PERMANENT FIVE OF UNSC

Related Articles

SOUTH CHINA SEA

September 30, 2023

Forced labour and modern-day slavery

September 28, 2023

India and Ukraine

September 27, 2023

• Recently, the Five permanent United Nations Security Council members (China, France, Russia, the U.K. and US) pledged to prevent atomic weapons spreading and to avoid nuclear conflict.
• The pledge was made in a rare joint statement ahead of a review of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) 1970.
• The statement comes as tensions between Russia and the US have reached heights rarely seen since the Cold War over a troop build-up by Russia close to the Ukrainian border.
• The statement also comes as the world powers seek to reach agreement with Iran on reviving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) 2015 over its controversial nuclear drive, which was rendered dying by the US walking out of the accord in 2018.

Important points:

• The further spread of such weapons must be prevented. A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.
• The avoidance of war between nuclear-weapon states and the reduction of strategic risks as our foremost responsibilities.
• Nuclear weapons — for as long as they continue to exist — should serve defensive purposes, deter aggression, and prevent war.
• They intend to maintain and further strengthen their national measures to prevent unauthorised or unintended use of nuclear weapons.
• It raised concerns that tensions with the US could lead to conflict, notably over the island of Taiwan.
• China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary.
• Russia welcomed the declaration by the atomic powers and expressed hope it would reduce global tensions.

Non-Proliferation Treaty

• The NPT is an international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to foster the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to further the goal of disarmament.
• The treaty was signed in 1968 and entered into force in 1970. Presently, it has 190 member states.
• India is not a member.
• It requires countries to give up any present or future plans to build nuclear weapons in return for access to peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
• It represents the only binding commitment in a multilateral treaty to the goal of disarmament by the nuclear-weapon States.
• Nuclear-weapon states parties under the NPT are defined as those that manufactured and exploded a nuclear weapon or other nuclear explosive devices before 1st January, 1967.

India’s Stand:

• India is one of the only five countries that either did not sign the NPT or signed but withdrew later, thus becoming part of a list that includes Pakistan, Israel, North Korea, and South Sudan.
• India always considered the NPT as discriminatory and had refused to sign it.
• India has opposed the international treaties aimed at non-proliferation since they were selectively applicable to the non-nuclear powers and legitimised the monopoly of the five nuclear weapons powers.

Way Forward

Rising energy demands have led to a growing number of countries pursuing nuclear energy, and many countries wish to be energy-independent, in order to ensure a sustainable and dependable domestic energy supply. As clean energy, development, and peaceful coexistence are essential for every country.

SOURCE: THE HINDU,THE ECONOMIC TIMES,MINT