More than 120 nations adopted the first international treaty banning nuclear weapons on 7th July at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.
The initiative - led by Austria, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, and New Zealand - was approved by 122 votes, with only the Netherlands opposed, and Singapore abstaining.
The nine countries generally recognized as possessing nuclear weapons - the U.S., Russia, Britain, China, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel - were noticeably absent from the negotiations, as were most members of NATO.
Despite being a victim of atomic attacks in 1945, Japan also boycotted the meeting.
Nevertheless, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki informed Friday’s dialogue - and the conversation thereafter.
The agreement is a very clear statement that the international community wants to move to a completely different security paradigm that does not include nuclear weapons.
The treaty is extensive in its demands, prohibiting signatories from developing, testing, manufacturing, possessing, or threatening to use nuclear weapons.
Nations are also prohibited from transferring nuclear weapons to one another.
Having now been approved by the UN, the treaty will be open for signatures on September 20, at which point it will need to be ratified by 50 states before entering into international law.
