Lao People's Democratic Republic
Addressing the First Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW (1MSP) in Vienna in June 2022, Lao PDR described the meeting as ‘a milestone in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation’ and welcomed the Treaty’s entry into force in 2021 as a ‘crucial step toward the complete elimination of nuclear weapons’.[1] On 24 June, the day after the 1MSP, Lao PDR upgraded its Original Small Quantities Protocol (SQP) with the IAEA to a Modified SQP.
TPNW Status
| TPNW Article 1(1) prohibitions: Compliance in 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (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 | |
|---|---|
| UNGA resolution on TPNW (latest vote) | Voted yes (2022) |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | Yes |
| 1MSP delegation size (% women) | 4 (75%) |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | Voted yes |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | Yes |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Voted yes |
| Other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) treaties | |
|---|---|
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 1996, Bangkok) |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1970) |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2000) |
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1973) |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1997) |
| IAEA safeguards and fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Safeguards agreement | Yes |
| TPNW Art 3(2) deadline | N/A |
| Small Quantities Protocol | Yes (Modified) |
| Additional Protocol | No (Signed 2014) |
| Enrichment facilities/reprocessing plants | No |
| HEU stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
Latest developments
At the Tenth Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in August 2022, Lao PDR said that the TPNW ‘complements other disarmament and non-proliferation instruments’ and strengthens the global norm against nuclear weapons.2 In a closing statement to the NPT Review Conference, Lao PDR and 64 other TPNW supporters urged ‘all states committed to attain and maintain a world without nuclear weapons to join the TPNW without delay’.3
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2022, Lao PDR expressed its strong commitment to the TPNW, noting that the declaration and action plan adopted at the 1MSP ‘will guide the implementation of the Treaty and pave the way for achieving the ultimate goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world’.4
Lao PDR was one of the co-sponsors for the 2022 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.'5
Recommendations
- Lao PDR should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
- Lao PDR should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.
- Lao PDR should bring into force its Additional Protocol with the IAEA.