The 2015 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons was held from 27 April to 22 May 2015 at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
The designated Chairperson of the Review Conference was Ambassador Taous Feroukhi of Algeria.
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is an international instrument whose aim is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament. The NPT represents the only binding commitment in a multilateral treaty to the goal of nuclear disarmament by the nuclear-weapon States.
Since the NPT entered into force in 1970, conferences to review the operation of the Treaty have been held at five-year intervals. Each conference has sought to find agreement on a final declaration that would assess the implementation of the Treaty’s provisions and make recommendations on measures to further strengthen it.
Since its entry into force, the NPT has been considered the cornerstone of global nuclear non-proliferation regime. With 190 States parties, including the five nuclear-weapon States, the Treaty is the most widely adhered to multilateral disarmament agreement.
The 2015 Review Conference, as envisaged, discussed a number of key issues, namely: universality of the Treaty; nuclear disarmament, including specific practical measures; nuclear non-proliferation, including the promoting and strengthening of safeguards; measures to advance the peaceful use of nuclear energy, safety and security; regional disarmament and non-proliferation; implementation of the 1995 resolution on the Middle East; measures to address withdrawal from the Treaty; measures to further strengthen the review process; and ways to promote engagement with civil society in strengthening NPT norms and in promoting disarmament education.
All the 33 States Parties to the Treaty of Tlatelolco, and therefore OPANAL Member States, are also Parties to the NPT. They actively participated in the 2015 Review Conference. The States Parties to the Treaty of Tlatelolco issued a working paper containing a series of recommendations for consideration by the 2015 NPT Review Conference (Doc.NPT/CONF.2015/WP.40).
Ambassador Luiz Filipe de Macedo Soares, OPANAL Secretary-General of OPANAL, also participated in the 2015 NPT Review Conference and, in accordance with the decisions on background documents approved by the Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) for the 2015 NPT Review Conference, submitted a memorandum (Doc. NPT/CONF.2015/5) on the activities of the Agency related to the NPT that have taken place since the 2010 Review Conference.
Once the 2015 NPT Review Conference ended, OPANAL Member States issued a joint statement on the outcome of the Review Conference (SBP/64).
(With information from the 2015 Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, by United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), © 2015 United Nations)
Statements by the Secretary-General and OPANAL Member States during the General Debate
H.E. Mr. Luiz Filipe de Macedo Soares, Secretary-General
H.E. Ms. María Cristina Perceval, Permanent Representative of Argentina to the United Nations
H.E. Mr. Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations
H.E. Mr. Alfredo Labbé, Director General of Foreign Policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile
Colombia
H.E. Ms. María Emma Mejía Vélez, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations
H.E. Mr. Juan Carlos Mendoza, Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations
H.E. Mr. Rodolfo Benítez Verson, Director of Multilateral Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba
H.E. Mr. Francisco A. Cortorreal, Permanent Representative of Dominican Republic to the United Nations
Ecuador, on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)
H.E. Mr. Xavier Lasso Mendoza, Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the United Nations
Guatemala
H.E. Ms. Mónica Bolaños, Permanent Representative of Guatemala to the United Nations
Jamaica on Behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
H.E. Mr. E. Courtenay Rattray, Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the United Nations
H.E. Mr. Juan Manuel Gómez Robledo, Vice Minister for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights (English version)
H.E. Mr. Jaime Hermida Castillo, Deputy Permanent Representative of Nicaragua to the United Nations
H.E. Ms. Laura E. Flores H., Permanent Representative of Panama to the United Nations
H.E. Mr. Federico Alberto González Franco, Permanent Representative of Paraguay to the United Nations
H.E. Mr. Gustavo Meza-Cuadra, Permanent Representative of Peru to the United Nations
H.E. Mr. Gustavo Álvarez, Director of Multilateral Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay
H.E. Mr. Rafael Ramírez, Permanent Representative of Venezuela to the United Nations