Context: Recently, the Five permanent United Nations Security Council members (China, France, Russia, the U.K. and US) pledged to prevent atomic weapons spreading and to avoid nuclear conflict.

• The statement issued after NPT review was postponed due to COVID-19.

Key Points

• They pledged to further strengthen national measures to prevent unauthorised or unintended use of nuclear weapons.
• They stated that nuclear weapons should serve only defensive purposes, deter aggression, and prevent war.
• The declaration by the atomic powers could help reduce global tensions amid the rapid developments taking place in global geopolitics.

Objectives and need behind the move

• This common statement on a major issue of global security has become a rarity at a time of increasing friction between Russia, China and the west. 
• With Moscow threatening to invade Ukraine and China signaling its readiness to use military force against Taiwan.

The existence of 13,000 nuclear weapons worldwide as a growing threat, with the risk they could be used higher than at any time since the Cold War.

• The joint statement represents a renewed commitment to prevent any confrontation turning into a nuclear catastrophe.
• The idea that any nuclear war would be unwinnable was evoked by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and then US president Ronald Reagan in 1985 but this was the first time it had been raised by these five powers,
• It would “help increase mutual trust and replace competition among major powers with coordination and cooperation”.
• It will help reduce the level of international tensions.

Arguments in favour of preventing  nuclear weapons spread

• Catastrophic harm: Nuclear weapons wreak devastation and have long-term radiation effects that affect future generations as well.
• Humanitarian: The very nature of destruction emanating from the use of nuclear weapons is against the very spirit of humanity. 
• Ethical: Nuclear weapons do not discriminate between armed personals and civilians. Unleashing nuclear weapons will lead to large scale loss of innocent lives and non-combatants which is ethical unacceptable even in times of war.
• Economical: While nuclear arsenal may have lower costs of development, the cost of the system as a whole and its maintenance can be exorbitant.
• Environmental: The radioactive fallout from nuclear processes is detrimental to environment and affects nations across borders.
• Huge Proliferation risk: Proliferation is the risk that states that have nuclear weapons increase their weapon stockpiles or that new states become nuclear-armed to match their enemies.
• Terrorist threat: Large stockpiles of nuclear weapons can be misused by terrorists or some rouge elements to compel the governments to give in to their demands.
• Usage in warfare: There is a possibility that during times of escalating bilateral disputes, some country may use nuclear weapons as pre-emptive deterrence. This can cause a domino effect with the other country firing in retaliation

Challenges linked to it 

• Security imperatives: Nations have shown more tendency to attach to nuclear power by giving credence to emerging perceived threats and therefore consider their own security imperatives.
• Global efforts: There is a lack of progress towards universal nuclear disarmament internationally.
• Nuclear deterrence: The biggest argument is that of deterrence. Supporters of nuclear weapons say that these weapons are effective as they deter the enemy from making massive moves for fear of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) if the issue goes nuclear.
• Scientific and Technological: Even if complete disarmament was achieved, the knowledge of the explosive nuclear weapons would continue and more weapons can be created anytime.
• Arsenal dismantling: To dismantle tens of thousands of weapons, to account for all the quantity of fissile material and placing it under safeguards, to verify each other's cuts decommission idle military nuclear facilities, etc. would stretch scientific and engineering capacities

India’s stand

• India has always been an ardent supporter of multilateral nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation efforts.
• India proposed a comprehensive proposal for “complete and universal nuclear disarmament” to the UN General Assembly Special Session on Disarmament in 1988.
• In 1996, India, one amongst the “Group of 21”, submitted a Programme of Action calling for “phased elimination of nuclear weapons” to the Conference of Disarmament.
• India reiterated its commitment to a Nuclear Weapons Convention calling for a verifiable and non-discriminatory elimination of all nuclear weapons.
• India’s decision to not sign the 1968 “discriminatory” nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) and, a few years later, to conduct a “peaceful nuclear test”, questions its credibility as a serious proponent of nuclear disarmament but India always claims complete disarmament and not in favour of partial disarmament which NPT defines.

Road Ahead

• Nuclear weapons – for as long as they continue to exist – should serve defensive purposes, deter aggression, and prevent war.
• The Global Community needs to work with all states to create a security environment more conducive to progress on disarmament.
• Countries should maintain and further strengthen their national measures to prevent unauthorised or unintended use of nuclear weapons.
• India must continue its campaign against the current discriminatory non-proliferation order and strive for a more rules-based, legally-backed and consensus-driven order governing nuclear disarmament.
• Further, India must continue to maintain its credibility as a responsible nuclear stakeholder.
• India’s nuclear weapons have and will continue to remain weapons of last resort to fulfil only one objective- deterring its adversaries from using nuclear weapons first.
• At the same time, the applications and possibilities of use of nuclear technology peacefully must be promoted.

Additional Information
Non-Proliferation Treaty(NPT) 

• The NPT is an international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to foster the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to further the goal of disarmament.
• The treaty was signed in 1968 and entered into force in 1970. Presently, it has 190 member states. India is not a member.