News:
New Zealand has joined a group of prominent nuclear disarmament supporters to issue a statement commemorating 50 years of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Under the leadership of Malaysia, others signing today’s Joint Communique include: Algeria, Austria, Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, Costa Rica, Egypt, Indonesia, Ireland, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Philippines, South Africa and Thailand.
The Communique signals the importance of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the 50th anniversary of its entry into force. The Group calls on all States to implement the Treaty fully, so that its promise of a nuclear weapon-free world can be realised.
This anniversary was to have coincided with the Treaty’s five-yearly Review Conference. That meeting, originally scheduled to take place in New York this month, has been postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
New Zealand has been a long-standing supporter of international efforts to advance nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. We remain steadfast in our promotion of the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the treaty which builds upon the NPT to include a global prohibition on nuclear weapons. New Zealand is also a long-standing supporter of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which seeks to establish a regime to end to nuclear testing.
Ahead of the rescheduled NPT Review Conference, we will continue work to:
- Achieve much-needed progress in implementing the Treaty’s disarmament obligation;
- Advance the outcomes agreed at previous Review Conferences, including as a member of the New Agenda Coalition and of the De-alerting Group;
- Promote adoption of a set of realistic actions at the Review Conference, including as a member of the recent Stepping Stones’ initiative(external link). These actions would help to rebuild trust among States Party to the NPT and move the dial forward on achieving our shared disarmament goals.
Despite the challenges Covid-19 is presenting for us all in 2020, we continue to work alongside all NPT States Party, including the Nuclear Weapon States. We will continue to highlight the importance of nuclear disarmament in improving international security, and to celebrate the successes that have been achieved since the NPT entered into force.
It is in this spirit of optimism that we stand alongside other important supporters of nuclear disarmament in marking 50 years of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. We look forward to meeting together as States Party as soon as possible.
You can find a full copy of the Joint Communique issued here [PDF, 396 KB].