Philippines urges UN to ratify ban on nuke tests

UNITED NATIONS – The Philippines is urging eight countries, including the United States and China, to ratify the 1996 treaty that seeks to prohibit the testing of all types of nuclear weapons.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Enrique Manalo, delivering the country statement during the 11th Conference on the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), pushed for the ratification of the two-decade-old treaty in eight countries in order for it to enter into force.

“All of us are here with us today for one vision, and that is the entry into force of the CTBT, a key instrument in the broader goal of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament,” Manalo said at the high-level conference held at the United Nations headquarters here in New York last Wednesday.

“The Philippines therefore reiterates its deep concern that the CTBT has yet to enter into force. We join again the overwhelming number of countries in calling upon the eight Annex 2 states to ratify this,” he added.

The Annex 2 states are the 44 nations that possessed nuclear power or research reactors when they participated in the 1996 session of the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. All of them must ratify the treaty for it to enter into force.

In addition to China and the United States, six other countries have yet to sign or ratify the treaty: Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, North Korea and Pakistan.

Manalo urged the eight countries to summon the necessary political will to ratify the treaty, noting that it is already nearing universalization with 168 countries already ratifying it.

“Much work and greater concern efforts need to be done in the face of the sobering developments in the world today. Once again, we call on the remaining Annex 2 states to summon the necessary political will and take urgent steps to ratify the instruments,” he said.

“The Philippines will join fellow state signatories and the provisional secretariat in taking concrete and actionable steps to further contribute to efforts for early entry into force of the CTBT, including through the implementation of the actions contained in the final declaration and measures,” the foreign affairs official said.

Total ban

Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Friday said he would push for the Philippine ratification of the 2017 treaty that would totally prohibit nuclear weapons.

“UN passed a total ban on nuclear weapons. Will try to get it ratified since we promised neighbors that we will not tolerate the presence of nuclear weapons in Philippine territory because it violates our Constitution and the ASEAN nuclear weapons free zone treaty,” he wrote on Twitter.

The Philippines was among the signatories of the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons or the Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty, but the government has yet to ratify it.

Unlike the CTBT that requires all 44 Annex 2 states to ratify it, the total ban treaty only needs 50 ratifications for it to enter into force.

Out of the 79 signatories, 32 countries have already ratified it. No nuclear-armed country has supported it, including the eight Annex 2 states.

The Philippines is among the countries that have consistently supported the efforts for nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.

In his statement, Manalo also reiterated the joint communiqué issued by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers in July 2019 which stressed the importance of continued dialogue among all parties to achieve lasting peace and stability in a denuclearized Korean peninsula.

“We remain committed to all the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and we support the international efforts to bring about the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean peninsula,” he added.

Worsening situation

UN Secretary General António Guterres, in his message during the commemoration of International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on Thursday, noted setbacks in efforts to reduce the danger of nuclear weapons.

“I worry that we are slipping back into bad habits that will once again hold the entire world hostage to the threat of nuclear annihilation,” he said.

“Relations between nuclear-armed states are mired in mistrust. Dangerous rhetoric about the utility of nuclear weapons is on the rise. A qualitative nuclear arms race is underway,” he said.

Guterres urged countries to focus on taking steps to eliminate nuclear weapons.

“I once again call on all States to fully implement their commitments related to the non-proliferation and disarmament of nuclear weapons. Failure to do so will only further undermine the regime,” he said.

“Nuclear weapons present an unacceptable danger to humanity. Let us not forget that the only real way to eliminate the threat of nuclear weapons is to eliminate nuclear weapons themselves,” the UN chief added.