Bangladesh
During the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly in September 2023, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, said: ‘We are party to all major disarmament and non-proliferation treaties including the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.’[1]
TPNW Status
| TPNW Article 1(1) prohibitions: Compliance in 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compliant |
| Test | Compliant | |
| Possess or stockpile | Compliant | |
| (b) | Transfer | Compliant |
| (c) | Receive transfer or control | Compliant |
| (d) | Use | Compliant |
| Threaten to use | Compliant | |
| (e) | Assist, encourage or induce | Compliant |
| (f) | Seek or receive assistance | Compliant |
| (g) | Allow stationing, installation, deployment | Compliant |
| TPNW voting and participation | |
|---|---|
| UNGA resolution on TPNW (latest vote) | Voted yes (2023) |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | Yes |
| 1MSP delegation size (% women) | 4 (0%) |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | Voted yes |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | Yes |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Voted yes |
| Other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) treaties | |
|---|---|
| Party to an NWFZ | No |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Acceded 1979) |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2000, Annex 2 state) |
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Acceded 1985) |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1997) |
| IAEA safeguards and fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Safeguards agreement | Yes (11 Jun 1982) |
| TPNW Art 3(2) deadline | N/A |
| Small Quantities Protocol | No |
| Additional Protocol | Yes |
| Enrichment facilities/reprocessing plants | No |
| HEU stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
Latest developments
Bangladesh participated in the Second Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW (2MSP) in November and December 2023. ‘The historic milestone reached on 22 January 2021, with the entry into force of the Treaty, signifies the culmination of a 75-year-long aspiration for a world free of nuclear weapons, offering a beacon of hope for humanity,’ it said. ‘We firmly believe that the TPNW will make significant progress toward achieving the universally agreed goal of the complete elimination of nuclear weapons.’2
It urged all States that have not yet ratified the TPNW to do so, in order ‘to contribute to our collective commitment to building a safer and more secure world’, and it emphasised the need to ‘stand against nuclear deterrence in military and security concepts, doctrines and policies’ and to work for the TPNW’s universality and effective implementation.
Bangladesh was one of the co-sponsors for the 2023 UN General Assembly resolution on the TPNW, which called upon ‘all States that have not yet done so to sign, ratify, accept, approve or accede to the Treaty at the earliest possible date’.3
Recommendations
-
Bangladesh should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
-
Bangladesh should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.