UN adopts India sponsored resolutions on nuclear disarmament

The first committee of the United Nations General Assembly has adopted two India-sponsored resolutions on nuclear disarmament which aim to reduce risk of nuclear accidents and call for a prohibition on the use of nuclear weapons. 

The UNGA first committee deals with the issue of disarmament and works in close cooperation with the United Nations Disarmament Commission and the Geneva-based Conference on Disarmament, the other two bodies to deal with the nuclear issue.

The two resolutions adopted are-- ‘Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Nuclear Weapons’ and ‘Reducing Nuclear Danger’ under the ‘Nuclear weapons’ cluster. The adoption of resolutions, sources say shows "India’s commitment towards the goal of nuclear disarmament."

The resolution on “Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Nuclear Weapons” was backed by a majority of UN Members and was tabled by India since 1982. It calls for Conference on Disarmament to start negotiations on an international convention prohibiting the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances. 

The aim is that a universal and legally binding agreement would generate the necessary global "political will" that can lead to the total elimination of nuclear weapons.

One such treaty which has been proposed in the past is Nuclear Weapons Convention that outlaws nuclear weapons but negotiations on it are inactive at the Conference on Disarmament. Conference on Disarmament, while not a UN body, is linked with it in various ways and formed to negotiate arms control and disarmament agreements

The resolution on “Reducing Nuclear Danger” which was tabled since 1998 puts focus on "unintentional or accidental use" of nuclear weapons and underscore the need for a review of nuclear doctrines. The resolution asks for "concrete steps" to reduce such risks, including through "de-alerting and de-targeting of nuclear weapons."