Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands attended as an observer both the First and Second Meetings of States Parties to the TPNW (1MSP and 2MSP).
TPNW Status
| TPNW Article 1(1) prohibitions: Compatibility in 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compatible |
| Test | Compatible | |
| Possess or stockpile | Compatible | |
| (b) | Transfer | Compatible |
| (c) | Receive transfer or control | Compatible |
| (d) | Use | Compatible |
| Threaten to use | Compatible | |
| (e) | Assist, encourage or induce | Non-compatible |
| (f) | Seek or receive assistance | Compatible |
| (g) | Allow stationing, installation, deployment | Compatible |
| TPNW voting and participation | |
|---|---|
| UNGA resolution on TPNW (latest vote) | Abstained (2023) |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | Yes |
| 1MSP delegation size (% women) | 3 (33%) |
| 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 | No |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Acceded 1995) |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2009) |
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Acceded 2012) |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 2004) |
| IAEA safeguards and fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Safeguards agreement | Yes (3 May 2005) |
| TPNW Art 3(2) deadline | N/A |
| Small Quantities Protocol | No |
| Additional Protocol | Yes |
| Enrichment facilities/reprocessing plants | No |
| HEU stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
Latest developments
During the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly in September 2023, the President of the Marshall Islands, David Kabua, said that his country ‘desires to continue its free association with the United States, but the United States must realise that the Marshallese people require that the nuclear issues be addressed’. He noted that the US ‘has not fulfilled its obligations’ to the Marshallese people resulting from its nuclear test programme.1 In October 2023, the US and the Marshall Islands signed a renewed 20-year ‘compact of free association’, under which the US will continue to provide for the Marshall Islands’ defence.2
At the 2MSP, the Marshall Islands stated: ‘We remain engaged in seeking to better understand or contribute to work under Article 6’ on victim assistance and environmental remediation, it said. ‘The provisions of this article raise important issues for a nation for whom nuclear justice remains a vital task.’ It emphasised the need to avoid duplication or actions that fail to take into account ‘local complexity’ or that risk unravelling previously adjudicated claims.3
‘We remain a clear voice on the consequences of nuclear weapons detonation – and we hope that in the tragedy of our experience with nuclear weapons testing impacts that there is also important information for wider multilateral efforts under the TPNW and beyond in addressing reporting guidelines,’ it said
Recommendations
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The Marshall Islands should urgently adhere to the TPNW. Until it is in a position to do so, it should welcome the TPNW as a valuable component in the global disarmament and non-proliferation architecture, work with the Treaty's states parties on practical steps towards disarmament, and attend the meetings of states parties as an observer.
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The Marshall Islands should request that the United States cease testing of nuclear-capable missiles at Kwajalein Atoll.
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The Marshall Islands should adhere to the Rarotonga NWFZ Treaty.