NEW YORK: The UN General Assembly adopted on Wednesday a Japan-led resolution calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons for the 29th consecutive year.

The latest resolution received 147 votes in favor and six against, with 27 abstentions.

The resolution mentioned the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which fully bans the production and possession of nuclear weapons, for the first time. It said that it notes the treaty’s entry into force in January 2021 and its first meeting of parties in June this year.

It also touched upon the review conference for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in August, which ended without the adoption of a final document due to opposition from Russia.

The resolution did not criticize Russia by name but expressed regret over the decision of a single country that caused the failure of the conference.

Separate votes were held for some items in the resolution.

Among the five major nuclear powers, the United States voted in favor of an item related to the nuclear weapons ban treaty. Britain, France and China abstained, while Russia voted against it. De facto nuclear states India, Pakistan and Israel abstained.

Meanwhile, an item on the unsuccessful NPT review conference only garnered 98 votes in support, with 54 abstaining. Nicaragua and three other countries voted against it, while the remaining countries were absent from the vote.

The resolution was adopted at a plenary session after being approved at the General Assembly’s First Committee on Disarmament and International Security at the end of October.

JIJI Press