Malta
Malta 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.
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | Yes (Ratified 2020) | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1970) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2001) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | No | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2007) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2007) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1975) | |
| 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) | 3 (70%) |
| 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| SQP with the IAEA | No (Rescinded 2021) |
Latest developments
At a high-level UN event to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on 26 September 2024, Malta said that ‘deterrence doctrines … are fallacious and will never ensure security’. It urged all states that have not yet done so to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), noting that its universalisation ‘would provide impetus for the advancement of our disarmament agenda’. It added that the Treaty ‘strengthens the global norm against nuclear weapons and constitutes their first outright prohibition’.1
At a ministerial-level meeting of the UN Security Council on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation in March 2024, Malta noted that it has signed and ratified the TPNW, ‘a landmark agreement that fills a legal gap as the first outright prohibition of nuclear weapons’. ‘We will continue to advocate for its universalisation, with the goal of creating momentum to revive international disarmament talks,’ it said.2
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee session in July 2024, Malta urged all states ‘to consider joining the [TPNW], as a further commitment to eliminate nuclear weapons’. It said that it hoped ‘to see the positive contribution of the TPNW reflected in the outcome document’ of the NPT review cycle.3
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2024, Malta described the TPNW as fully compatible with and complementary to the NPT. ‘The Treaty fills a legal gap as the first outright prohibition of nuclear weapons,’ it said. It also expressed deep regret at the resurgence of nuclear weapons in international affairs. ‘Nuclear weapons can never be a guarantee of security,’ it said.4
Malta 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’.5
Recommendations
-
Malta should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
-
Malta should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.