In a tweet on the twitter feed of the Dominican Republic Foreign Ministry it was reported that the Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons at the United Nations in New York on Thursday the 7th of June.

The Dominican Republic’s influence in the region and in the world also gained increased importance after the country was elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2019-2020 period, having been unanimously selected by the Latin American and Caribbean region to represent the zone in the election that took place on Friday the 8th of June.  South Africa, Indonesia, Belgium and Germany were also elected.

The announcement brings to four the number of countries in the Caribbean region who have signed the treaty after Cuba, Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.  The treaty comes into force when 50 countries have ratified.

Tim Wright, spokesperson for ICAN, said: “The Dominican Republic was a strong supporter of last year’s negotiations. It stated in its opening remarks that the elimination of nuclear weapons is a basic necessity for the defence of humanity.”

Earlier in the week, the Swiss Parliament adopted a motion today calling on the Government to sign the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as soon as possible and submit it to Parliament for ratification by a majority vote.