Japanese A-bomb survivors and ICAN demonstrate before the UN vote in October 2016. Photo: Peace Boat
Five months ago, on 27 October, 2016 123 UN Member States voted for a resolution on multilateral nuclear disarmament that called for negotiations to commence on a "legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination". After the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly endorsed this resolution in December, the stage is set for nuclear ban treaty negotiations to commence on 27 March, with further sessions planned for June and July.
The UK was one of only 35 states (mostly nuclear-armed and NATO allies) which voted against multilateral negotiations when the resolution was overwhelmingly adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2016. That negative vote does not mean these states can't participate in this year's negotiations. Britain was invited to participate in preparatory organisational meetings at the UN in February, but chose not to attend.
