Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) 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 2022) | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1970) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2004, Annex 2 state) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 2022, Pelindaba) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1972) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2003) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1975) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 2005) | |
| 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) | Voted yes (2024) |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | Yes |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | Yes (observer) |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 11 (26%) |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | Voted yes |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | Yes |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Did not vote |
| Fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Nuclear facilities | Yes |
| Fissile material production | No |
| HEU stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
| SQP with the IAEA | No |
Latest developments
DR Congo was one of the co-sponsors for the 2024 UN General Assembly resolution on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (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’.1
At a high-level UN event to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on 26 September 2024, DR Congo said that ‘no one is safe unless everyone is safe’, and ‘collective security requires the renunciation of proliferation and a commitment to nuclear disarmament’.2
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2023, DR Congo 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’.3
DR Congo participated in the Second Meeting of States Parties (2MSP) to the TPNW in November-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’.4
Recommendations
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DR Congo 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.