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Swiss launches initiative to ban nuclear weapons
This move is intended to change that if the Federal Council refuses at the end of March to review its position on the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
The text supported by GSSA calls on the Federal Council to adhere to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TIAN). (illustrative graphic)
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Switzerland must accede to the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). The Alliance for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons launched a federal citizens’ initiative to this effect on Tuesday.
TIAN was negotiated within the United Nations in 2017. Switzerland played an important role in those negotiations but refused to sign it in 2018. The treaty includes a global and unequivocal ban on nuclear weapons, prohibiting the use, threat of use, production, stockpiling, acquisition, possession, deployment, transfer and testing of nuclear weapons.
The agreement, which came into force in 2021, was ratified by 70 countries, including Ireland and Austria, but not by the nuclear powers and most of their European or Western allies. The Federal Council refused to review its position at the end of March, arguing that joining TIAN was not in Switzerland’s interest.
State Councillor Carlo Sommaruga (PS/GE) recalled his motion in favour of joining the Treaty adopted by Parliament in 2018. The people must now vote to overcome the Federal Council’s refusal to implement Parliament’s will.
While nuclear disarmament remains a priority for Swiss foreign policy, “we demand that words be followed by actions”, added Annette Willi of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), a coalition of non-governmental organizations advocating for nuclear disarmament.
‘Real threat’
“The threat of nuclear weapons is real and has never been so serious in a long time,” Mr. Sommaruga said. In this context, “TIAN announces a necessary and urgent paradigm shift in the field of nuclear disarmament,” he said. “The more countries that support it, the greater the pressure on the nuclear powers.”
State Counsel Mark Yost (PEV/BE) pointed out that nuclear weapons inherently violate the principles of international humanitarian law. They kill indiscriminately, do not respect the principle of proportionality, cause unnecessary suffering, and violate the most fundamental rights to life and security.
For the committee, non-compliance with the treaty violates Switzerland’s traditions and undermines its credibility in terms of neutrality and humanitarian aid. Switzerland must actively work to promote long-term peace and security.
The initiative to ban nuclear weapons has a cross-party resonance. She also has the support of former federal MP Micheline Calmy-Rey (PS), president of Vert-es Lisa Mazzone, former national councillor Dominique de Buman (PDC/FR) and 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry winner Jacques Dubochet.
The coalition has also brought together more than 20 organizations, including ICAN and Switzerland Without an Army (GSsA). The committee must collect 100,000 signatures by January 2, 2026.
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