The United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (UN TPNW), of which the Maldives is an official signatory, has entered into force on Friday.
In a tweet on Friday, Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid expressed his joy in this momentous stride forward, marking a crucial step in taking humanity closer to a world free from nuclear weapons.
The Maldives as a proud signatory, joins other @UN Member States today to celebrate the entry into force of the UN Treaty on prohibition of #NuclearWeapons (#TPNW) – a crucial and historic step taking us closer to a nuclear weapon-free world. A great victory for humanity!
— Abdulla Shahid (@abdulla_shahid) January 22, 2021
Although it took effect on Friday, the TPNW was initially adopted at the United Nations on 7 July 2017 with 122 states voting in favour.
The treaty prohibits countries from producing, testing, acquiring, possessing or stockpiling nuclear weapons. It also outlaws the transfer of the weapons and forbids signatories from allowing any nuclear explosive device to be stationed, installed or deployed in their territory.
Speaking to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons last year, Foreign Minister Shahid reiterated that the Maldives would never engage in the production of weapons in any form, noting that the country had been one of the first to become a signatory for the UN Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
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