Bangladesh
Bangladesh is an example to be followed by other states, as it has adhered to all of the seven key treaties in the legal architecture on disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | Yes (Ratified 2019) | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Acceded 1979) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2000, Annex 2 state) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | No | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1982) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2001) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Acceded 1985) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1997) | |
| TPNW Art. 1(1) prohibitions: Compliance in 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compliant |
| Possess or stockpile | Compliant | |
| Test | 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 (2024) |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | Yes |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | Yes |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 5 (0%) |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | Voted yes |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | Yes |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Voted yes |
| Fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Nuclear facilities | Yes |
| Fissile material production | No |
| HEU stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
| SQP with the IAEA | No |
Latest developments
At a high-level UN event to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on 26 September 2024, Bangladesh noted its ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and urged all other states that have not yet ratified it to do so. ‘We believe the TPNW will make significant progress towards achieving the universally agreed goal of the complete elimination of nuclear weapons,’ it said.1
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee session in July 2024, Bangladesh said that its pursuit of nuclear disarmament is ‘a fundamental tenet of our peace-centric foreign policy’. ‘We strongly believe that the TPNW and the NPT complement and strengthen each other,’ it said.2
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2024, Bangladesh called for ‘resolute collective action against the perpetual holding of nuclear weapons by a handful of States in total disregard of the safety and security of humanity’. It noted that it ratified the TPNW in 2019 based on the conviction that ‘the ultimate guarantee of international peace and security lies in the total elimination of nuclear weapons’, and it urged ‘all nations to join this Treaty to advance our collective goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world’.3
Bangladesh was one of the co-sponsors for the 2024 UN General Assembly resolution on the TPNW, which welcomed the Treaty’s entry into force and 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’.4
Recommendations
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Bangladesh should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
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Bangladesh should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.