Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic deposited its instrument of ratification for the TPNW with the UN Secretary-General at a high-level ceremony in New York on 22 September 2022, becoming the 67th state party to the Treaty, along with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which ratified on the same day.
TPNW Status
| TPNW Article 1(1) prohibitions: Compliance in 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (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 1MSP (2022) | Observer |
| 1MSP delegation size (% women) | 3 (67%) |
| 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 1968, Tlatelolco) |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1971) |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2007) |
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1973) |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 2009) |
| IAEA safeguards and fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Safeguards agreement | Yes |
| TPNW Art 3(2) deadline | N/A |
| Small Quantities Protocol | Yes (Modified) |
| Additional Protocol | Yes |
| Enrichment facilities/reprocessing plants | No |
| HEU stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
Latest developments
Attending as an observer the First Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW (1MSP) in Vienna in June 2022, the Dominican Republic said: ‘The adoption in July 2017 of the [TPNW] and its entry into force in January 2021 are historic achievements … They represent the culmination of decades of efforts aimed at eliminating these weapons of mass destruction.’1
During the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly in September 2022, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Roberto Álvarez Gil, said that the Dominican Republic ‘supports the total elimination of nuclear weapons’, and that its ratification of the TPNW is proof of this. He said that ‘humanity requires results that favour peace and avoid new conflicts, especially those that imply a danger to the very existence of the planet’.2
Marking the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on 26 September 2022, the Dominican Republic encouraged ‘states that have not yet done so to accede to the [TPNW] with a view to its universalisation’ and expressed its ‘deep gratitude to the organisations and delegations that work tirelessly towards this overall goal, including ICAN and the International Committee of the Red Cross’.3
Recommendations
- The Dominican Republic should submit its declaration under Article 2 of the TPNW to the UN Secretary-General without further delay.
- The Dominican Republic should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
- The Dominican Republic should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.