NEW YORK, 01 OCTOBER 2018 (SAMOA GOVT) — The Treaty Event on the promotion of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) was held last Wednesday at the General Assembly Building.
The Prime Minister of Samoa attended the Treaty ceremony where Samoa deposited their instrument of ratification for the Treaty with Vanuatu, Gambia and San Marino.
Seven countries also became signatories to the treaty, namely Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Brunei, Guinea-Bissau, Myanmar, Seychelles and Timor-Leste. The Treaty Ceremony brought the total number to 67 Signatories and 19 states Parties to the TPNW. The treaty requires 50 ratifications for it to enter into force
Samoa was amongst the first UN member states to sign the “Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons”(TPNW) last year (2017) at the 72nd UNGA. The TPNW, when it enters into force, will be the first legally binding international agreement to comprehensively prohibit nuclear weapons, with the goal of leading towards their total elimination.
To reaffirm our position on nuclear weapon proliferation, the Prime Minister delivered a statement at the High Level event to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total elimination of nuclear weapons.
The Prime Minister of Samoa also spoke at the High Level Events which discussed the need for urgent global response to Tuberculosis and Non Communicable Diseases.
He spoke of the burden of these diseases on Pacific small island developing states like Samoa, and highlighted some of the regional and national responses to these epidemics. Both High Level Events endorsed political declarations calling for strengthened action on Tuberculosis and Non-Communicable Diseases.
