On the 7th of July, 2018, Costa Rica deposited its instrument of ratification for the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. There are now 11 states parties and 59 signatories.
Costa Rica was one of the early champions of the treaty, and its Geneva-based ambassador, Elayne Whyte Gómez, presided over last year’s historic negotiations.
On 7 July 2017, following the adoption of the treaty, she commented: “We have managed to sow the first seeds of a world free of nuclear weapons.”
Costa Rica’s legislative assembly voted unanimously in favour of ratification of the treaty in March, reflecting the country’s broad-based support for nuclear disarmament.
ICAN Treaty Coordinator Tim Wright said, “Today is a special day for our Costa Rican campaigners Carlos Umaña and Alexandra Arce von Herold, who have worked tirelessly to make disarmament a national priority.”
Carlos Umaña, from IPPNW Costa Rica and one of the ICAN coordinators for Latin America and the Caribbean said, “Costa Rica has made peace its banner and has always promoted non-violent conflict resolution through diplomacy, democracy, and the rule of law. As such, it has been a strong advocate for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, as it aims to abolish nuclear weapons by strengthening multilateralism and building an international norm. This ratification, while no surprise to Costa Ricans, reaffirms the country’s active role in disarmament and in protecting its people and the entire world from this existential threat.”
