On the day that states are expected to agree the final text of the nuclear ban treaty, NIS is releasing a briefing paper examining which aspects of the UK’s nuclear weapons programme would be affected if the UK were to sign the ban treaty.

The briefing considers the major prohibitions in the treaty: possession, development and stockpiling; use and threat of use, international movement of nuclear weapons; testing; assisting others with prohibited activities. It also considers the provisions for providing help to people affected by the legacy of nuclear weapons use or testing. Using the UK as a case study, the briefing paper explores the scope of the treaty and discusses the disarmament and verification measures in the treaty before concluding with an overview of what disarmament for the UK would look like under the provisions of the ban treaty.

As well as giving readers in the UK a better understanding of the proposed ban treaty and what it entails, it is hoped that an examination of the specific context of the UK can help to contextualise the legal measures in the draft text and provide a deeper understanding of some of its provisions.

The final text of the ban treaty is expected to be agreed at a meeting today (7th July 2017). 130 states have been involved in the negotiations and it is expected that the vast majority of them will support the current draft text.

The briefing paper can be downloaded below.