Afghanistan
Afghanistan voted in favour of adopting the TPNW at the UN Diplomatic Conference on 7 July 2017, but has not yet adhered to the Treaty. Afghanistan maintains policies and practices that are compliant with all of the prohibitions in Article 1 of the Treaty, and can therefore sign and ratify it without making changes to existing practices or policies.
| TPNW status |
|---|
| Not signed, not ratified, not acceded |
| Compatibility with prohibitions in TPNW Article 1(1) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Art 1(1)(a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compatible |
| Test | Compatible | |
| Possess or stockpile | Compatible | |
| Art 1(1)(b) | Transfer | Compatible |
| Art 1(1)(c) | Receive transfer or control | Compatible |
| Art 1(1)(d) | Use | Compatible |
| Threaten to use | Compatible | |
| Art 1(1)(e) | Assist, encourage or induce | Compatible |
| Art 1(1)(f) | Seek or receive assistance | Compatible |
| Art 1(1)(g) | Allow stationing, installation, deployment | Compatible |
| TPNW voting and participation | |
|---|---|
| Vote on negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Voted yes |
| Participated in treaty negotiations (% women) | Yes (0%) |
| Vote on adoption of treaty text | Voted yes |
| Last vote on UNGA resolution | Voted yes |
| Fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Fissile material production facilities | No |
| Highly enriched uranium stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks (military/civilian) | No/No |
| Related treaties and regimes | |
|---|---|
| Party to the NPT | Yes |
| Party to a NWFZ | No |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes |
| Party to the PTBT | Yes |
| Member of the CD | No |
| IAEA CSA in force | Yes |
| IAEA AP in force | Yes |
| Party to the CWC | Yes |
| Party to the BWC | Yes |
Latest developments
Afghanistan voted in favour of the UN General Assembly resolutions on the TPNW in 2019 and 2020. In First Committee of the 2020 UN General Assembly, Afghanistan said: 'The situation of nuclear disarmament remains at an impasse and a source of great concern in the context of international peace and security. A new focus and commitment is needed on the part of international community to reverse the trend and pave the ground for the decrease and total elimination of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction.' As a member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), Afghanistan also aligned itself with the group's statement in First Committee in 2020, which said: 'NAM welcomes multilateral efforts towards nuclear disarmament and the total elimination of nuclear weapons. Moreover, NAM takes note of the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons on 7 July 2017. It is hoped that, when entered into force, the Treaty would contribute to furthering the agreed global objective of total elimination of nuclear weapons.' See: bit.ly/2INXAVj, bit.ly/3kSkWGC.
Recommendations
- Afghanistan should urgently sign and ratify the TPNW, and encourage other states to adhere to the Treaty.