Comoros
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2024, the Comoros said that it was proud to have ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and urged all states that have not yet done so to ratify it ‘without delay’. In the interim, such states should observe TPNW meetings of states parties ‘with a view to engaging constructively with the States that are already committed to this Treaty’, it said, adding that the TPNW complements and strengthens the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and other elements of the global security architecture. It further stated the TPNW 'represents a crucial step toward ridding the world of the most destructive and inhumane weapons ever created'.1
TPNW Status
| TPNW Article 1(1) prohibitions: compliance in 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (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 (2024) |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | Yes |
| 2MSP delegation size (% women) | 5 (20%) |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | Did not vote |
| 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 | Yes (Ratified 2012, Pelindaba) |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Acceded 1995) |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2021) |
| Party to the BWC | No |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 2006) |
| IAEA safeguards and fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Safeguards agreement | Yes (In force 2009) |
| TPNW Art 3(2) deadline | N/A |
| Small Quantities Protocol | Yes (Modified) |
| Additional Protocol | Yes (In force 2009) |
| Enrichment facilities/reprocessing plants | No |
| HEU stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks | 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, the Comoros said: ‘While the nuclear powers and their allies fail to chart a path to disarmament, Africa, as well as Latin America, the Caribbean, the South Pacific, Central and South-East Asia, are concrete examples that a world without nuclear weapons is possible. If entire continents can be freed from these weapons, why not, one day, our entire planet?’ It further said that the progress made in the implementation and universalisation of the TPNW ‘demonstrates the unwavering commitment of its States parties to achieve a world without nuclear weapons’, and urged all states to sign and ratify the Treaty ‘as soon as possible’ because ‘Each State that accedes to this Treaty strengthens international norms and contributes to the achievement of the objectives of the Treaty.’2
The Comoros 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’.3
Recommendations
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The Comoros should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
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The Comoros should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.
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The Comoros should adhere to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).