nuclear weapons
Nuclear bombs are weapons whose destructive power is based on radioactivity, concentrating enormous amounts of energy with devastating effects. They are the most destructive and inhumane weapons ever created, causing impacts that persist in society and the environment for decades.
PROBLEM
During World War II, nuclear weapons were used by the United States in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, immediately killing more than 200,000 people and exposing thousands of others to radiation contamination. Even more than 70 years later, the effects of nuclear weapons and nuclear testing can still be observed in people suffering from cancer, chronic illnesses, physical deformities, and other health problems caused by radiation.
Currently, nine countries possess nuclear weapons, accumulating an arsenal of more than 17,000 warheads. In 2023 alone, these countries spent 91 billion dollars on the development and maintenance of such weapons.
CAMPAIGN
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) is a global coalition of civil society organizations dedicated to promoting the total elimination of nuclear weapons. Founded in 2007, ICAN played a central role in the international mobilization that led to the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in 2017. For its tireless work in building a global movement grounded in the humanitarian principles of disarmament, ICAN was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017.
Operating in more than 100 countries, the campaign seeks to raise awareness about the risks and impacts of nuclear weapons, pressure governments to join the TPNW, and amplify the voices of survivors and communities affected by nuclear weapons.
TREATY
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), adopted by the United Nations in 2017, is the first legally binding international agreement to comprehensively prohibit nuclear weapons, with the ultimate goal of their total elimination. It prohibits States Parties from developing, testing, producing, acquiring, possessing, stockpiling, using, or threatening to use nuclear weapons. It also prohibits assistance to any actor involved in these activities.
The treaty further establishes positive obligations, such as providing assistance to victims of the use and testing of nuclear weapons and remediating environmental damage caused by them.
The TPNW represents a historic achievement for multilateral diplomacy and civil society. It is the result of decades of mobilization by activists, survivors of the atomic bombings (Hibakusha), communities affected by nuclear testing, and states committed to disarmament. Although it does not yet have the support of nuclear-armed states, the treaty is an ethical and legal milestone that strengthens the stigmatization of these weapons and provides a concrete foundation to push for their complete abolition, promoting security based on cooperation and respect for human life.
AND BRAZIL?
Brazil signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in September 2017 but has not yet ratified it. In 2018, then-president Michel Temer submitted the treaty to the National Congress with the aim of ratification. However, during the government of Jair Bolsonaro (2019–2022), no progress was made in this process.
In 2023, the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva began considering the ratification of the TPNW as a priority. Despite this, a public hearing to debate the proposal is still pending.
At the same time, Brazil has actively supported the universalization of the treaty. Since 2018, the country has co-sponsored and consistently voted in favor of an annual resolution of the United Nations General Assembly calling on all states to sign, ratify, or accede to the treaty “as soon as possible.”