What is the NPT?
Facts, Background, and Resources

The nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty became international law in 1970. At the time, there were five nuclear nuclear weapon states: China, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the USSR. Since then, India, Israel, Pakistan, and North Korea have developed nuclear weapons, and they remain the only countries outside the treaty. The NPT contains the only binding commitment to nuclear disarmament in a multilateral treaty on the part of the Nuclear Weapon States in Article VI . 

190 governments have ratified this Treaty (though there are 189 States Parties, as North Korea withdrew from the Treaty after it ratified it.) The States Parties meet every five years at a Review Conference (or RevCon) to assess the implementation of the treaty. There is a Preparatory Committee (or PrepCom) conference that meets for two weeks in the three years leading up to the Review Conference. For instance, in preparation for the 2010 Review Conference, there are three PrepComs: in 2007 (Vienna), 2008 (Geneva), and 2009 (New York). The Review Conferences always take place in New York.

During the PrepComs, many working papers are tabled, and the Chairman drafts a Final Summary statement, but none of these documents are binding. Rather, these statements, working papers, summaries, and reports are to be used as assessment tools at the Review Conference.Only the Review Conferences produce a consensus document. NGOs have become significant, visible, and important players at these conferences, and we have included the materials that they have circulated at these conferences as well.

Originally intended as a temporary treaty, the NPT stipulates that 25 years after entry into force, a conference shall be convened to decide whether or not the Treaty shall continue indefinitely, or be extended for an additional fixed period or periods. In 1995, this conference was convened, and a package of decisions extend the Treaty indefinitely.

Five years later, at the 2000 Review Conference all 187 governments - including the five official nuclear weapon states - agreed to a 13 Point Action Plan for the systematic and progressive disarmament of the world's nuclear weapons. (Available in both HTML and PDF.)

At the 2005 Review Conference, states parties could not agree on a final document, and the five week long conference was considered to be a failure. 2010 is the next chance to move forward.

Facts and background

• Text of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (html), (pdf)
• Printable Summary of NPT(pdf)
• Outstanding Issues under the NPT
• Talking Points on the NPT (html) (pdf)
• History of the NPT Process 1970 - 1995
• Package of Decisions of 1995 Review Conference
• Summary of the 1995 Review Conference
• Final Document of the 2000 Review Conference
• 13 point action plan for the systematic and progressive disarmament of the world's nuclear weapons
• Analysis of the 2005 Review Conference

• Model Nuclear Inventory: Accountability is Democracy, Transparency is Security
  A comprehensive database of all nuclear materials, both military and civilian, in the 44 States recognized as having a significant nuclear capability.
• News in Review
  NGO daily reports from preparatory committee and review conferences. 
• "Debating Disarmament: Interpreting Article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons"
  A debate between Dr. Chris Ford of the US State Department and Dr. John Burroughs of the Lawyers' Committee on Nuclear Policy
• Major Proposals to Strengthen the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
  Developed in preparation for the Seventh Review Conference of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, this resource guide aims to help NGOs,students, the media and governmental delegations understand the issues to be debated and discussed at the Review Conference. This publication looks at what proposals have been put forward, their relevance to the Treaty and where key governments stand on these issues.
• Nuclear Disarmament: What NOW?!
  RCW booklet co-sponsored by IPPNW, CND, SMLK, Rissho Kosei-Kai and the Middle Powers Initiative, with contributions from Jayantha Dhanapala, Rebecca Johnson, Senator Doug Roche, Ron McCoy, Jean DuPreez, John Burroughs, Jackie Cabasso and more.

