Djibouti
In 2024, Djibouti expressed ‘its unwavering support’ for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and announced its intention ‘to ratify it very soon’. It also called on States that have not yet joined the Treaty to do so ‘as soon as possible’.1
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | No (Signed 2023) | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Acceded 1996) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2005) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | No (Signed 1996, Pelindaba) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2015) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2015) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | No | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 2006) | |
| 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 (observer) |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | Yes (observer) |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | No |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 1.5 (75%) |
| 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 | Yes (Revised) |
Latest developments
Djibouti attended the Third Meeting of States Parties (3MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in March 2025 as an observer. It expressed its full support for the Treaty’s institutionalization. ‘Making the TPNW a fully recognized norm would strengthen international efforts for the total elimination of nuclear weapons and guarantee a robust legal framework to prevent their use and their catastrophic consequences for humanity,’ it said. ‘Therefore, we urge States that have not yet signed or ratified this Treaty to commit to it as soon as possible.’2
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2025, Djibouti welcomed the success of 3MSP and emphasized the need to support the universalization of the TPNW, ‘which embodies international humanitarian law in the face of the catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons on populations and the environment’.3
Djibouti 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’.4
Djibouti promoted adherence to the TPNW as part of the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review in 2025.
Recommendations
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Djibouti should urgently ratify the TPNW.
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Djibouti should adhere to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).
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Djibouti should ratify the Pelindaba nuclear-weapon-free zone (NWFZ) Treaty, which it signed in 1996.