Preparations for nuclear war are ongoing. Nuclear-armed states have halted nuclear reductions, engaged in new modernization programmes and have blocked any nuclear disarmament negotiations at the Conference on Disarmament for the past 20 years. With escalating tensions between nuclear possessors, the risk of an accident is increasing. The world runs the risk of facing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis of unimaginable proportions.
But an initiative by non-nuclear weapon states, concerned by the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons, has led to the UN General Assembly establishing a working group to discuss new legal measures for achieving and maintaining a nuclear weapons free world.
In February, talks began at the United Nations in Geneva on developing a new legal instrument to advance a nuclear-weapon-free world.
Despite all nations having been invited in good faith to participate, all nine nuclear-armed states decided not to attend the working group. ICAN believes their resistance to attend comes from their fear of seeing progress on an international instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons. This concern proved to be true as many states at the OEWG voiced support for negotiating a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons, even without the participation of nuclear-armed states.
The 90 governments and dozens of civil society organizations in attendance heard from expert panels and engaged in a debate about the momentum generated by the humanitarian initiative, the need for a new legal instruments which would correct a legal anomaly in the current nuclear weapons regime, and the inherent risks related to the continued possession of nuclear weapons.
Governments are meeting again this week to discuss the elements of a new legal instrument prohibiting nuclear weapons. For the first time in the history of nuclear weapons, governments will engage in a practical discussion on how to develop a universal prohibition of nuclear weapons, as has happened previously with treaties that prohibited landmines and cluster munitions. Should the discussions in May be successful and governments decide to move forward with recommendations to the UNGA, this working group could lead to the beginning of negotiations of a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons.
“During the last years, governments have recognized the catastrophic humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons and acknowledged that there is a gap in the laws governing nuclear weapons. At the OEWG, governments are now discussing what elements and provisions should be included in a new legally binding instrument to fill this legal gap and how to start negotiations. It’s our expectation that once the OEWG concludes, a majority of governments in the world will rally behind proposals to commence negotiations immediately,” said Beatrice Fihn, Executive Director of ICAN.
