On February 15, 2018, the “Regional Consultations on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT): Towards PrepCom 2018” were held in Mexico City.
The regional consultations, organized by the Governments of Mexico and Poland, had the objective of promoting and encouraging debate between the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean regarding the Second Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, from April 23 to May 4, 2018 and will be chaired by Poland.
At the same time, the consultations aimed to create a platform for the Chairman of the Preparatory Committee to gather ideas, regional perspectives and conduct consultations in the period leading up to the Preparatory Committee.
Ambassador Luiz Filipe de Macedo Soares, Secretary General of OPANAL, participated as a speaker in Panel II: The NPT Review Cycle – The Regional Perspectives (NPT challenges and opportunities for the GRULAC region. What is the relationship between the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and the NPT? Experience from 50 years of Tlatelolco and the establishment of NWFZ – Priorities for GRULAC region for the success of the 2020 NPT Review Conference). View intervention of the Secretary General.
The 2018 Preparatory Committee is open to all States Parties to the NPT and is responsible for addressing substantive and procedural issues related to the Treaty and the 2020 NPT Review Conference. The designated President for the second session is the Ambassador Adam Bugajski of Poland.
The NPT entered into force in 1970 and was extended indefinitely in 1995. A total of 191 States have ratified the NPT. The Treaty is considered the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime and an essential foundation for nuclear disarmament. It was designed to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons, promote the objectives of nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament, and promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.