Today, the Mexican government deposited its instrument of ratification for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons with the United Nations, becoming the fourth country to ratify the treaty and confirming Mexico's leadership in promoting nuclear disarmament. The treaty already has 56 signatory States.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted by 122 countries in the UN on July 7, 2017, the result of the United Nations Conference to negotiate an instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading to their total elimination. It reflects the desire of almost three quarters of the UN membership to help eliminate nuclear weapons.
Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray signed the treaty on September 20 when it opened for signature during the high-level week of the 72nd UN General Assembly. Then, on November 28, the Senate approved the treaty with the unanimous support of all of the political forces represented there. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons will enter into force 90 days after being ratified by 50 States.
Ambassador Miguel Ruiz Cabañas, Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, deposited the instrument of ratification. With this, Mexico joins the international community in promoting its entry into force as a universal instrument and in showing that it is possible to achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world. The treaty also symbolizes the importance of involving civil society in multilateral efforts, as was seen when the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the ICAN organization (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons) for promoting the historic treaty.
Mexico will continue its constructive and inclusive efforts to rid humanity of the more that 15,000 existing nuclear weapons, along with their devastating effects. With this, Mexico continues its longstanding tradition of promoting nuclear disarmament that resulted 50 years ago in the adoption of the Treaty of Tlatelolco, which established the first nuclear-weapon-free zone in a densely populated territory.