Ethiopia
Ethiopia voted in favour of adopting the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) at the UN diplomatic conference in 2017 and has consistently voted in favour of the annual UN General Assembly resolutions on the TPNW, including in 2025. It 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.
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | No | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1970) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2006) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 2008, Pelindaba) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1977) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2019) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1975) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1996) | |
| TPNW Art. 1(1) prohibitions: Compatibility in 2025 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compatible |
| Possess or stockpile | Compatible | |
| Test | 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 | |
|---|---|
| UNGA resolution on TPNW (latest vote) | Voted yes (2025) |
| Participated in 3MSP (2025) | No |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | No |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | No |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | N/A |
| 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
In the Conference on Disarmament in February 2025, Ethiopia said that it ‘remains a staunch supporter of the principle of complete nuclear disarmament as the most vital prerequisite for maintaining international peace and security’.1
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2025, Ethiopia expressed deep concern at the threat of nuclear weapons, the ‘intensified arms race’, and the ‘continued modernization and stockpiling of weapons of mass destruction’. ‘The fact that the international community fails to make concrete progress on disarmament makes our collective task of ensuring international security difficult,’ it said.2
In 2020, Ethiopia described the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) as ‘a major achievement, which strengthens the existing nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime’. ‘We have fully supported the Treaty and we look forward to ratifying it,’ it said.3
Recommendations
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Ethiopia should urgently adhere to the TPNW.