Although nearly all of the U.S.’s mainstream media have FAILED to report on the powerful, historic Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), much of the world is very enthusiastic.
Recently several more nations have ratified the TPNW, for a current total of 66. Several more nations are likely to ratify it soon. When a nation ratifies a treaty, the nation commits itself to incorporating the treaty’s provisions and requirements into its own national laws. The TPNW includes a POWERFUL SERIES OF VERBS AND COMMITMENTS that prevent a nation from ANY AND ALL activities that would support or enable nuclear weapons.
The TPNW’s Article 1 lists these verbs: Article 1 prohibits states parties from developing, testing, producing, manufacturing, transferring, possessing, stockpiling, using or threatening to use nuclear weapons, or allowing nuclear weapons to be stationed on their territory. It also prohibits them from assisting, encouraging or inducing anyone to engage in any of these activities. Following entry into force of the TPNW, all parties to the treaty will need to take care at all times to ensure that they are complying with all prohibitions under Article 1. Of greatest relevance to most states, especially those with close military ties to nuclear-armed states, is the prohibition on encouraging or assisting another state to engage in a prohibited activity.
Malawi ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) on 29 June 2022. It was the 66th state to ratify or accede to the treaty. Malawi was the 14th African state to ratify the TPNW, after the Gambia, South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Botswana, Nigeria, Benin, Comoros, Seychelles, Guinea-Bissau, Côte d’Ivoire, the Congo, and Cabo Verde. An additional 15 African states have signed but not yet ratified the treaty: Algeria, Angola, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Libya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Niger, Sao Tome and Principe, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Signing the Treaty shows formal interest. After signing, a nation can follow up by using its internal national procedure for ratifying.
See news here about nations #63, 64, 65: https://www.icanw.org/grenada_timor_leste_cabo_verde_ratify_nuclear_weapon_ban_treaty_ahead_of_vienna_meeting?
Guatemala was the 62nd nation to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). This makes ALL of Central America’s nations along with dozens of others (mostly in the global South). See this news from ICAN: https://www.icanw.org/guatemala_ratifies_nuclear_weapons_ban_treaty_central_america
