A celebratory event will be held tomorrow, Saturday 23 January, in Canberra's Nara Peace Park to mark the Nuclear Ban Treaty entering into force, making nuclear weapons illegal under worldwide law. "It is extremely doubtful that these weapons could ever be used in line with global humanitarian law", Mr. Maurer said.
Members of an association of residents in Nagasaki Prefecture who led the Appeal of the Hibakusha campaign in the city to urge all nations to join the treaty were on hand.
The ban prohibits countries from producing, testing, acquiring, possessing or stockpiling nuclear weapons.
As well as "The World is No Place for Nuclear Weapons", the images noted that the Treaty has outlawed nuclear weapons, and that the Scottish government supports it. Bruce Kent, Vice President of Pax Christi and CND, would now like to see the United Kingdom government sign the Treaty, and also "nuclear-armed submarines returned to port and the separation of war heads from missiles, along with the cancellation of the current program for another generation of Trident nuclear weapons".
The Network of Christian Peace Organisations offered clergy and Christian leaders two briefings last week ahead of the Treaty's entry into force and practical steps to support the Treaty were discussed. More than 50 states joined.
In a video message, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Nakamitsu Izumi said the treaty will become a symbol of renewed resolve to prevent another tragedy like Hiroshima and Nagasaki from ever happening.
"Nuclear weapons pose growing dangers and the world needs urgent action to ensure their elimination and prevent the catastrophic human and environmental consequences any use would cause", said the United Nations chief.
One analyst says this is because Australia is a beneficiary of nuclear weapons, protected by our treaty partner - the US.
The treaty received its 50th ratification on October 24, triggering a 90-day period before its entry into force on January 22.
The adoption by nuclear-armed states of more aggressive nuclear weapons policies and the continued modernization of nuclear weapons all worryingly point towards an increasing risk of use of nuclear weapons. "We will not stop until we get everyone on board", she said.
"We need one rule for all nations, and that rule must be that no nuclear weapons are acceptable", said Dr Wareham.
"Supporters of the ban treaty say it serves to delegitimize nuclear weapons and reinforce global norms against use", the Nuclear Threat Initiative's Isabelle Williams wrote in 2017.
