Democratic Republic of the Congo
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2023, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) urged all States ‘that have not yet done so to seize the opportunity to sign and ratify the [TPNW] with a view to achieving the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons’. It added that, ‘if we are sincere in our quest for disarmament, we have the collective responsibility to ensure [the TPNW’s] universalisation’.[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) | Voted yes (2023) |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | Yes |
| 1MSP delegation size (% women) | 9 (44%) |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | Voted yes |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | Yes |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Did not vote |
| Other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) treaties | |
|---|---|
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 2022, Pelindaba) |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1970) |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2004, Annex 2 state) |
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1975) |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 2005) |
| IAEA safeguards and fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Safeguards agreement | Yes (9 Nov 1972) |
| TPNW Art 3(2) deadline | N/A |
| Small Quantities Protocol | No |
| Additional Protocol | Yes |
| Enrichment facilities/reprocessing plants | No |
| HEU stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
Latest developments
The DRC participated in the Second Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW (2MSP) in November and December 2023, where it described the TPNW as ‘an effective lever to alert the international community to the ever-present risk of a nuclear detonation’. It reiterated its call for ‘all peace-loving and committed countries to join it’.2
In accordance with Article 2 of the TPNW, the DRC submitted a declaration to the UN Secretary-General on 25 April 2023 confirming that it does not own, possess or control nuclear weapons, has never done so, and does not host any other State’s nuclear weapons on its territory.3
The DRC was one of the co-sponsors for the 2023 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’.4 In January 2023, it participated in an African regional seminar on universalisation of the TPNW in Pretoria, hosted by the South African foreign ministry.5
Recommendations
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DRC should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
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DR Congo should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.