Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau 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 2021) | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Acceded 1976) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2013) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 2012, Pelindaba) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2022) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2022) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Acceded 1976) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 2008) | |
| 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) | No |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | Yes |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 1 (0%) |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | Voted yes |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | Yes |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Did not vote |
| Fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Nuclear facilities | No |
| Fissile material production | No |
| HEU stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
| SQP with the IAEA | Yes (Modified) |
Latest developments
Guinea-Bissau was one of the co-sponsors for the 2024 UN General Assembly resolution on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (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’.1
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2024, the African Group, of which Guinea-Bissau is a member, urged ‘all members of the international community, especially nuclear-weapon States and those under the so-called “nuclear umbrella”, to seize the opportunity to sign and ratify the [TPNW] at an early date’.2
Guinea-Bissau participated in the First Meeting of States Parties (1MSP) to the TPNW in Vienna in June 2022, but did not participate in the Second Meeting of States Parties (2MSP) in New York in 2023.
Recommendations
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Guinea-Bissau should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
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Guinea-Bissau should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.