The Philippine government has deposited the instrument of ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) or the Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty on Feb. 18, 2020, making the Philippines the 53rd state to ratify the said accord.

In a statement dated Feb. 23, 2020, the Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York said the TPNW would represent efforts towards the universalization of global norms against nuclear weapons.

“For the Philippines, the nuclear ban treaty fortifies the nuclear disarmament architecture. It represents the universalization of the hope for the elimination of nuclear weapons, and is in line with the specific provision of the Philippine Constitution and the Treaty on the South-East Asian Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone,” it said.

The Philippines signed the Treaty on Sept. 20, 2017 in New York.

Last Feb. 21, 2020, the Philippine Senate adopted the resolution concurring with the ratification of the TPNW.

The resolution was introduced and sponsored by Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel 3rd, co-sponsored by all other senators, and was unanimously adopted with 23 votes.

According to the Philippine Mission, the TPNW entered into force on Jan. 22, 2021 when the 50th State submitted its Instrument of Ratification.

Under the provisions of the treaty, the first meeting of the States Parties to the Treaty will be held in Vienna, Austria within one year of the accord’s entry into force. The date of the meeting has yet to be set.