The Political Significance of the UN Nuclear Ban Treaty

Viewpoint by Thomas Hajnoczi

The writer is the outgoing Director of Arms Control at the Austrian Foreign Ministry. He negotiated the TPNW*

VIENNA (IDN) – With its entry into force on January 22 the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) will become binding international law for the growing number of State Parties, for the moment 51 countries. Moreover, it is also having an effect on those states that do not intend to join it. [2021-01-20 | 26]  ITALIAN | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF | MALAY | THAI

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Watchdog Indicates Barriers to UN Ban on Nuclear Weapons

GENEVA (IDN) – Most of the world’s states can become a party to the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and comply with the Treaty without making any changes to their existing policies and practices, says Nuclear Weapons Ban Monitor (NWBM). But 42 states around the world currently engage in conduct that is not compatible with the new ban on nuclear weapons. In fact, Europe stands out as the region with the most states that act in conflict with the UN Treaty. [2021-01-13 | 25]  CHINESE | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF | NORWEGIAN

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The Nuclear Weapon States Urged to Advance Disarmament

By Bernhard Schell

AMMAN (IDN) – The upcoming Review Conference (postponed to August 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is expected to be characterised by deep divisions among the nuclear-weapon states (NWS), and between them and the non-nuclear-weapon states (NNWS), which are deeply disappointed with the lack of progress towards nuclear disarmament despite commitments laid down in the NPT and made at past NPT review conferences. [2021-01- 06 | 24]  BAHASA | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF | KOREAN | TURKISH

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Iran Joins China, Russia, EU, France, Germany and UK in Reaffirming Commitment to ‘Nuclear Deal’

By Robert Johnson

BRUSSELS (IDN) – Amid speculations about Iran’s reaction to the assassination of the country’s eminent nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh on a road outside of Tehran on November 27, participants in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) have reiterated their commitment to preserving the agreement and stressed their respective efforts in this regard. [2020-12- 23 | 23] GERMAN | HINDI | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF

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A New Handbook on Parliamentary Action for Disarmament

By Jamshed Baruah

GENEVA (IDN) – Nearly one-and-half years after UN Secretary-General António Guterres launched Securing Our Common Future: An Agenda for Disarmament in May 2018, a new handbook to support disarmament for security and sustainable development has been released. Its approach and focus draw primarily on the Agenda. Titled Assuring our Common Future, published by four international parliamentary organizations and two international policy bodies on November 5, 2020, the new publication offers background and examples of effective policies and parliamentary actions on a wide range of disarmament issues. [2020-12- 20 | 22]  ITALIAN | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF | PORTUGUESE

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#Youth4Disarmament Initiative Awarded Best Coalition Building Project of 2020

By UNODA

NEW YORK (IDN) – The #Youth4Disarmament initiative has been recognized as Best Coalition Building Project of 2020 by a Billion Acts of Peace. The initiative was nominated alongside 11 other inspiring projects, chosen from more than 8 million Acts for Peace.

Billion Acts of Peace, an initiative of the PeaceJam Foundation, is a global movement led by 14 Nobel Peace Prize winners and youth around the world with the ambitious goal of creating 1 billion acts of peace by 2021. [2020-12-17] 

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NATO HQ Steps Up Misinformation Campaign Against TPNW

By ICAN

GENEVA (IDN) – NATO’s 15 December statement on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as it enters into force reiterates misconceptions about the treaty and is tone-deaf to the global support for this landmark instrument, including popular support within several NATO countries.

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted in 2017 by 122 countries and will take full legal effect on 22 January 2021. It is the first international treaty to ban nuclear weapons and require victim assistance and environmental remediation for people and places harmed by nuclear weapons use and testing. [2020-12-16] 

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Doubts Whether Space Is Being Used Only for Peaceful Purposes

By Ramesh Jaura

BERLIN | NEW YORK (IDN) – A Soviet cosmonaut and an American astronaut shook hands high above the planet Earth, on July 17, 1975, where the Soviet spaceship Soyuz-19 and the U.S. spacecraft Apollo had met and docked.

In a message of greeting, the Soviet leadership described the “joint flight of the Soviet and US spaceships” as “a major step in the development of Soviet-American scientific and technological cooperation” opening up “new prospects for various countries to work together in the peaceful exploration of outer space”. [2020-12- 06 | 21] CHINESE | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF | RUSSIAN

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Missile Defence Plans Threaten to Trigger Arms Race

By J C Suresh

TORONTO | WASHINGTON (IDN) – President Trump’s legacy is far from inspiring. Joe Biden and his team face numerous crucial decisions. Arms policy experts believe that one of the momentous decisions confronting the new administration is “whether and how to move forward with Trump-era plans to expand the U.S. national missile defence footprint with new sea-based missiles that can shoot down long-range ballistic missiles”. But this will undoubtedly hamper progress on arms control. [2020-12-04 | 20] ARABIC | GERMAN | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF

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China to Add Long-Range Bombers and Other Arsenal in the Next Five Years

By Sahil Mishra *

NEW DELHI | BEIJING (IDN) – The highly publicised fifth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) concluded at the end of October 2020 with an important communiqué which outlines the main objectives of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) and the long-term vision to realize socialist modernization by 2035. [2020-11-25]

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