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
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | Yes (Ratified 2018) | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Acceded 2002) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2021) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 2002, Tlatelolco) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2004) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2004) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1976) | |
| 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 |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | Yes |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | Yes |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 6.33 (45%) |
| 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 | No |
Latest developments
At the Third Meeting of States Parties (3MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in March 2025, Cuba described the Treaty as ‘a beacon of hope’ in a bleak landscape. ‘As the first international legal instrument to categorically prohibit nuclear weapons under all circumstances, it represents an unprecedented advance in the fight for nuclear disarmament,’ it said, expressing pride in the leading role of Latin American and Caribbean States in advancing the Treaty’s universalization.1
In the Conference on Disarmament in February 2025, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, warned: ‘The imminent danger of a repeat of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will persist as long as all nuclear weapons are not transparently, completely, irreversibly, and verifiably eliminated.’ He called on States that have not yet done so to join the TPNW.2
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee meeting in April 2025, Cuba said: ‘The universalization of the TPNW would effectively contribute to nuclear disarmament. By establishing a categorical prohibition of nuclear weapons under all circumstances, the TPNW delegitimizes the existence of these weapons and offers a path toward their total elimination, thus contributing to the fulfilment of the objectives of the NPT, particularly Article VI.’3
At a high-level event on 26 September 2025 marking the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, Cuba expressed its firm support for the universalization of the TPNW, ‘an urgent step toward achieving complete, verifiable, irreversible, transparent nuclear disarmament within multilaterally agreed timeframes’. It noted that ‘Latin America and the Caribbean continues to be the region with the largest number of States Parties to this international instrument’.4
In the general debate of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in October 2025, Foreign Minister Parrilla expressed opposition to ‘the aggressive military and nuclear doctrines of NATO’.5
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2025, Cuba described the universalization of the TPNW as urgent and necessary, noting ‘that each new State that joins this instrument represents a further step towards the delegitimization of nuclear weapons’.6
Cuba co-sponsored the 2025 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’.7
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.