Gambia
In a statement marking the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on 26 September 2023, the Minister of Defence of the Gambia, Sering Modou Njie, said that his country would ‘continue to promote universal adherence to the [TPNW] by co-sponsoring and consistently voting in favour of relevant UN General Assembly resolutions’.[1]
TPNW Status
| TPNW Article 1(1) prohibitions: Compliance in 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (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 2MSP (2023) | No |
| 2MSP 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) | Did not vote |
| Other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) treaties | |
|---|---|
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 1996, Pelindaba) |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1975) |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2022) |
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1997) |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1998) |
| IAEA safeguards and fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Safeguards agreement | Yes (8 Aug 1978) |
| 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
In his statement on the occasion of the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, the Minister of Defence also noted that the Gambia was the first African State to ratify the TPNW, reflecting its ‘total commitment’ to the abolition of nuclear weapons. ‘As a country, it is our fervent wish that one day we will live in a world where weapons of mass destruction will cease to exist, so that humanity does not live under the constant threat of a potential nuclear accident,’ he said.2
In January 2023, the Gambia participated in an African regional seminar on universalisation of the TPNW in Pretoria, hosted by the South African foreign ministry.3
Recommendations
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The Gambia should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
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The Gambia should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.