Cook Islands
The Cook Islands participated in the Second Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW (2MSP) in November and 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
| 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) | N/A |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | Yes |
| 2MSP delegation size (% women) | 1 (100%) |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | N/A |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | N/A |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | N/A |
| Other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) treaties | |
|---|---|
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 1986, Rarotonga) |
| Party to the NPT | Yes* |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2005) |
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Acceded 2008) |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1994) |
| IAEA safeguards and fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Safeguards agreement | Yes (29 Feb 1972)* |
| TPNW Art 3(2) deadline | N/A |
| Small Quantities Protocol | Yes (Original)* |
| Additional Protocol | No |
| Enrichment facilities/reprocessing plants | No |
| HEU stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
Latest developments
At 2MSP, Cook Islands said it was proud to be among the first states to ratify the TPNW in 2018, contributing to its entry into force. It called on all States that have not yet ratified it to do so ‘as a matter of urgency’. ‘We firmly believe that what this Treaty stands for is essential for a world that respects the principles of international humanitarian law, environmental protection and global security,’ it added.2
Cook Islands also described recent threats to deploy nuclear weapons in the context of the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza as ‘deeply troubling’ and joined others in expressing concern about these ‘egregious suggestions’.3
Recommendations
-
Cook Islands should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
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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