DFA Commemorates the Entry into Force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in the Philippines
Ambassador Libran N. Cabactulan (bottom right) with the other Resource Speakers (L-R): Director Raphael S.C. Hermoso (DFA-ASPAC), Ms. Georgia Hinds (ICRC), Mr. Tim Wright (ICAN), and Dr. Jasmin Nario-Galace (CPE) (Source: DFA-UNIO)
PASAY CITY 20 MAY 2021 - The Department of Foreign Affairs - Office of United Nations and International Organizations (DFA-UNIO), in cooperation with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) – Philippines, and the Center for Peace Education (Miriam College), hosted a Webinar on the Entry into Force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), via Zoom on 19 May 2021, to commemorate the entry into force (EiF) of the TPNW in the Philippines on the same day.
Resource speakers include Ambassador Libran N. Cabactulan, President of the 2010 NPT Review Conference and Former Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York; Mr. Raphael S.C. Hermoso, Member of the 2010 NPT RevCon Philippine Delegation and former First Committee Expert of the Philippine Mission to the UN in New York; Dr. Jasmin Nario-Galace, Former Executive Director of the Center for Peace Education, Miriam College; Ms. Georgia Hinds, Head of Legal Department, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC); and Mr. Tim Wright, Treaty Coordinator, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). The webinar, which was attended by a total of 475 participants through the Zoom platform, was also livestreamed in the Department’s Official Facebook and Youtube Page.
Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr., delivered the keynote address congratulating everyone on the Entry into Force (EIF) for the Philippines of the TPNW. Sec. Locsin reaffirmed the Philippines’ principled policy and commitment towards the complete prohibition of nuclear weapons, as enshrined in the relevant provisions of the Philippine Constitution, and the Treaty. The Secretary further stressed the need to continue positive engagement and negotiations with the P5 and nuclear armed states, and encourage universalization and increased ratification of the treaty.
Under the theme “Discussions on the Entry into Force of the TPNW and the next steps for the Philippines as a State Party”, the webinar discussed perspectives on how the concept of “humanitarian consequences of the use of nuclear weapons” was brought to the fore during the 2010 Philippine Presidency of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference and paved the way for UN member states to commence negotiations of a nuclear ban treaty. It further looked into the implications of the EiF of the TPNW to the Philippines and its obligations as a State Party to the treaty, and delved into the participation of civil society groups in the ratification of the treaty in the Philippines and their insights for its effective implementation.
The TPNW is historic as it is the first legally-binding international agreement to prohibit nuclear weapons. It addresses the legal gap in the prohibition and elimination of what was heretofore the only type of weapon of mass destruction without an international treaty. The Treaty was adopted on 7 July 2017 by the UN conference to negotiate a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination, held in New York in 2017.
The Philippines, signed the treaty when it was opened for signature on 20 September 2017, at the United Nations in New York during the sidelines of the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The Philippines deposited its Instrument of Ratification on 18 February 2021.
Currently, the TPNW has 54 States Parties, and 86 Signatory States. END
Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro L Locsin, Jr. delivers the Keynote Address during the Webinar on the Entry into Force of Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, 19 May 2021. (Source: DFA-UNIO)
Poster of the Webinar on the Entry into Force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (Source: DFA-UNIO)