Why efforts to secure a deal on banning all nuclear weapons is so crucial

States started negotiations on nuclear disarmament in 1946, after atom bombs were dropped on Japan

Last week negotiations to ban nuclear weapons started in New York. The talks came as a result of United Nations General Assembly resolution adopted in December last year.

The resolution takes forward multilateral negotiations on complete nuclear disarmament.

States started negotiations on nuclear disarmament in 1946, a year after the atom bombs were dropped on Japan. But the talks faltered as the Cold War warmed up.

Fearing that the spread of nuclear weapons would make those states that had them even more reluctant to give