Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
A special meeting of the UN General Assembly passed a resolution on July 7, 2017, and endorsed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). The treaty opened for signature at the UN on September 20, 2017, and some 122 UN member-states voted in favour, except the Netherlands, while Singapore abstained from it. The other 69 member-states, including all the nine nuclear-weapon states, did not vote. There are currently 86 signatories and 57 State parties to the treaty. The treaty entered into force on January 22, 2021. Thus, the international community ever agreed on a treaty commitment to free the world of nuclear weapons.
There are currently nine States confirmed or suspected of having nuclear weapons—the US and Russian Federation are the largest nuclear-arsenal holders by far, with approximately 6,800 and 7,000 nuclear warheads respectively. Most nuclear-weapon States have between 100 and 300 nuclear weapons. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) is the newest nuclear-weapon State, with an estimated 20 to 60 nuclear weapons. The estimated combined world arsenal of nuclear warheads is around 15,000.
Now, the biggest issue before the UN General Assembly first committee is how to restore momentum towards nuclear disarmament. However, the provisions of the treaty are not binding on non-signatories.