Lao People's Democratic Republic
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2024, Lao PDR expressed its strong commitment to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). ‘We are of the view that the universalisation of the TPNW is vital for achieving the total elimination of nuclear weapons,’ it said, welcoming the four new ratifications of the Treaty since the beginning of the year.1 It also said that the TPNW’s ‘historic’ entry into force in 2021 was ‘one of the most important developments that will contribute to furthering the agreed global objective of the total elimination of nuclear weapons’.2
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | Yes (Ratified 2019) | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1970) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2000) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 1996, Bangkok) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2001) | |
| AP with the IAEA | No (Signed 2014) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1973) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1997) | |
| 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) | Yes |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | Yes |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 4 (50%) |
| 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 (Modified) |
Latest developments
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee session in July 2024, Lao PDR said that the NPT, the TPNW, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and nuclear-weapon-free zone (NWFZ) treaties, including the one covering Southeast Asia, ‘are complementary and collectively play a significant role in realising our common desire for a world free of nuclear weapons’. It said that the TPNW’s entry into force had provided ‘new hope’ for achieving the ultimate goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.3
Lao PDR was one of the co-sponsors for the 2024 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’.4
Recommendations
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Lao PDR should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
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Lao PDR should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.
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Lao PDR should bring into force its Additional Protocol (AP) with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).