Joint Statement of States Parties to the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty

Delivered by New Zealand

1. Thank you Chair.

2. It is my honour to deliver this statement on behalf of States Parties to the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, also known as the Treaty of Rarotonga: Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

3. The Treaty of Rarotonga was adopted in 1985 in response to the devastation of decades of nuclear testing in our region. The Treaty established the world’s second zone of its kind in a populated area, and contained an additional provision prohibiting the dumping of radioactive waste and radioactive matter in the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone.

4. The Treaty of Rarotonga stands as a symbol of our region’s steadfast opposition to nuclear weapons. The scars of nuclear testing continue to mark our people and environment, and reinforce to our countries the unacceptable humanitarian costs and risks posed by nuclear war.

5. Our Zone is a concrete contribution to international disarmament and non-proliferation efforts. We speak today at this Preparatory Committee to reaffirm our commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and its objectives. We express our deep concern at the lack of progress on disarmament, and repeat here the call made by States Parties to the Treaty of Rarotonga at the 2022 NPT Review Conference for all nuclear-weapon States to implement their disarmament obligations under Article VI of the NPT and honour the commitments made, including those emanating from past NPT Review Conferences.

6. We also reaffirm our commitment to all review pillars of the NPT. Our members, in adopting the Rarotonga Treaty, recognised the linkages between the three pillars. Indeed, our Treaty contains a provision requiring States Parties to “support the continued effectiveness of the international non-proliferation system based on the NPT and the IAEA safeguards system”.

7. The safe and secure shipment of radioactive material remains important to our region and to our Blue Pacific. We again strongly urge all non-nuclear weapon States to fully comply with the NPT requirement to accept safeguards on peaceful nuclear activities, and all related international law obligations relating to nuclear safety, to ensure the prevention of harm to our ocean, particularly from radioactive disasters and the transboundary spread of radioactive material and radioactive waste.

8. I reiterate our Leaders’ urging for the United States to ratify all Protocols to the Treaty of Rarotonga. We previously welcomed the announcement by the US of its intention to do so and look forward to indications of progress in this regard.

9. Given the legacy of nuclear testing in our region, I also take this opportunity to highlight the importance of the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. I repeat our call made for the remaining States to sign and ratify the Treaty, in particular those States whose ratification is required to bring the Treaty into legal effect.

10. I note the 2021 entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and its second meeting of States Parties to the Treaty in late 2023.

11. States Parties to the Rarotonga Treaty stand resolutely committed to a nuclear weapon-free world. It is our firm hope that this Preparatory Committee makes progress to this end.