A global treaty banning nuclear weapons was adopted at the United Nations despite opposition from the United States, Britain, France and other nuclear powers that boycotted negotiations.The treaty was adopted by a vote of 122 in favour with one country the Netherlands voting against while Singapore abstained.
Costa Rica’s ambassador, Elayne Whyte Gomez, the president of the UN conference that negotiated the treaty said we have managed to sow the first seeds of a world free of nuclear weapons.
None of the nine countries that possess nuclear weapons the United States, Russia, Britain, China, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel took part in the negotiations or the vote.Even Japan the only country to have suffered atomic attacks, in 1945 boycotted the talks as did most NATO countries.
Nuclear powers argue their arsenals serve as a deterrent against a nuclear attack and say they remain committed to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).