An international treaty banning nuclear weapons will come into force at the end of January after a 50th country ratified the agreement.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons will come into effect on January 22, a spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres confirmed in a statement.
Honduras ratified the agreement on Saturday, meaning the treaty can enter into force in 90 days’ time, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) said in a statement.
Jamaica and Nauru submitted their own ratifications a day earlier.
The countries who have signed up pledge to never under any circumstances “develop, test, produce, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices,” according to the text of the treaty.
ICAN was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2017 for its work on the treaty.
Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, tweeted that it was a “victory for humanity.”
However, it is unclear how much impact the treaty will have, as the world’s nuclear-armed nations – including the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia – are not involved in it.
NATO does not support the ban treaty, saying it is inconsistent with the alliance’s nuclear deterrence policy and that it will not enhance any country’s security.
