Mauritius
It is believed that the question of whether Mauritius will adhere to the TPNW was still under consideration in the government in 2022. Mauritius voted in favour of the adoption of the TPNW in the UN Diplomatic Meeting in 2017 and has consistently voted in favor of the annual UN General Assembly resolutions on the Treaty, including in 2022.
TPNW Status
| TPNW Article 1(1) prohibitions: Compatibility in 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (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 | 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 (2023) |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | No |
| 1MSP 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 |
| Other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) treaties | |
|---|---|
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 1996, Pelindaba) |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1969) |
| Ratified the CTBT | No |
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1972) |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1993) |
| IAEA safeguards and fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Safeguards agreement | Yes (31 Jan 1973) |
| TPNW Art 3(2) deadline | N/A |
| Small Quantities Protocol | Yes (Modified) |
| Additional Protocol | Yes |
| Enrichment facilities/reprocessing plants | No |
| HEU stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
Latest developments
Mauritius maintains policies and practices that are compatible with all of the prohibitions in Article 1 of the TPNW, and can therefore sign and ratify or accede to the Treaty without the need for a change in conduct.
Marking the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on 26 September 2022, Mauritius delivered a statement on behalf of the African Group in the UN, which recalled the entry into force of the ‘landmark’ TPNW and reaffirmed its ‘full support’ for the declaration and action plan adopted at the First Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW (1MSP) in Vienna. The African Group, moreover, urged ‘all members of the international community, especially nuclear-weapon states and those under the so-called nuclear umbrella, to seize the opportunity to sign and ratify the Treaty at an early date and to pursue the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world’.1
ICAN's partner organisations met with the then Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, on 27 August 2020 to discuss the TPNW.2 He noted the problem of the colonial administration of the Chagos Islands by the United Kingdom and Mauritius' lack of control over this archipelago, which includes a US air base on Diego Garcia. This dispute over sovereignty of part of Mauritian territory would not prevent Mauritius from adhering to the TPNW, however. Without effective control of the Chagos Islands, Mauritius is precluded from being able to implement the TPNW across those territories. If it were to secure full sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, Mauritius would need to seek the removal of any unlawful weapons and prohibit any unlawful activities by any states not party to the TPNW on that territory.
Recommendations
-
Mauritius should urgently adhere to the TPNW.
-
Mauritius should also adhere to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).