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STORY: UN / NUCLEAR WEAPONS TREATY
TRT: 02:03
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENLGISH / SPANISH / NATS
DATELINE: 20 SEPTEMBER 2017, NEW YORK CITY
20 SEPTEMBER 2017, NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, UNHQ exterior
2. Wide shot, meeting room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“The Treaty is an important step towards the universally-held goal of a world free of nuclear weapons. It is my hope that it will reinvigorate global efforts to achieve it. Today we rightfully celebrate a milestone. Now we must continue along the hard road towards the elimination of nuclear arsenals.”
4. Wide shot, dais
5. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Luis Guillermo Solís, President, Costa Rica:
“Today we can all say proudly to our children that the majority of the international community acted with determination to express our unwavering commitment ethically, morally, politically, and legally to ensure that never again, never again, will any single human being in any society around the world be a victim of the use of nuclear weapons.”
6. Wide shot, meeting room
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Peter Maurer, President, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC):
“The treaty alone will not make nuclear weapons disappear overnight, but it delegitimizes their role in the world and provides a strong distinctive disincentive for their proliferation. The treaty signals to all that any development, modernizing, testing, threat, or plan to use nuclear weapons by anyone is unacceptable.”
8. Wide shot, meeting room
9. UPSOUND (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, I know declare the treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons open for signature.”
10. Wide shots, delegates clapping
11. Wide shot, President of Brazil signing treaty
12. Med shot, ambassador of New Zealand signing treaty
13. Wide shot, South African President signing treaty
14. Med shot, Uruguayan ambassador signing treaty
15. Wide shot, Foreign Minister of Lichtenstein signing treaty
16. Wide shot, meeting room
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons has been opened for signature at the United Nations Headquarter in New York today (20 Sep) marking the first multilateral disarmament treaty in more than two decades.
According to the UN spokesperson’s office, 42 countries have signed the treaty as of this morning and more countries are expected to sign throughout the day. Speaking at the opening event, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the Treaty is an “important step towards the universally-held goal of a world free of nuclear weapons” and hoped it will reinvigorate global efforts to achieve it. He noted that more work remains to be done along “the hard road towards the elimination of nuclear arsenals” which will require dialogue, bridge-building and practical steps.
Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo said the majority of the international community today acted with determination to express their “unwavering commitment ethically, morally, politically, and legally to ensure that never again, never again, will any single human being in any society around the world be a victim of the use of nuclear weapons.” He expressed regret that countries using nuclear weapons as a deterrent decided not to join the treaty as of yet. Guillermo called on all international actors to take concrete steps towards nuclear prohibition.
President of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Peter Maurer said the treaty alone will not make nuclear weapons disappear overnight, but it “delegitimizes their role in the world and provides a strong distinctive disincentive for their proliferation.” He recalled the cable the ICRC received after the atomic attack on Hiroshima and hoped that it will never receive such a cable again. He said if a nuclear attack were to occur today, there is not humanitarian capacity that could deal with such a catastrophe.
The Treaty was adopted by the General Assembly in July and is open for signature today. It prohibits a full range of nuclear-weapons related activities including developing, testing, producing, manufacturing, acquiring, possessing and stockpiling all types of nuclear weapons.
