UN, Pope Francis hail launch of antinuclear treaty

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons took effect Friday — but the milestone is marred by the lack of signatures from the world's major nuclear powers.

Despite the missing participants, the occasion was marked by praise from the United Nations and even Pope Francis.

The Treaty is an important step towards the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons and a strong demonstration of support for multilateral approaches to nuclear disarmament, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement.

He praised the first multilateral nuclear disarmament treaty in more than two decades, and called on all states to work together to realize this ambition to advance common security and collective safety.

The treaty seeks to prohibit the use, development, production, testing, stationing, stockpiling, and threat of nuclear weapons.

The pope heralded the treaty's enactment during his general audience Wednesday.