The United Nations has adopted a new treaty banning nuclear weapons but major global nuclear powers, including the United States, have not taken part.

At a UN conference in New York on Friday, one-hundred-41 countries adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which aims for a world without nuclear weapons.

The new treaty replaces the existing Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons or NPT.

It prohibits a full range of nuclear-weapon-related activities, such as undertaking to develop, test, produce, manufacture, acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, as well as the use or threat of use of these weapons.

The adoption was led by Austria, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa and New Zealand, among other countries.

They consider the treaty a historic achievement and expect it to pressure existing nuclear powers toward disarmament.

However, the U.S., the United Kingdom, Russia, China and France, which are all standing members of the UN Security Council and officially recognized nuclear weapons states, did not take part in the treaty. 

India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel also stayed out of the negotiations.

In light of this, critics say the effectiveness of the treaty will be limited.

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