Latest developments
In an op-ed on the occasion of Ireland's ratification of the TPNW on 6 August 2020, Ireland's Foreign Minister Simon Coveney wrote that 'Ireland will continue to work for the elimination of nuclear weapons and to ensure the most powerful and most indiscriminate weapons of mass destruction ever invented have no place in the security doctrine of any state. The very existence of nuclear weapons threatens us all. There can be no right hands for the wrong weapons. The only guarantee of protection from nuclear weapons use is their complete elimination.' When the TPNW reached its 50th ratification on 24 October 2020, Coveney said: 'At a time of rising international tensions, and as we see renewed concerns about nuclear weapons proliferation, a renewed arms race and the destabilising effects of technological developments, the support for the Treaty is a clear indication of the will of the majority of countries to add fresh momentum to achieve the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons.' In First Committee of the 2020 UN General Assembly, Ireland said: 'The COVID 19 pandemic is an urgent reminder of the importance of international cooperation to avoid global catastrophes, including the unthinkable and unacceptable humanitarian consequences of a nuclear weapons explosion, whether deliberately, by accident or miscalculation. The global pandemic has also shown us that the arsenals of nuclear weapons afford us no security or safety and that we are completely ill-equipped to respond to such a catastrophic event. The only guaranteed protection from this risk is the elimination of nuclear weapons.' The statement also said that 'Ireland takes the view that the TPNW is fully compatible with the NPT, and provides a legal pathway for states to fulfil their obligations under Article VI of the NPT. [...] We encourage states who have not yet joined the Treaty to do so.' See: bit.ly/3quaHMK, bit.ly/3mOplMG, bit.ly/2J75xp9.
Recommendations
- Ireland should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
