Cuba
Cuba 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, in addition to being party to a nuclear-weapon-free zone (NWFZ) treaty.
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) | 4 (50%) |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | Voted yes |
| 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 2002, Tlatelolco) |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Acceded 2002) |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2021) |
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1976) |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1997) |
| IAEA safeguards and fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Safeguards agreement | Yes (In force 2004) |
| TPNW Art 3(2) deadline | N/A |
| Small Quantities Protocol | No |
| Additional Protocol | Yes (In force 2004) |
| Enrichment facilities/reprocessing plants | No |
| HEU stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
Latest developments
In January 2024, in commemoration of the third anniversary of the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, reaffirmed his nation's strong commitment to nuclear disarmament. ‘We advocate for the effective implementation of [the TPNW] and its universalisation,’ he said.1 Cuba was the fifth State in the world to ratify the TPNW, in January 2018.
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee session in July 2024, Cuba said that the TPNW ‘contributes to the fulfillment of the objectives of the NPT’ by establishing ‘a new norm of international law that categorically prohibits [nuclear] weapons in all circumstances’.2 Describing itself as ‘one of the leading countries’ in the negotiation and adoption of the TPNW in 2017, it said that it attaches ‘utmost importance to this international instrument’ and is proud to be part of the geographic region with the greatest share of TPNW states parties at present.3
At a high-level UN event to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on 26 September 2024, Minister Rodríguez Parrilla voiced his nation’s support for ‘the universalisation of the [TPNW]’. ‘We need and deserve a world of lasting peace, a world that is free of nuclear weapons for the benefit of present and future generations,’ he said.4
During the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly in the same week, Rodríguez Parrilla warned that the ‘risk of a nuclear hecatomb is real and imminent’. ‘There has been a regression, despite the huge efforts made by State parties and signatories of the [TPNW] and enlightened and broad sectors of international society,’ he said.5
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2024, Cuba once again called for the universalisation of the TPNW and congratulated those states that had recently ratified the Treaty. ‘Each new State that joins this instrument of the disarmament and non-proliferation regime represents a new step towards the delegitimisation of nuclear weapons,’ it said.6
Cuba was one of the co-sponsors for the 2024 UN General Assembly resolution on the TPNW, which 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’.7 In an explanation of vote, Cuba said that its firm support for the resolution ‘cannot be interpreted as an endorsement of the entire content’ of a report published by the TPNW’s Scientific Advisory Group in 2023. It emphasised ‘the importance of maintaining objectivity and impartiality’.8
Recommendations
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Cuba should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
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Cuba should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.