Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
Background
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly called the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is an international agreement that seeks to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and related technology, promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and support progress toward nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament. It applies to states that join it and establishes a framework for managing nuclear risks through shared obligations and review processes. In practice, it is the central multilateral instrument governing the global non-proliferation regime.
The treaty was negotiated between 1965 and 1968 by the Eighteen Nation Committee on Disarmament, a United Nations-sponsored body based in Geneva. It was opened for signature in 1968 and entered into force in 1970. The NPT emerged during a period when policymakers expected rapid growth in the number of nuclear-armed states, and it was designed to address that perceived proliferation threat by limiting the further spread of nuclear weapons while allowing peaceful nuclear cooperation under international safeguards.
A key feature of the treaty is its distinction between nuclear-weapon states and non-nuclear-weapon states, defining the former as those that had built and tested a nuclear explosive device before 1967: the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and China. After twenty-five years, the parties agreed in 1995 to extend the treaty indefinitely, making it a permanent part of the international arms control system. As of August 2016, 191 states were parties, while North Korea was the only state to withdraw after joining, and several other states, including India, Israel, and Pakistan, had never accepted it.
Timeline
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov discussed the upcoming 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons with the conference’s nominated president, Do Hung Viet.
Press Release: On the Meeting Between Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergei Ryabkov and the Nominated President of the 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), Do Hung VietThe parties discussed arms control and disarmament issues in connection with the NPT Review Conference.
Press Release: On the Meeting Between Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergei Ryabkov and the Nominated President of the 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), Do Hung VietThe parties also discussed Iran’s nuclear program in the context of the NPT agenda.
Press Release: On the Meeting Between Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergei Ryabkov and the Nominated President of the 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), Do Hung Viet
Documents
Press Release: On the Meeting Between Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergei Ryabkov and the Nominated President of the 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), Do Hung Viet
Russian Deputy FM Ryabkov met Vietnam's UN envoy Do Hung Viet, the nominated chair of the NPT Review Conference, to discuss arms control, disarmament, and Iran's nuclear program ahead of the April–May conference in New York.