The general debate of the UN General Assembly’s First Committee began last week and will continue until the end of this week. Many governments have already made strong calls for a treaty banning nuclear weapons. Below are some of the highlights so far.

Botswana

“… this is the time to seriously consider developing new international standards, including a legally binding instrument, to prohibit their possession.”

Chile

“… what we take away from the ninth NPT Review Conference is the … commitment of 117 countries to fill the unacceptable legal vacuum that allows the most destructive of the weapons of mass destruction not to be explicitly prohibited under international law.”

Costa Rica

“We have already achieved the prohibition of biological and chemical weapons, and we can do the same with nuclear arms …”

Ghana

“We urge … the beginning of a diplomatic process that could lead to negotiations on a legally binding instrument prohibiting nuclear weapons …”

Indonesia

“Global awareness regarding the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons must reinforce all efforts directed towards negotiating a comprehensive instrument to ban nuclear weapons.”

Jamaica

“Jamaica … supports the strong call … for the negotiation and adoption of a legally binding instrument for the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons, which is embodied in the recent Humanitarian Pledge endorsed by 119 states.”

Lebanon

“Lebanon strongly supports the urgent need for the conclusion of a universal, unconditional and legally binding instrument on nuclear weapons.”

Mexico

“… these weapons should never again be used, they should be stigmatised, they should be prohibited under international law and eliminated.”

Nigeria

“Nigeria strongly supports the call for the complete banning of all nuclear weapons, which is the only category of weapons of mass destruction that has not been prohibited by an international legal instrument.”

Peru

“[Failure of the NPT RevCon] should be a new impetus for those of us who believe in the need to prohibit and completely eliminate nuclear weapons as soon as possible …”

Philippines

“On nuclear disarmament, the Philippines will … call for the start of negotiations for a nuclear weapons convention that will ban nuclear weapons.”

Tanzania

“… we must exert all efforts towards finding a comprehensive way of eliminating these weapons, including by agreeing on a legally binding international instrument for their prohibition.”

Thailand

“We are delighted by … the expanding discourses on … how a legally binding international instrument on prohibition of nuclear weapons could and should be realised.”

Uganda

“All states must intensify their efforts to outlaw nuclear weapons and achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.”

Ukraine

“Ukraine … supports the call for the immediate adoption of the comprehensive agreement on the ban of nuclear weapons.”

Uruguay

“… these weapons should be subject to an express and urgent prohibition …”

Zambia

“Zambia … associates itself with the pledge issued at the Vienna conference of December 2014 ‘to fill the legal gap’ for the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons.”

African Group

“… the group strongly supports the call for banning nuclear weapons, the only WMD not prohibited by an international legal instrument.”

ASEAN (Southeast Asia)

“It is high time to initiate a serious discussion to address the gaps that exist in the legal regime governing nuclear weapons.”

CARICOM (Caribbean)

“CARICOM considers the outcome of the 2015 NPT RevCon to be the Humanitarian Pledge, which represents a commitment of more than 100 states to work for the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons.”

CELAC (Latin America and the Caribbean)

“We are committed to the commencement of a multilateral diplomatic process for the negotiation of a legally binding instrument for the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons …”

The full statements are here: http://reachingcriticalwill.org/disarmament-fora/unga/2015/statements