South Africa bids adieu to nuclear weapon! Signs treaty on its prohibition

South Africa on Monday, February 25 joined a growing number of States in submitting its Instrument of Ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) to the United Nations (UN) in New York.

The treaty was adopted after 122 states voted in favour of it at the UN on July 7, 2017. On 20 September 2017, the Secretary-General of the UN Treaty opened the treaty for signatures. South Africa signed the Treaty at a signing ceremony held on the margins of the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

South Africa signed the treaty at a signing ceremony held on the margins of the seventy-second Session of the UN General Assembly. The Treaty will enter into force 90 days after 50 States have ratified or acceded to it. As of today, 22 States have deposited their instruments of ratification with the UN. South Africa will join these Parties today.

“South Africa’s ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons sends a positive signal of our continued commitment towards the achievement of a world free from the threat posed by nuclear weapons and ensuring that nuclear energy is used solely for peaceful purposes,” South African Minister of Defence and Military Veterans said.

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