A new nuclear threat is looming. The threat of the use of nuclear weapons by Russia, which continues to invade Ukraine, has made nuclear war a huge probability and is likely to accelerate the nuclear powers’ development of smaller, easier-to-use nuclear weapons.
With military tensions intensifying around the world, the second meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) took place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York until 1 December. The declaration adopted at the meeting reveals a strong sense of crisis, stating “The continued existence of nuclear weapons and lack of meaningful progress on disarmament undermine the security of all States, aggravate international tensions, heighten the risk of nuclear catastrophe and pose an existential threat to humanity as a whole.”
Furthermore, the declaration flatly rejects the idea of nuclear deterrence, which has been advocated by nuclear-weapon states to justify their possession of nuclear weapons saying, “It gives false credence to the value of nuclear weapons for national security and dangerously increases the risk of horizontal and vertical nuclear proliferation.”
Nuclear deterrence cannot prevent the use of nuclear weapons; rather, it increases the risk of their use. The only way to ensure that nuclear weapons are never used again is to ban the possession, testing, and threat of use, and to eliminate all existing nuclear weapons. We believe that it is more than logical for humanity to say no to nuclear weapons as they could lead to the destruction of humanity.
The ITUC-Asia Pacific is calling on all states that have not ratified the TNPW to ratify the treaty and commit to achieving a world free from nuclear weapons.
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