On Jan. 22, 2021, the TPNW entered into force. The first Meeting of States Parties (1MSP) is to be held within one year of its entry into force (Article 8). Due to the impact of Covid-19, the meeting was postponed but at last will be held on 21-23 June 2022, in Vienna, Austria. This will be preceded by ICAN Nuclear Ban Forum on June 18 and 19, and the 2022 Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons, organized by the Austrian government, on June 20. For side events, meetings and conferences, see here and here.

Although nuclear weapons states and their allies are opposed to the TPNW, several NATO countries have expressed their willingness to attend 1 MSP as observers. Apparently, Japan, “the only country suffering from atomic bombings during war” will not participate in 1 MSP. Instead, it is reported that it will participate in the conference hosted by Austria.

Preparatory work for the 1MSP is underway by all concerned. In particular, Kiribati and Kazakhstan have already issued a joint statement on victim assistance and environmental remediation, and expressed their intention to prepare a working paper for 1MSP. Victims of the use or testing of nuclear weapons are sharing their experiences and identifying their needs.

This site also aims to contribute to the discussion of this issue at 1MSP.