Nations gather for nuclear nonproliferation treaty review
Political leaders and antinuclear activists from many countries came together in New York on Monday as officials set out to review the world’s key nuclear nonproliferation regime amid ongoing turmoil in Iran and elsewhere.
The focal point is whether parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) can adopt a consensus document at a time when the world order has become increasingly fluid amid Russia’s war on Ukraine and the US-Israeli war against Iran, with nuclear-armed states looking to expand their arsenals.
The last two review conferences, in 2015 and 2022, ended without such a document, much to the disappointment of those who hoped nations would come together to ensure the effectiveness of a treaty underpinning the global nonproliferation regime.
Japanese survivors
From Japan, survivors of the US atomic bombings in 1945 and their kin are in New York to call for the abolition of nuclear weapons and open an exhibit on the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the wartime attacks.
The Japanese government has sent a senior vice foreign minister to the talks, which run through May 22 at the UN headquarters.
In a message to the conference, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stressed the need for a stronger commitment to the treaty, saying the latest talks should be the first step toward dialogue to break the “vicious cycle” of an increasingly severe international security situation and growing threats posed by nuclear weapons.
“More than eight decades have passed since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Now, we face an urgent imperative to maintain and strengthen the NPT… and thereby ensure that it is passed on to future generations in an even more robust form,” she said in a message read by Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ayano Kunimitsu.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres echoed the sentiment in his speech at the opening session, drawing attention to the increasing number of nuclear warheads in the world and an alarming trend in which some countries are openly moving toward acquiring nuclear weapons.
“Disarmament is the foundation of peace, and so before it’s too late, let us break our collective amnesia around nuclear weapons,” he said.
Five countries
Under the treaty, which entered into force in 1970, five countries are allowed to have nuclear weapons—Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States—while the rest have the right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, but are forbidden from possessing nuclear weapons.
Israel, India, and Pakistan are de facto nuclear weapons states that have never been part of the treaty.
North Korea, another de facto nuclear weapons state, declared an end to its membership in 2003.
The treaty also commits each of the 191 member countries and regions to “pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures” related to working toward nuclear disarmament.
The 2015 talks ended without a final document amid disagreements over a nuclear-free Middle East.
