgent imperative” as it “prohibits nuclear weapons as a necessary step towards their elimination and provides a realistic roadmap for getting there.”

The ICRC Legal Adviser said, “more than half of the world's states have expressed their will to be bound by the Treaty and have subscribed to its vision for a just and peaceful future without nuclear weapons. We call on all remaining states to follow suit.”

For her part, Taraem Taukaro who is a representative of the affected community in Kiribati where nuclear test were conducted said, “these tests were conducted 68 years ago. The detrimental effects persist, particularly concerning our health. My mother has suffered from completing. My older sister was born deaf, and I experienced unexplained fainting spells during my teenage years. Many other families have faced various types of cancer, including her cervical and breast cancer.”

The Treaty was adopted on 7 July 2017 at the United Nations and entered into force on 22 January 2021. It was the first multilateral nuclear disarmament treaty to be negotiated in more than two decades.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called the Treaty “an important step towards the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons and a strong demonstration of support for multilateral approaches to nuclear disarmament.”

The third Meeting of States Parties will hold a thematic debate on the risks for humanity of nuclear conflict and its devastating humanitarian consequences. States parties will also consider the status and operation of the Treaty, addressing issues related to universality; the total elimination of nuclear weapons; victim assistance, environmental remediation and international cooperation and assistance; and security concerns.

To date, 73 States have ratified or acceded to the Treaty and 94 have signed it.

The Meeting is expected to adopt a political declaration.