Mongolia
Mongolia 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, in addition to having nuclear-weapon-free status.
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | Yes (Acceded 2021) | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1969) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 1997) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Declared 1992, unilateral) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1972) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2003) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1972) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1995) | |
| 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) | 2.5 (16.5%) |
| 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 (Modified) |
Latest developments
During the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly in September 2024, the President of Mongolia, Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, expressed alarm at the ‘deepening global geopolitical tensions, which ignite the fires of war and heighten the nuclear threat’. He added that Mongolia ‘has made significant contributions to the elimination of nuclear threats, by having its nuclear-weapon-free status recognised at the international level’.1
At a high-level UN event to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on 26 September 2024, Mongolia said that its ‘self-declared status as a nuclear-weapon-free State shows our solid commitment to the international efforts in attaining the objectives of nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation’.2
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2024, Mongolia expressed concern at the continued build-up of nuclear arsenals and the increasing reliance ‘on nuclear deterrence all over the world’. It said that the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) ‘is crucial in achieving the objectives of the total elimination of nuclear weapons’, adding that the Treaty’s growing membership ‘is a testament to the joint international efforts in banning these weapons’. It pledged to provide ‘steadfast support’ for the implementation of the TPNW and other treaties on weapons of mass destruction.3
Mongolia 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’.4
Recommendations
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Mongolia should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
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Mongolia should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.