Mexico
During the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly in September 2023, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, said that her country would ‘continue its struggle in favour of nuclear disarmament’, under both the TPNW and the Treaty of Tlatelolco, and noted that the General Assembly had declared nuclear weapons to be ‘intrinsically immoral’ and their use contrary to international law.[1]
TPNW Status
| TPNW Article 1(1) prohibitions: Compliance in 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compliant |
| Test | Compliant | |
| Possess or stockpile | 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 (2023) |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | Yes |
| 1MSP delegation size (% women) | 5 (40%) |
| 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 1967, Tlatelolco) |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1969) |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 1999, Annex 2 state) |
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1974) |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1994) |
| IAEA safeguards and fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Safeguards agreement | Yes (14 Sep 1973) |
| TPNW Art 3(2) deadline | N/A |
| Small Quantities Protocol | No |
| Additional Protocol | Yes |
| Enrichment facilities/reprocessing plants | No |
| HEU stocks | Cleared |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
Latest developments
Mexico participated in the Second Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW (2MSP) in November and December 2023, which it described as ‘a unique opportunity to evaluate the status of implementation of the TPNW, as well as consolidate the institutionalisation and strengthen the regime established by the TPNW.’2 The Mexican ambassador Juan Ramón de la Fuente Ramírez served as president of the meeting.
Mexico applauded the great effort made by TPNW States parties during the intersessional period and the progress achieved in implementing the Vienna Action Plan. ‘Considering that this is a young regime, it is essential to redouble efforts to maintain and improve the pace of membership growth and advance its universalisation,’ it said. ‘We encourage all States that have not yet done so to sign, ratify or accede to the TPNW without delay.’ ‘The TPNW represents a decisive step in the urgent task of achieving and sustaining a world free of nuclear weapons and preventing their catastrophic humanitarian consequences,’ it added. ‘It is a fundamental instrument in the legal architecture for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation [and] has a strong connection with international humanitarian law and international human rights law.’3 In January 2023, Mauritius participated in an African regional seminar on universalisation of the TPNW in Pretoria, hosted by the South African foreign ministry.4
At the first Meeting of States Parties, Mexico and New Zealand were appointed as co-chairs of an informal working group on implementation of Article 4, in particular work related to the future designation of a competent international authority or authorities that would negotiate and verify the elimination of nuclear-weapon programmes. They reported on their activities to the Second Meeting of States Parties (2MSP).5 Mexico will serve as the gender focal point leading up to the third meeting in 2025.
Mexico was one of the co-sponsors for the 2023 UN General Assembly resolution on the TPNW, which 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’.6
Recommendations
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Mexico should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
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Mexico should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.