The Swiss government remains steadfast in its refusal to ratify and sign the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Treaty (TPNW). It believes it is more beneficial to participate within the parameters of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).  In 2021, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) came into effect. It forbade the use, threat of use, production, stockpiling, acquisition, possession, deployment, transfer, testing, and support of nuclear weapons. Originating from an international initiative on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons, the TPNW formed in a 2013 meeting at Oslo that brought together 128 governments, UN agencies, other international organizations, and civil society. Four meetings were held in Vienna the following year, and then in Nayarit, Mexico. The idea for a new international treaty banning nuclear weapons emerged from these meetings because, in addition to their extreme devastation, these weapons are the cruellest, most inhumane, and most indiscriminate weapons ever made due to their radioactive fallout, which is genetically harmful and has a unique ability to persist and spread. Although 70 nations have signed the TPNW at present, the allies of nuclear-armed states have not done so. In 2018 and 2019, the government of Switzerland already turned down the proposal to join. Overall, it was determined that there were more arguments opposed to membership than in favour of it, taking into account the TPNW’s vague disarmament provisions. A working committee that analyzed data across departments and evaluations from outside specialists served as the foundation for its most recent evaluation. The Parliament adopted the postulate 22.3800 “Impact of Switzerland’s Accession to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons on Switzerland’s Foreign and Security Policy” on 27 September 2022, after the start of the conflict in Ukraine. The Federal Council decided not to alter its stance in 2024 after reviewing the working group’s report and its report in response to postulate 22.3800. Although Switzerland will no longer have access to the TPNW, it will still be an observer at States Parties meetings. The government claims that “the use of nuclear weapons would hardly be compatible with international humanitarian law.” At the UN Security Council ten days ago, Switzerland made it clear that a nuclear war should never be permitted to break out since there would be no winners. The Swiss government expressed clear support for a nuclear weapons-free world in its Foreign Policy Strategy 2024–2027. Despite the present deadlock in nuclear disarmament, Switzerland stated that it will persist in pushing the states to achieve their disarmament commitments.

The nuclear-weapon states will take some time to completely adopt the TPNW, even in the best of conditions. Even if it took more than 20 years, China and France eventually joined the NPT. Regarding the TPNW’s future, there are several good reasons for optimism. A growing number of states possessing nuclear weapons now recognize that this treaty provides them with a legally-established path towards equitable and verifiable disarmament, ultimately eliminating the existential threat that nuclear weapons represent to the global community.

The NPT, which was ratified by 191 nations, including nuclear-armed nations like the USA, Russia, China, France, and the UK, has included Switzerland as a member since 1977. The NPT is thought to be the cornerstone of both the global security framework and nuclear weapons control. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released data from 2023 showing that nine states have nuclear weapons. China has 410 warheads, followed by the USA with 5,244 and Russia with 5,889. The fact that the TPNW ignores security concerns and realities on the ground, particularly those of the nine nuclear-armed states, is a frequently expressed worry. Even though all of the nuclear weapon states were excluded from the treaty’s talks, the USA, Russia, China, France, the UK, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea have not yet ratified it because they believe it does not adequately “account for vital security considerations of each state.” Those who support the TPNW often ignore the reality that states have broken established international norms and rules throughout nuclear history, even if the norm eventually becomes the standard. For instance, Russia transferred nuclear reactors to India in 1998 even though India is not a party to the NPT, despite Russia being a party to the treaty.  Similar to this, the US has been growing closer to India in recent years because it sees India as a member of a coalition that will act as a check on China’s rise. The 2008 USA-India Nuclear Deal, in which the USA gave India access to nuclear technology for dual use even though India is not a member of the NPT, is an example of this. Similarly, the USA has been endorsing India’s bid to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, even though established nuclear regulations forbid India from being a member of the NPT. In Switzerland, there is also a contentious internal political discussion about how to achieve the aim of a nuclear weapons-free world. It seems uncertain that many will be satisfied if the treaty’s ratification vote is further delayed. Under the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the Swiss government contends that it would be more practical to commit to a world free of nuclear weapons. The government feels that this is not the right time to make a change in course for several reasons. Switzerland would be better off staying out of the TPNW given the present scenario of international affairs, where fears over security policy have returned in the wake of the latest European war. The prohibition on nuclear weapons has little impact because a majority of Western and European nations, as well as those that possess nuclear weapons, do not recognize it. The nuclear-weapon states will take some time to completely adopt the TPNW, even in the best of conditions. Even if it took more than 20 years, China and France eventually joined the NPT. Regarding the TPNW’s future, there are several good reasons for optimism. A growing number of states possessing nuclear weapons now recognize that this treaty provides them with a legally-established path towards equitable and verifiable disarmament, ultimately eliminating the existential threat that nuclear weapons represent to the global community. Nazia Sheikh