Cook Islands
The Cook Islands participated in the Second Meeting of States Parties (2MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in November-December 2023, where it reiterated its ‘commitment to a safer, more peaceful world, one free from nuclear weapons’. It noted that the ‘painful nuclear testing legacy still remains fresh in the mind of many of our Pacific island neighbours’.1
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | Yes (Acceded 2018) | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes* | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2005) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 1986, Rarotonga) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1972)* | |
| AP with the IAEA | No | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Acceded 2008) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1994) | |
| 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) | N/A |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | Yes |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | Yes |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 1.5 (75%) |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | N/A |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | N/A |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | N/A |
| Fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Nuclear facilities | No |
| Fissile material production | No |
| HEU stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
| SQP with the IAEA | Yes (Original)* |
Latest developments
In a joint statement to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee in July 2024, the states parties to the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, including the Cook Islands, said: ‘The scars of nuclear testing continue to mark our people and environment, and reinforce to our countries the unacceptable humanitarian costs and risks posed by nuclear war.’ They expressed their ‘region’s steadfast opposition to nuclear weapons’ while noting the TPNW’s entry into force in 2021.2
The Pacific Islands Forum, of which the Cook Islands is a member, also noted the TPNW’s entry into force in a statement marking the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on 26 September 2024.3
Recommendations
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The Cook Islands should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
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The Cook Islands should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.
* Through territorial application by New Zealand