Ecuador
Ecuador 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 2019) | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1969) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2001) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 1969, Tlatelolco) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1975) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2001) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1975) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1995) | |
| 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 |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 4.5 (33.5%) |
| 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 (Modified) |
Latest developments
At a high-level UN event to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on 26 September 2024, Ecuador called on ‘all States that have not yet done so to sign and ratify' the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), describing it as ‘a key instrument’ in our collective efforts to eradicate the nuclear threat ‘once and for all’. ‘It is time to take decisive action to ensure a safe and peaceful future for generations to come, free of weapons of mass destruction,’ it said.1
At a ministerial-level meeting of the UN Security Council on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation in March 2024, Ecuador called for the signature and ratification of the TPNW, ‘an instrument that complements the [Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)]’. ‘The joint functionality of those instruments is necessary in order to ban nuclear weapons, and provides practical and concrete actions to that end,’ it said.2
At the NPT Preparatory Committee session in July 2024, Ecuador reiterated its commitment to the TPNW and its universalisation. ‘We urgently call for all States to adhere to the TPNW and support the action plan for its comprehensive implementation, in particular the establishment of deadlines for the destruction and removal of weapons, and actions to assist victims of nuclear tests,’ it said. ‘Until such accession occurs, we call on all countries that are not parties to work cooperatively with the Treaty's membership.’3
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2024, Ecuador said that ‘there are no right hands for nuclear weapons’, and it once again urged all states that have not yet ratified the TPNW to do so, and described the Treaty as complementary to the NPT.4
Ecuador was one of the co-sponsors for the 2024 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’.5
Recommendations
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Ecuador should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
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Ecuador should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.