Maldives ratifies UN Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

Maldives on Friday signed and ratified the United Nations (UN) Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid signed the Treaty, on behalf of the Maldivian government, at a ceremony held in the UN Headquarters in New York. He deposited the Instrument of Ratification with the UN Secretary General.

Prior to the signing, Minister Shahid delivered remarks at a High-level Meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day of Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. He declared that the decision to ratify the Treaty by the current administration of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih indicated Maldives’ ethical and moral principles concerning international peace and security.

“The total elimination of nuclear weapons is the only guarantee to prevent their use”, he said.

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which was opened for signature on September 20, 2017, is the first international legally binding instrument to completely prohibit the development, use and threat of use of nuclear weapons.

The Maldivian Cabinet approved the Treaty on August 27 this year, following which the parliament approved it on September 3.

The foreign ministry stressed that Maldives has supported the international disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction since the country joined the UN. The island nation ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1970, and has voiced full support for the international disarmament machinery, including the First Committee of the General Assembly, the Disarmament Commission, and the Conference on Disarmament.