On 22 January, the states that have ratified the TPNW will be bound by its prohibitions and also its obligations – including universalisation – which means urging all the world’s governments to join. Already, the norm is starting to shift as the Canadian Government, a strong opposer, took an opportunity at the UN to state that while they still were not ready to support it, Canada could see that there was merit in the Treaty and its aims. The occasion was a UN review of the adoption of the Treaty, where it was supported by over 100 member states. The UN has also postponed the (already postponed from last May) NPT Review Conference from January to August 2021. The discussions will now be set to include reference to how the NPT and the TPNW relate, so the Review has been put off until the latest possible date (within 5 years of the last Review Conference) – and certainly the nuclear armed states will not want it to take place in the glare of publicity that will surround Entry into Force of the TPNW. Divestment continues to advance, and we must ensure that Scotland’s commitment to the TPNW is firmly on the agenda during the Holyrood election debate. Watch this space for actions that you can take to achieve this. Meanwhile, this article about the good news of the nuclear weapons ban treaty’s imminent entry into force has been published by the International Law Association (Australian Branch):
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