The Maldives is now an official signatory to the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (UN TPNW) as the treaty entered into force on Friday.

Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid made the announcement in a Tweet, stating that like other member-states of the UN, Maldives was a signatory of the TPNW, and that the treaty entering into force was a crucial and historic step towards a nuclear weapon-free world.

The Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted at the United Nations on 7 July 2017 with 122 states voting in favor, but entered into force on 21 January 2021.

The aim of the treaty is to mandate a complete and comprehensive ban on nuclear weapons for member states. Nations who wish to enter into the treaty cannot develop nuclear weapons, or assist, encourage or induce anyone to engage in any activity prohibited under the treaty. Further, nations who have access to nuclear weapons at the time of their entry into the treaty must develop plans to join and then suitably destroy the nuclear weapons in question, or do so before they choose to enter into the treaty.

Speaking to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons last year, Foreign Minister Shahid reaffirmed that the Maldives would never, engage in the production of weapons in any form, noting that the country had been one of the first to become a signatory for the UN Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Maldives is an active partner in ensuring regional security in the South Asian Region, and is associated closely with UN efforts to do so. The nation has thus far acceded to the Arms Trade Treaty in addition to becoming a signatory on the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons