Recognizing that a legally binding prohibi-
tion of nuclear weapons constitutes an impor-
tant contribution towards the achievement and
maintenance of a world free of nuclear weap-
ons, including the irreversible, veriable and
transparent elimination of nuclear weapons,
and determined to act towards that end,
Determined to act with a view to achieving
eective progress towards general and com-
plete disarmament under strict and eective
international control,
Rearming that there exists an obligation
to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclu-
sion negotiations leading to nuclear disarma-
ment in all its aspects under strict and eective
international control,
Rearming also that the full and eec-
tive implementation of the Treaty on the Non-
Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which serves
as the cornerstone of the nuclear disarmament
and non-proliferation regime, has a vital role to
play in promoting international peace and
Signature and Ratication
Treaty on the
Prohibition
of Nuclear
Weapons
Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons —
Signature and Ratication
e Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons includes
a comprehensive set of prohibitions on participating in any
nuclear weapon activities. ese include undertakings not to
develop, test, produce, acquire, possess, stockpile, use or threaten
to use nuclear weapons. e Treaty also prohibits the deployment
of nuclear weapons on national territory and the provision of
assistance to any State in the conduct of prohibited activities.
States parties will also be obliged to prevent and suppress any
activity prohibited to a State Party under this Treaty undertaken
by persons or on territory under its jurisdiction or control.
e Treaty also obliges States parties to provide adequate
assistance to individuals aected by the use or testing of nuclear
weapons as well as to take necessary and appropriate measure
of environmental remediation in areas under its jurisdiction
or control contaminated as a result of activities related to the
testing or use of nuclear weapons.
is brochure describes the procedures that States must
follow in order to sign, ratify, accept, approve or accede to this
treaty.
Included are model instruments that can be used for deposit
with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
1. Signature
e Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons will
open for signature on 20 September 2017 at United Nations
Headquarters in New York. ereafter it can be signed at United
Nations Headquarters in New York.
Under established international practice, only Heads of
State, Heads of Government or Ministers for Foreign Aairs
are empowered, by virtue of their functions, to sign multilateral
treaties on behalf of States without having to produce full powers
to that eect. Other representatives wishing to sign the Treaty
must be in possession of appropriate full powers signed by one
of these authorities. States wishing to sign the Treaty should,
as necessary, provide the required full powers in advance to the
United Nations Secretariat, Oce of Legal Aairs.
By signing the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear
Weapons, a State signals its intention to become a party to it
in the future. Once it has signed the Treaty, a State must not
take any action that would undermine its object and purpose
(see Article 18, Vienna Treaty on the Law of Treaties, 1969).
Signing the Treaty does not make the State a party to it.
Signature does not legally bind the signatory State or
require it to begin to implement the provisions of the Treaty.
To become legally bound by a multilateral treaty, a signatory
State must subsequently deposit its instrument of ratication,
acceptance or approval. at State will then become a party in
accordance with the entry into force provisions of the treaty in
question.
States that have not signed a treaty may also consent to be
bound by the treaty through the act of accession.
2. Consent to be bound (ratication,
acceptance, approval and accession)
To become party to the Treaty on the Prohibition of
Nuclear Weapons, a State must formally consent to be bound
by the Treaty. is involves two steps: action by the concerned
State at national level, and the notication to the depositary of
consent to be bound.
A. Action by the national government
At the national level, a State must agree to adhere to the
Treaty in accordance with domestic procedures for becoming
party to treaties. is usually requires discussion within the
country and action by its parliament and/or its executive.
B. Notication to the depositary
After domestic procedures have been followed and the
decision to be bound by the Treaty has been taken, a State
will need to prepare an instrument of ratication, acceptance,
approval or accession.
A State that has signed the Treaty may consent to be
bound by preparing an instrument of ratication, acceptance or
approval.
A State that has not signed the Treaty may consent to be
bound by preparing an instrument of accession.
For constitutional reasons, certain States use the terms
‘acceptance’ or ‘approval’ to describe their adherence to
multilateral treaties. ese terms have the same legal eect as
ratication and consequently express a signatory State’s consent
to be bound by a treaty.
Instruments of consent to be bound by the Treaty
(ratication, acceptance, approval or accession) must be
deposited with the Treaty’s depositary: the Secretary-General
of the United Nations (contact: Oce of Legal Aairs, Treaty
Section). e deposit of an instrument of consent to be bound
with the depositary is a pre-requisite for the entry into force of
a multilateral treaty for a State.
Some States can ratify treaties immediately, if their
domestic procedures so permit. Nothing prohibits a State from
depositing its instrument of ratication, acceptance or approval
for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons on the
same day as it signs the Treaty.
3. Entry into force
e Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons shall
enter into force 90 days after 50 States have deposited their
instrument of consent to be bound (ratication, acceptance,
approval or accession). e specic date on which the Treaty
becomes binding on a State is determined as follows:
a) For the rst 50 States that deposit instruments with
the United Nations Secretary-General, the Treaty will enter
into force 90 days after the 50th instrument of ratication,
acceptance, approval or accession is deposited.
b) For States that deposit their instrument thereafter, the
Treaty will enter into force 90 days following the date on which
they deposit their its instrument of ratication, acceptance,
approval or accession with the United Nations Secretary-
General.
4. Model instruments
Models of instruments to be deposited with the Secretary-
General of the United Nations are annexed.
A. Model Instrument of Full Powers
FULL POWERS
I, [name and title of Minister for Foreign Aairs, Head
of State or Head of Government],
HEREBY AUTHORIZE, [name and title], to sign the
Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, done at New
York on 7 July 2017, on behalf of the Government of [name
of State].
Done at [place] on [date]
[Signature]
is instrument must be signed by the Head of State, Head of Government or
Minister of Foreign Aairs.
B. Model Instrument of Ratication, Acceptance
or Approval of the Treaty on the Prohibition of
Nuclear Weapons
WHEREAS the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear
Weapons was adopted at New York on 7 July 2017 and
opened for signature at New York on 20 September 2017,
WHEREAS the said Treaty has been signed on behalf
of the Government of _____ on ______,
NOW THEREFORE I, [name and title of the Head of
State, Head of Government or Minister of Foreign Aairs],
declare that the Government of _______, having considered
the above-mentioned Treaty, raties [accepts, approves] the
same Treaty and undertakes faithfully to perform and carry
out the stipulations therein contained.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have signed this
instrument of [ratication, acceptance, approval] at _______
on _______.
[Signature] + [seal]
is instrument must be signed by the Head of State, Head of Government or
Minister of Foreign Aairs.
C. Model Instrument of Accession to the Treaty on the
Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
WHEREAS the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear
Weapons was adopted at New York on 7 July 2017,
NOW THEREFORE I, [name and title of the Head
of State, Head of Government or Minister of Foreign
Aairs], declare that the Government of _______, having
considered the above-mentioned Treaty, accedes to the same
Treaty and undertakes faithfully to perform and carry out
the stipulations therein contained.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have signed this
instrument of accession at _______ on _______.
[Signature] + [seal]
is instrument must be signed by the Head of State, Head of Government or
Minister of Foreign Aairs.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is adopted in a historic vote at the United Nations on 7 July 2017.
Enquiries on legal matters:
UN Secretariat, Office of Legal Affairs, Treaty Section
phone +1-212-963-5047, fax +1-212-963-3693
Enquiries on substantive matters:
UN Secretariat, Office for Disarmament Affairs
Enquiries on regional assistance:
UN Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa
UN Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia
info@unrcpd.org
UN Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development
in Latin America and the Caribbean
www.un.org/disarmament/ptnw/index.html
