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Monica Herz, Cristian Wittmann and Sergio Duarte: Brazilian ratification of the treaty banning nuclear weapons is necessary and urgent

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In July 2017, more than two-thirds of United Nations Member States approved the Nuclear Weapons Prohibition Treaty (TPAN), which entered into force in January of this year. This was a significant step forward on the long road to the elimination of nuclear weapons following the path of banning other weapons with indiscriminate and dire effects such as antipersonnel mines, cluster bombs, chemical and biological weapons.

The logic of the ban lies in the very characteristic of these weapons, contrary to international humanitarian law. Civil society organizations, governments, churches and academics around the world have promoted movements in favor of such measures, although still limited and incomplete. But it is the normal process of cultural and normative transformation, which is always complex and often controversial.

TPAN prohibits not only the development, testing, production, possession or storage of nuclear weapons but also their use as a threat, rejecting the idea of ​​nuclear deterrence or the exercise of power over other states through weapons of mass destruction.

This treaty takes another step in the search for a reality in which these weapons are universally considered incompatible with an ethical stance. It is part of a history of legally binding limitations on the possession and use of nuclear weapons that has been building since the first detonations in 1945 and has led to the formation of nuclear-weapon-free regions in many parts of the world. Latin America and the Caribbean were pioneers in this movement, which today encompasses 114 countries on five continents.

Nine States still have nuclear weapons and continue to develop technologies and strategies for their use, increasing the risk of detonation — intentional or not — of these artifacts, going against the very existence of humanity. Nuclear arsenal modernization programs make their use more flexible and more likely, requiring the strengthening of regulations against their presence among us.

Currently, 86 countries are signatories of the TPAN and 56 have already ratified it, becoming full members of this instrument. Brazil was one of the main promoters of the treaty and the first to sign it. Furthermore, it has a long history of opposing nuclear weapons and supporting multilateral institutions and norms.

If the National Congress has not yet ratified the TPAN on the occasion of the 1st Meeting of States Parties, between March 22 and 24, 2022, our country will not be among those who will take important decisions on the subject.

In order to ensure the recognition and defense of its legitimate interests in the field of national and international security, Brazil cannot be excluded from the normative process on nuclear weapons. Brazilian ratification is necessary and urgent.

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nuclear weaponssheetTPAN

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