WHAT is the NPT?
The nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is a multilateral
treaty with three main pillars:
“Non-nuclear weapon states”—those that
do not possess nuclear weapons—agreed to not seek
or manufacture nuclear weapons and agreed to accept safeguards
on their nuclear activities;
All states, including the five “nuclear weapon
states”—the United States, Russian Federation,
United Kingdom, France, and China—agreed to pursue
negotiations toward nuclear disarmament; and
All states agreed to recognize the “right”
to develop and use nuclear energy without discrimination.
WHEN did it start?
The NPT was negotiated between 1957 and 1968. It opened for
signature on 1 July 1968 and entered into force on 5 March
1970.
WHO is part of it?
190 states have ratified the NPT, becoming “states parties”
to the Treaty. India, Israel, and Pakistan have not signed
or ratified the Treaty and have developed nuclear weapons
since its entry into force. North Korea did ratify the Treaty
but announced its withdrawal in 2003.
HOW has the NPT functioned?
NPT states parties meet every five years to “review
the progress of the Treaty”. Review Conferences convened
in 1975, 1980, 1985, and 1990. For an historical overview
of the NPT review process from 1975–1995, please see
www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/npt/history.html.
In 1995, the Review Conference also addressed the
question of extending the Treaty past its initial 25 years.
States
parties at the 1995 Review and Extension Conference agreed
to a package of decisions:
1. Strengthening the review process and providing for intercessional
Preparatory Committees;
2. Adopting principles and objectives for achieving nuclear
non-proliferation and disarmament;
3. Extending the Treaty indefinitely; and
4. Adopting a resolution on the Middle East.
In 2000, states parties at the Review Conference
adopted thirteen progressive and systematic steps to implement
the nuclear disarmament obligation in the Treaty and the decisions
reached at the 1995 conference.
In 2005, states parties failed to agree on an outcome
document, largely because of disagreement between nuclear
weapon states and non-nuclear weapon states, with the former
emphasizing the importance of strengthening nonproliferation
efforts and focusing on specific cases of actual and suspected
non-compliance with the Treaty, and the latter emphasizing
the importance of compliance with and implementation of past
disarmament obligations. Developments outside the review process
also prevented progress, including the failure to bring into
force the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the United States’
withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, and the
failure of states to commence negotiations on a treaty banning
the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons.
What’s next?
The next Review Conference will meet in New York in April–May
2010. The third and final Preparatory Committee for this conference
will meet from 4–15 May 2009 in New York.
Items currently under consideration during this review process
include:
Implementation of the 1995 and 2000 nuclear disarmament
commitments;
Operationalization of the 1995 resolution on the Middle
East;
Entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty;
Commencement of negotiations of a fissile materials treaty;
Qualitative and quantitative improvement of nuclear forces
by the nuclear weapon states;
Universalization of the Treaty;
“Negative security assurances”;
The nuclear programmes of North Korea, Iran, and Syria;
Establishing a reporting mechanism for nuclear disarmament;
and
Establishing a standing NPT secretariat.
To get involved in the review process, first subscribe
to Reaching Critical Will’s General E-News Advisory
by emailing info[at]reachingcriticalwill.org
with the subject line “subscribe enews”. Through
this free service, you will receive information on how to
participate directly in the Preparatory Committee and Review
Conference and on how to advocate and educate for nuclear
disarmament locally.
If you come to New York, you can attend all plenary meetings
of the NPT conference, hold and attend side events, and interact
with government and civil society delegates from all over
the world.
However, the most effective advocacy for the NPT and nuclear
disarmament can be done from your home. There are plenty
of opportunities for active involvement with NPT conferences
even if you can’t make it to New York:
Make an appointment with your Foreign Ministry or
equivalent. Urge your Foreign Minister to attend the
conference, reminding them that they represent you. Call
your representatives in New York and Geneva, to let them
know that you are paying attention, and that you are demanding
nuclear disarmament. Use our Governmental Contact Database
for their information: www.reachingcriticalwill.org/resources/govcontacts/govindex.html
Call your local media. Publicize your views and
your government’s policies, and let them know what’s
happening at the Conference on Disarmament and the NPT conferences.
Talk to and engage your friends, family, neighbours,
local representatives, community groups, schools, and churches
about the issues.
Once the NPT meeting is in session, you can read what
your government did or did not say. We post all statements,
working papers, non-papers, reports, NGO statements, and
official documents on our website in near real-time: www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/npt/2009index.html
