Mauritius
Mauritius voted in favour of the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in the UN negotiating conference in 2017 and has consistently voted in favour of the annual UN General Assembly resolutions on the Treaty, including in 2025.
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | No | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1969) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | No | |
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 1996, Pelindaba) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1973) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2007) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1972) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1993) | |
| TPNW Art. 1(1) prohibitions: Compatibility in 2025 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compatible |
| Possess or stockpile | Compatible | |
| Test | Compatible | |
| (b) | Transfer | Compatible |
| (c) | Receive transfer or control | Compatible |
| (d) | Use | Compatible |
| Threaten to use | Compatible | |
| (e) | Assist, encourage or induce | Compatible |
| (f) | Seek or receive assistance | Compatible |
| (g) | Allow stationing, installation, deployment | Compatible |
| TPNW voting and participation | |
|---|---|
| UNGA resolution on TPNW (latest vote) | Voted yes (2025) |
| Participated in 3MSP (2025) | No |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | No |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | No |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | N/A |
| 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 | Yes (Revised) |
Latest developments
In May 2025, a bilateral agreement was signed providing for the transfer of sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago from the United Kingdom to Mauritius. To enter into force, the agreement must be ratified by both parties. Under the terms of the agreement, Mauritius would lease the island of Diego Garcia to the United Kingdom for 99 years, with the possibility of a 40-year extension. Since the 1970s, Diego Garcia has been the site of a major joint UK–US military base, which supports nuclear-capable bombers and nuclear submarines.1
If Mauritius were to become a State Party to the TPNW and secure full sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, including Diego Garcia, it would need to seek the removal of any unlawful weapons and prohibit any unlawful activities by any States not party to the Treaty on that territory.
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee meeting in April 2025, the African Group, of which Mauritius is a member, welcomed ‘the historic adoption of the landmark’ TPNW in 2017, noting that it ‘does not undermine’ the NPT ‘but rather complements and strengthens the regime with the NPT as its foundation’. The Group urged all States that have not yet acceded to the TPNW to do so ‘at an early date’.2
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2025, the African Group said that it looked forward to the convening of the First Review Conference of the TPNW in 2026 under South Africa’s chairmanship. It reiterated its call for all members of the international community, especially nuclear-armed States and those ‘under the so-called nuclear umbrella’, to sign and ratify the TPNW at an early date and pursue the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.3
Recommendations
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Mauritius should urgently adhere to the TPNW.
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Mauritius should adhere to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).