ABSTRACT
Nuclear weapons are the most destructive, inhumane and indiscriminate weapons ever conceived. The detonation of a single nuclear weapon over a city could kill millions of people and leave behind a long-lasting residue of lethal radioactivity Decisions on multilateral nuclear disarmament at Non-Proliferation Treaty review conferences have always required consensus. This effectively acted as a veto. The humanitarian initiative provided evidence that nuclear weapons cause death and displacement on a catastrophic scale and potentially irreversible damage to health, the environment and the social order. The world has for long focused on a comprehensive binding treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons and provide for their elimination. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons will provide a strong entry point for states like Malaysia to criticise the legitimacy and wisdom of investing in nuclear weapons which most states consider to be immoral, unacceptable and illegal.
