kärnvapenfördraget

Kärnvapenfördraget, or the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), is an international treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on July 7, 2017. It entered into force on January 22, 2021. The treaty comprehensively prohibits nuclear weapons, with the aim of their total elimination.

The TPNW prohibits its states parties from developing, testing, producing, manufacturing, acquiring, possessing, or stockpiling nuclear weapons. It also prohibits the transfer and stationing of nuclear weapons. Furthermore, the treaty requires states parties to provide victim assistance and environmental remediation for those affected by the use or testing of nuclear weapons.

The treaty was negotiated at the UN in New York and was adopted by a vote of 122 states in favor, with one abstention and zero votes against. It is supported by a large majority of UN member states, including many non-nuclear weapon states and a significant number of civil society organizations. However, all nine nuclear-weapon possessing states have refused to sign or ratify the treaty, along with other states that are under a "nuclear umbrella" or NATO members.

The TPNW represents a significant normative shift in international law regarding nuclear weapons, aiming to stigmatize their possession and use. While it does not directly disarm existing nuclear arsenals due to the non-participation of nuclear-armed states, proponents argue it will build political pressure and contribute to the long-term goal of a world free from nuclear weapons. It complements existing arms control treaties and strengthens the legal prohibition against these weapons.