Last week, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) celebrated its birthday – the 4th anniversary of its entry into force on January 22, 2021, after it was ratified by 50 countries. In early March, representatives of countries that have signed and ratified the TPNW (known as “states parties”) along with nuclear weapons abolitionists from around the world, including Back from the Brink, will gather in New York City for the 3rd Meeting of States Parties (3MSP) of the TPNW. Today, there are 73 states parties and an additional 25 countries that have signed the treaty and are working toward ratification.
How can we as committed nuclear weapons abolitionists celebrate and support this historic treaty? What can we expect to happen at 3MSP? How much do each of us know about the TPNW, its text, and multiple work streams?
To help answer some of these questions, BftB’s Sean Meyer had the pleasure and opportunity to talk with Seth Shelden, General Counsel and United Nations Liaison for the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), which played a major role in getting the TPNW adopted by the UN in 2017 and now ratified by 73 countries. ICAN is the lead global civil society organization working to advance the TPNW and get states parties, additional countries, and civil society actively engaged in the process, and in 2017 won the Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to advance the TPNW and to raise awareness about the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons.
According to Shelden, “3MSP is happening during a very important year, when we will see the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations itself, and are welcoming the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, representing survivors of the 1945 bombings. The risk of nuclear weapons is at an all-time high, as reflected by this month’s re-setting of the Doomsday Clock [to 89 seconds to midnight]. 3MSP is also the last Meeting of States Parties before the TPNW’s first-ever Review Conference, which will likely be held in 2026. 3MSP is the place to be if you care about nuclear disarmament.”
TPNW: A Living Treaty, an Active Process
To start, here’s two things you can do – read the full text of the TPNW and spend time on ICAN’s website to better understand all of the intersessional work happening within the TPNW’s various working groups and consultative processes.
“In this time of global multilateral strain, it’s a great achievement to get all of the states parties, not only to condemn nuclear weapons, but to actively work together, invest in the work of the treaty, and agree to renew the treaty’s mandates,” says Shelden. “There are multiple workstreams moving forward under the TPNW which are addressing issues at the heart of the abolition movement – victim assistance, environmental remediation, the human and environmental consequences of nuclear weapons, the process for verifying nuclear disarmament, and security risks and implications of nuclear deterrence.”
Highlights include:
- An Article VI and VII working group focused on victim assistance, environmental remediation and international cooperation is expected to submit a report to 3MSP examining the feasibility of a trust fund for affected states and impacted communities. “ICAN is fundamentally motivated by the real human and environmental consequences of nuclear weapons and Articles VI and VII of the treaty are very important to us,” Shelden says.
- A 15-member Scientific Advisory Group, created at 1MSP, with multiple working groups, is tasked with examining the status and developments regarding nuclear weapons, nuclear weapon risks, the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons, nuclear disarmament and related issues. It is also tasked with identifying and engaging scientific and technical institutions in states parties, and more broadly to establish a network of experts to support the goals of the TPNW.
- A multilateral consultative process, facilitated by the government of Austria, is expected to submit a report to the 3MSP for review, debate, and possible adoption. The report will cover the legitimate security concerns, threats, and risk perceptions enshrined in the TPNW that result from the existence of nuclear weapons and the concept of nuclear deterrence.
A Global Movement, Global Majority
Close to half the world’s population live in countries that have signed or ratified the TPNW. The global majority of countries, people, and civil society organizations advocating and mobilizing for the TPNW and a world free of nuclear weapons is growing and energized. Activists around the world, as well as here in the United States, are building power and taking action in their communities.
Local and state elected officials, members of the U.S. Congress, and global parliamentarians are critical voices in this growing movement. They have been instrumental in adopting resolutions throughout the world as part of Back from the Brink and ICAN’s Cities Appeal.
Here are ways you can engage your elected officials and actions you might take:
- Join us in New York — BftB will have an enthusiastic delegation attending 3MSP. If you’re planning to attend, please reach out and connect with us. There will be lots of exciting events to attend and opportunities to get to know your fellow activists. Check ICAN’s Nuclear Ban Week 2025 page for event listings and updates. Know any young folks who would like to attend? We can help connect them with other students and campaigners who will be there.
- Reach out to your mayors, city councilors, and state representatives to ask them to speak up and send us a brief public video statement by the end of February celebrating the TPNW and why the abolition of nuclear weapons matters to all communities. We will be showing these video statements at a side event BftB is co-hosting at 3MSP*
- Urge your members of Congress to attend the gathering of Parliamentarians at 3MSP to be held on Monday, March 3 from 2-5 pm.
- Be sure to follow and amplify social media posts from BftB, ICAN, and our allies and partners like Physicians for Social Responsibility, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, and Students for Nuclear Disarmament in the lead-up to 3MSP.
Reach out to Sean Meyer at sean@preventnuclearwar.org for more information on any of the actions listed above.
*On Tuesday, March 4, BftB is co-hosting a side event at 3MSP, “The Role of Cities in the Promotion of Nuclear Disarmament” with Northwestern University’s Mapping Nuclear Legacies project, Mayors for Peace, Physicians for Social Responsibility, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, and ICAN.
Reach out to us at info@preventnuclearwar.org to learn more about how you and your elected officials can support it.