Libya
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2024, Libya said that the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) ‘drives progress towards the achievement of our ultimate objective: a world free of nuclear weapons’. Furthermore, it ‘does not run counter to the [Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)]’ but rather ‘is a part of our collective efforts’ to fulfil the NPT’s aims.1 Libya welcomed the TPNW’s entry into force in 2021 and called upon all nuclear-armed States to accede to it for the sake of ‘our collective security’.2
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | No (Signed 2017) | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1975) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2004) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 2005, Pelindaba) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1980) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2006) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1982) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Acceded 2004) | |
| 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 (observer) |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | Yes (observer) |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | Yes (observer) |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 5.33 (3%) |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | Did not vote |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | Yes |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Voted yes |
| Fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Nuclear facilities | Yes |
| Fissile material production | No |
| HEU stocks | Cleared |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
| SQP with the IAEA | No |
Latest developments
Libya attended the Third Meeting of States Parties (3MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in March 2025 as an observer.
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee meeting in April 2025, Libya said that it would ‘spare no effort to strengthen the nuclear disarmament regime’ and urged nuclear-weapon States to implement their obligations under Article VI of the NPT.3
Speaking at a high-level event on 26 September 2025 to mark the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Libya, Taher Salem Al Baour, urged States to join the TPNW.4
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2025, Libya noted that it had voluntarily given up its nuclear-weapon programme and remained steadfast in its commitment to the NPT. It called on ‘the international community to take serious steps to honour international non-proliferation and disarmament commitments’, stressing ‘that security is not ensured by amassing weapons, but by consolidating trust’.5
Recommendations
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Libya should urgently ratify the TPNW.