Résumé:
This dissertation analyzes the 2017 UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
(TPNW) and its potential impacts on global efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) related to poverty, health, inequality, environment, and peacebuilding. It argues that
nuclear disarmament as called for in the TPNW can facilitate sustainable development, despite the
lack of an explicit linkage in the treaty text itself. Through textual analysis and data on resource
reallocation, climate impacts, and development indicators, the study demonstrates that nuclear
weapons pose immense barriers to SDG targets across themes of economic growth, clean energy,
gender equality, reduced hazards, and strong institutions. The study then explores the tensions
between the TPNW and the United States' long-standing nuclear deterrence policy, considering
the challenges and opportunities presented by the treaty. Through a detailed case study of US
nuclear policy, the research investigates potential areas of conflict and possible paths for
reconciliation between the TPNW's disarmament goals and the perceived security benefits of
nuclear deterrence. The dissertation concludes by evaluating implementation challenges while
affirming complementarity between the TPNW’s prohibition framework and poverty reduction,
good health/environmental wellbeing, and peaceful societies – amidst resistance from nuclear
weapons states. It brings new evidence demonstrating that nuclear prohibition treaties can produce
positive externalities helping realize the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