• Abolition 2000 Network -- http://www.abolition2000.org/
• Acronym Institute -- www.acronym.org.uk
• American Nuclear Society -- http://www.ans.org/
• British American Security Information Council (BASIC) http://www.basicint.org/
  BASIC's archive includes past PrepCom and RevCon speeches, drafts, and working papers.
• Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists -- www.bullatomsci.org/issues/1990/ja90/ja90sanders.html -- a 1990 article on the NPT
• Federation of American Scientists -- www.fas.org/nuke/control/npt/index.html
• Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament -- www.cnduk.org/inform~1/treatnpt.html
• Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility -- www.ccnr.org -- This site has links to photos by Robert Del Tredici on the nuclear productions sites around the world. Also, there are animations on nuclear fission -- www.ccnr.org/breeding_ana.html
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace --http://www.ceip.org/files/nonprolif/default.asp -- Index of pages on non-proliferation
• Center for Defense Information -- www.cdi.org
  • www.cdi.org/adm/735/ -- Transcript of TV show: "NPT Dead at 25"
• Coalition to Reduce Nuclear Dangers --
  • http://www.clw.org/pub/clw/coalition/libtreat.htm-- A list of treaty documents
• Greenpeace -- www.greenpeace.org/
• IALANA -- http://www.ialana.org/site/
• Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy -- www.lcnp.org
• Institute for Defense Studies and Analysis
  • www.idsa-india.org/an-nov8-1.html -- Indian analysis on non-proliferation
  • www.idsa-india.org/an-may9-2.html. -- Survival of the non-proliferation regime
• Institute for Energy and Environmental Research -- http://www.ieer.org
• Mountbatten Centre for International Studies -- http://www.mcis.soton.ac.uk
• Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) -- http://www.sipri.se/
• Stimson Center --www.stimson.org -- Index Page
• Union of Concerned Scientists -- http://www.ucsusa.org/global_security/archive/page.cfm?pageID=1056 -- Transcript of meeting on 30th Anniversary of signing of NPT (July 1, 1998)
• Verfication, Research, Training, and Information Centre (VERTIC) -- http://www.vertic.org
• World Nuclear Association
  • http://www.world-nuclear.org -- Summary of NPT
  World Information Service on Energy -- http://www.antenna.nl/wise/beyondbomb/index.html-- A summary of a book based on a series of five international seminars in spring 1995

• Office for Disarmament Affairs (ODA) -- http://disarmament2.un.org/dda.htm
• International Atomic Energy Agency -- http://www.iaea.org/ -- Index Page
  • IAEA Safeguard System
    • http://www.iaea.org/OurWork/SV/index.html -- Strengthened Safeguard System
    • www.iaea.org/worldatom/Documents/Legal/npt.html -- Ratification information
    • www.iaea.org/worldatom/inforesource/dgspeeches/dgsp1993n07.html -- Speech on past and future of UN
• United Nations -- www.un.org
  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation Database -- Clicking this link will connect you with the search engine on the UN site, specifically to an index of all of their documents which mention the NPT.
  • 2010 Review Conference materials
• United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) http://www.unidir.org

• Canada  Canadian Nuclear Non-Proliferation Policy Briefing -- June 2, 1998, This is part of a section called "Nuclear Section" of the Dept of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
• United States
  List of Treaties -- www.state.gov/www/global/arms/bureau_ac/treaties_ac.html
  Bureau of Arms Control (formerly Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, now a branch of the US State Department)--http://www.state.gov/www/global/arms/bureauac.html-- U.S. State Department page on the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, an agency within the State Department which is responsible for bi-lateral and multilaterial negotiations.
  United States Code (Law) -- w3.pnl.gov:2080/isrc/Laws_1/t22c47.html -- This is U.S. law on nuclear non-proliferation.
  US Information Agency -- www.usia.gov/topical/pol/armsctrl -- article on NPT
  US Department of State -- US DoS has a series of links about the NPT on their page.
  The Reaching Critical Will website is listed as a resource at this link! http://www.usinfo.state.gov/topical/pol/arms/nptconf/homepage.htm

• George Washington University (USA) -- Nuclear Non-Proliferation Information
• Monterey Institute of International Studies (USA) -- The Non-Proliferation Review, Spring-Summer 1995 Issue, Vol. 2&3. "Delegates Perspectives on the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference" by Susan B. Walsh, a Senior Research Associate at the Center for Non-Proliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute. She was an advisor to the Kyrgyz delegation at the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference. For further information on nonproliferation, visit the Monterey Institute Website.
• Monterey Institute of International Studies (USA) -- Speech given on Non-Proliferation by Undersecretary for Disarmament Affairs Jayantha Dhanapala, entitled Reinforcing the NPT Regime at the International Workshop on the 2000 Conference of the Strengthened NPT Review Process on November 1, 1999. It is a comprehensive speech covering the breadth of the subject. Ambassador Dhanapala was the Chair of the 1995 Review and Extension Conference and presided over the indefinite extension decision taken at that conference. 
• New York University (USA) -- The Global Beat reprint article by Tariq Rauf and John Simpson on the 1999 NPT PrepCom. Comprehensive article, well worth reading. Authors are associated with the Monterey Institute of International Affairs 
• University of Minnisota (USA) -- Peace Resource Center 
• Technical University of Munich (Germany) -- www.frm2.tu-muenchen.de/e/presse/blumenwitz.html -- This site address the proliferation impacts of a nuclear reactor in Germany.

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