Brazil signs Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
President Michel Temer was the first to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
Brazil signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. President Michel Temer was the first to sign the text followed by the leaders of 47 nations, in a ceremony held today (Sep. 20) in New York as part of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly. The agreement bans signing countries from testing, producing, acquiring, possessing, or storing nuclear explosive devices.
The signatories are also forbidden from taking part in or allowing activities related to the use and the development of nuclear weapons.
The conference on the text was proposed by Brazil, South Africa, Austria, Ireland, Mexico, and Nigeria late in 2016. The text was given its final form on July 7 this year.
The signing of the pact is the first step. Next, the parliament of each signatory state must ratify the agreement. The deal will only be brought into force after 50 countries have completed every stage of the process.
Terumi Tanaka, who survived the 1946 nuclear bomb attack in Nagasaki, said his eyes welled up with happy tears as he saw the treaty being signed. He was 13 years old when the attack took place and he says he remembers the day very distinctly. “One of my strongest recollections is that of people burned under the houses everywhere—not just burned, but also the fact that they were left behind; no one did anything to help them. Over 10 thousand people died in just one day.”
Austria's Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz says that, even though many argue that nuclear weapons are key to national security, the belief is a misconception. “The new treaty […] provides a real alternative for security: a world without any nuclear weapons, where everyone is safer, where no one needs to possess these weapons.”
Translated by Fabrício Ferreira
Fonte: Brazil signs Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
