The treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons enters into force after the ratification of 50 countries
, the minimum required threshold.
The treaty,
adopted by a United Nations conference on July 7, 2017
, is the first legally binding agreement that prohibits the development, testing, production, storage, transfer, use and threat of nuclear weapons.
The 50th state to ratify the agreement was Honduras, allowing the treaty to enter into force after 90 days, as reported by a UN official.
"Today is a victory for humanity and a promise for a more secure future", commented Peter Maurer, president of the international commission of the Red Cross.
Among the NGOs that expressed their applause was the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (Ican), a coalition that in 2017 won the peace prize for its key role in the launch of the treaty.
The major nuclear powers (the US, Britain, France, China and Russia) have not signed it, but activists hope that the entry into force will have the same impact as other international treaties on mines and cluster munitions, which have left a negative mark on the countries that used them.
