Egypt
Egypt voted in favour of adopting the TPNW at the UN Diplomatic Conference in 2017 and has consistently voted in favour of the annual UN General Assembly resolutions on the Treaty, including in 2021. In a letter to ICAN dated 2 December 2020, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt indicated that the matter of signing and ratifying the TPNW 'is subject to an ongoing internal review and assessment by the Egyptian government'.[1]
| TPNW Article 1(1) prohibitions: Compatibility in 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compatible |
| Test | Compatible | |
| Possess or stockpile | Compatible | |
| (b) | Transfer | Compatible |
| (c) | Receive transfer or control | Compatible |
| (d) | Use | Compatible |
| Threaten to use | Compatible | |
| (e) | Assist, encourage or induce | Compatible |
| (f) | Seek or receive assistance | Compatible |
| (g) | Allow stationing, installation, deployment | Compatible |
| TPNW voting and participation | |
|---|---|
| 2021 UNGA resolution on TPNW | |
| 2020 UNGA resolution on TPNW | |
| 2019 UNGA resolution on TPNW | Voted yes |
| 2018 UNGA resolution on TPNW | Voted yes |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations | Yes |
| Share of women in TPNW negotiations | 0% |
| Vote on adoption of treaty text | Voted yes |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | Voted yes |
| IAEA safeguards and fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Safeguards Agreement | Yes |
| TPNW Art 3(2) deadline | N/A |
| Small Quantities Protocol | No |
| Additional Protocol | No |
| Fissile material production facilities | No |
| Highly enriched uranium stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks (mil/civ) | No/No |
| Related treaties and regimes | |
|---|---|
| Party to the BWC | No (Signatory) |
| Party to the CWC | No |
| Party to the PTBT | Yes |
| Ratified the CTBT | No (Signed, Annex 2 state) |
| Party to the NPT | Yes |
| Party to a NWFZ | No (Signed, Pelindaba) |
| Member of the CD | Yes |
Latest developments
Egypt maintains policies and practices that are compatible with all of the prohibitions in Article 1 of the TPNW, and can therefore sign and ratify or accede to the Treaty without the need for a change in conduct.
Egypt associated itself with a statement by the Arab Group in the First Committee of the 2021 UN General Assembly, which welcomed the TPNW and said the Treaty 'places nuclear weapons in its logical place as weapons whose possession or use or threat of use is a violation of the most basic rules of international humanitarian law in addition to the fact that it threatens international peace and security'.2
Recommendations
- Egypt should urgently adhere to the TPNW.
- Egypt should conclude and bring into force an Additional Protocol with the IAEA. Egypt should also ratify the CTBT and the BWC, and adhere to the CWC.