Guyana
Guyana was one of the co-sponsors of the 2021 UN General Assembly resolution on the TPNW, which 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]
| TPNW Article 1(1) prohibitions: Compliance in 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (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 | |
|---|---|
| 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 | 50% |
| 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 | Yes (Original) |
| 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 | Yes |
| Party to the CWC | Yes |
| Party to the PTBT | No |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes |
| Party to the NPT | Yes |
| Party to a NWFZ | Yes (Tlatelolco) |
| Member of the CD | No |
Latest developments
In a statement to the 2021 UN General Assembly's High-Level Plenary Meeting to Commemorate and Promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, the President of Guyana, Mohamed Irfaan Ali, said: 'The entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) on 22 January 2021 was a watershed moment for the disarmament agenda. There is now a legally binding international agreement that comprehensively prohibits the development, testing, manufacturing, production, acquisition, possession, stockpiling, use, or threat of use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances. We have now closed the legal gap which previously existed in the international disarmament regime. Guyana is proud to have contributed to this historic achievement. While the entry into force of the TPNW is a step in the right direction, its intended legal effect is undermined when one considers that no nuclear-weapon state has signed, let alone ratified, the Treaty.'2
Recommendations
- Guyana should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
- Guyana should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.
- Guyana should conclude and bring into force an Additional Protocol with the IAEA, and upgrade to a Modified Small Quantities Protocol.