A Huge Step Towards Peace

On January 22nd the 2017 UN Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW aka 'the Nuclear Ban Treaty') will come into force, making nuclear weapons illegal under international law.

Hebden Royd Town Council was the third UK Council to support the ICAN Cities Appeal and the TPNW.

Mayor of Hebden Royd, Cllr Val Stevens said: "The Town Council is an active member of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki-led organisation Mayors for Peace, which have been working for almost four decades to promote multilateral nuclear disarmament."

The Treaty was adopted at the UN in New York on July 27th 2017 and opened for signature on 20th September of the same year. Since then, 51 states have ratified it and a further 86 have signed it. None of the nuclear weapon states have signed and the UK, US and France have refused to participate and even tried to influence others not to. However, as well as being a victory for grassroots campaigning and an illustration of what people power can produce, the TPNW is a breakthrough in international disarmament efforts and will undoubtedly generate momentum towards global nuclear abolition.

Groups and supporters around the region were also planning events for January 22nd but these have had to be restrained because of the current lockdown.

The Mayor added: "To celebrate the Ban Treaty entering into force I will be attending a Zoom meeting with Calder Valley CND and others on Thursday 21st January, the eve of the ban, by hoisting flags and banners from our homes."

Added: Thursday, 21 January 2021

Photos from Hebden Royd