Ireland
Ireland 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. It has also adopted dedicated national legislation to implement the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | Yes (Ratified 2020) | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1968) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 1999) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | No | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1977) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2004) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1972) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1996) | |
| 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) | 7 (38%) |
| 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 | No |
Latest developments
At the Third Meeting of States Parties (3MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in March 2025, Ireland said that the Treaty ‘represents an important response by the international community’ to heightened nuclear risks, a lack of progress on disarmament, and increasing reliance on nuclear threats and nuclear weapons in security doctrines. ‘It is a call to action and a powerful declaration that the status quo cannot continue,’ it said.1
Ireland was re-appointed as an informal co-facilitator, along with Thailand, on the question of complementarity. The co-facilitators are responsible for further exploring and articulating possible areas of tangible cooperation between the TPNW and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), along with other relevant nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation instruments.
In the Conference on Disarmament in February 2025, Ireland said that, as a State Party to the TPNW, ‘we remain fully committed to our collective goal of achieving a world free from the threat of nuclear weapons’. It described the TPNW as ‘fully complementary to’ the NPT.2
At the NPT Preparatory Committee meeting in April 2025, Ireland said that the provisions and deliberations of the TPNW ‘can enrich our discussions on the disarmament pillar’ of the NPT. ‘The [TPNW] creates a legal framework that helps implement [NPT] Article VI as an effective measure,’ it said. It also noted that the expertise and knowledge of the TPNW’s Scientific Advisory Group ‘is invaluable and is an excellent resource available to all NPT States’.3
At a high-level event on 26 September 2025 marking the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, Ireland voiced support for the TPNW. It said that the forthcoming review conferences of the NPT and the TPNW ‘provide vital opportunities’ to confront the threat of nuclear weapons ‘head-on’.4
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2025, Ireland pledged to ‘continue to advance the TPNW as a practical and complementary means of achieving a world free of nuclear weapons’.5
Ireland 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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Ireland should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.