A UN General Assembly committee has adopted a resolution to launch negotiations next year on a new treaty outlawing nuclear weapons, even as India abstained saying it is not convinced the move can lead to a comprehensive instrument on nuclear disarmament.

• The General Assembly’s First Committee, which deals with disarmament and international security, adopted the draft resolution on nuclear disarmament negotiations.
• Through the resolution, the General Assembly would reiterate that the universal objective of taking forward multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations remains the achievement and maintenance of a world without nuclear weapons.
• The resolution emphasises the importance of addressing issues related to nuclear weapons in a comprehensive, inclusive, interactive and constructive manner, for the advancement of multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations.
• It also decided to convene a United Nations conference in 2017 to negotiate a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination.
• The resolution was adopted with 123 votes in favour, 38 against and 16 abstentions.
• India attaches the highest priority to nuclear disarmament and shares with the co-sponsors the widely felt frustration that the international community has not been able to take forward multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations.
• We also share the deep concern about the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons
• India has asserted that there is no question of it joining the Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear weapon State.