Trinidad and Tobago supports UN treaty banning nuclear weapons

Trinidad and Tobago has reaffirmed its commitment to the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). The treaty was enforced on Friday having secured sufficient support from the majority of state-parties.

The treaty is the first legally binding international agreement to prohibit comprehensively nuclear weapons, with the ultimate goal being their total elimination. This action demonstrates the willingness of the international community to address the risks nuclear weapons pose to the survival of all life on the planet.

In a statement, the Foreign and Caricom Affairs Ministry said, "TT is proud to be a signatory to this treaty since 2019, having engaged in the negotiations and been involved in discussions on eliminating nuclear weapons for many years in the international arena."

The ministry also said this country's participation has been mainly through its team at the Permanent Mission of TT to the United Nations, New York and delegates from the TT Red Cross Society.

"Since the devastation inflicted on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the detonation of two nuclear warheads in 1945, countries are mindful of the catastrophic consequences of the use of nuclear weapons." The ministry observed, "The after effects from such include deadly ionising radiation exposure, destruction and pollution of the environment and radical changes in weather due to the massive dust clouds created."

The ministry added, "The entry into force of the TPNW, which has been signed by 86 states as of December 9, 2020, comes at a time when there are growing concerns regarding the build-up of their arsenals by the nuclear armed states. This has siphoned financial and other resources from other critical areas and has added to the volatility of an increasingly hostile international environment amidst pre-existing territorial and resource disputes."

The ministry said TT applauds the efforts of the dedicated personnel who have advocated that states have a moral, humanitarian, environmental and now legal obligation to ensure that the world is free from the threat of nuclear weapons.

Austria, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Nigeria and Thailand are among the countries to have signed the treaty. The US, China, Russia, France, UK, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea have not yet signed or ratified the treaty.

Many other countries that rely on other nations’ nuclear weapons for their security, such as the 27 members of NATO, Australia, Japan and South Korea, have also not signed.