Guyana
At the Third Meeting of States Parties (3MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in March 2025, Guyana warned that the risk of the use of nuclear weapons ‘has never been higher’, with new and emerging technologies in the military domain compounding the danger. It stressed the importance of sustained efforts by TPNW States Parties towards the elimination of nuclear weapons.1
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | Yes (Ratified 2017) | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Acceded 1993) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2001) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 1995, Tlatelolco) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1997) | |
| AP with the IAEA | No | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 2013) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1997) | |
| TPNW Art. 1(1) prohibitions: Compliance in 2025 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (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 (2025) |
| Participated in 3MSP (2025) | Yes |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | Yes |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | Yes |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 3.33 (78%) |
| 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 (Original) |
Latest developments
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee meeting in April 2025, Guyana called upon all States that have not yet ratified the TPNW to do so, ‘recognizing that it is complementary to the NPT and to global efforts in achieving a nuclear-weapon-free world’.2
Speaking at a high-level event on 26 September 2025 to mark the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Guyana, Hugh Hilton Todd, said: ‘The survival of humanity and the safeguarding of future generations depend on our collective resolve to eliminate nuclear weapons once and for all.’3
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2025, Guyana warned: ‘The proliferation of nuclear weapons, coupled with the emergence of advanced delivery systems like hypersonic missiles, has heightened the risks of a global catastrophe, making scenarios once considered unthinkable increasingly plausible.’ It called for the implementation of existing disarmament obligations and the universalization of the TPNW.4
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), of which Guyana is a member State, also addressed the Committee, reaffirming its support for the TPNW and emphasizing that the First Review Conference in 2026 offers a ‘crucial opportunity to strengthen norms against these weapons and to accelerate the momentum toward their elimination’.5
Guyana co-sponsored the 2025 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’.6
Recommendations
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Guyana should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
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Guyana should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.
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Guyana should conclude and bring into force an Additional Protocol (AP) with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and upgrade to a modified Small Quantities Protocol (SQP).