Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is currently examining the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) with a view to ratifying it. It attended the Third Meeting of States Parties (3MSP) to the TPNW in March 2025 as an observer. ‘Although our country has not yet ratified the Treaty, we firmly adhere to its objectives,’ it said, noting its nuclear-weapon-free status. ‘We urge all States to sign and ratify the TPNW to universalize this fundamental principle for our collective security.’1
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | No (Signed 2022) | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1970) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2002) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 1998, Pelindaba) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2003) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2003) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Acceded 1991) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1997) | |
| TPNW Art. 1(1) prohibitions: Compliance in 2025 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (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 (2025) |
| Participated in 3MSP (2025) | Yes (observer) |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | Yes (observer) |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | Yes (observer) |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 5 (13%) |
| 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 | No |
| Fissile material production | No |
| HEU stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
| SQP with the IAEA | Yes (Revised) |
Latest developments
At the Third Meeting of States Parties (3MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in March 2025, Burkina Faso welcomed ‘the significant work undertaken to implement the Treaty’s obligations relating to victim assistance and environmental remediation’. ‘Although considerable challenges remain, this Treaty offers tangible hope for a safer and more stable future,’ it said. ‘We cannot condemn future generations to live under the constant threat of nuclear danger.’2
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee meeting in April 2025, Burkina Faso said: ‘Our direct experience of the devastating consequences of armed violence reinforces our conviction that the total elimination of the most destructive weapons, especially nuclear weapons, is a crucial objective for global security.’3
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2025, Burkina Faso called for a balanced implementation of the NPT and the universalization of the TPNW. ‘[W]eapons of mass destruction remain a threat to humanity,’ it warned.4
Recommendations
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Burkina Faso should urgently ratify the TPNW.