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 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 (observer) |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | Yes (observer) |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 7.5 (4%) |
| 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
At a high-level UN event to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on 26 September 2024, Libya noted that it abandoned its nuclear-weapon programme in 2003 and hoped that others would follow suit. It said that it would ‘spare no effort’ to contribute effectively to the implementation of international instruments related to nuclear disarmament.3
Libya observed the First and Second Meeting of States Parties (1MSP and 2MSP) to the TPNW in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
Recommendations
-
Libya should urgently ratify the TPNW.