Namibia
Namibia 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 being party to a nuclear-weapon-free zone (NWFZ) treaty.
TPNW Status
| TPNW Article 1(1) prohibitions: compliance in 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (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 (2024) |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | Yes |
| 2MSP delegation size (% women) | 2 (50%) |
| 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 2012, Pelindaba) |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Acceded 1992) |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2001) |
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Acceded 2022) |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1995) |
| IAEA safeguards and fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Safeguards agreement | Yes (In force 1998) |
| TPNW Art 3(2) deadline | N/A |
| Small Quantities Protocol | Yes (Modified) |
| Additional Protocol | Yes (In force 2012) |
| Enrichment facilities/reprocessing plants | No |
| HEU stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
Latest developments
At a high-level UN event to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on 26 September 2024, the President of Namibia, Nangolo Mbumba, warned that ‘current geopolitical tensions have aggravated the threat posed by the existence of nuclear weapons’. He added that the use of nuclear weapons ‘can never be necessary or justifiable’.1
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee session in July 2024, Namibia expressed its firm belief that the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) ‘complements and strengthens the NPT as an effective measure for nuclear disarmament, as called for in Article VI [of the NPT], alongside nuclear-weapons-free zones’. ‘Being mindful of the humanitarian consequences caused by the use of nuclear weapons, we believe that the full implementation of the [TPNW] will guarantee against the use of nuclear weapons by ensuring their total elimination,’ it said. ‘In this context, we call upon all States that have not yet ratified the TPNW to do so without delay.’2
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2024, Namibia said: ‘In the current geopolitical setting, which is marked by heightened tensions, threatening nuclear rhetoric and aggression, we remain compelled to strengthen our disarmament architecture.’ It pledged to continue advocating for the universalisation of the TPNW, as the ‘only guarantee against the use of nuclear weapons is their total elimination’.3
Namibia participated in the African Conference on the Universalisation and Implementation of the TPNW in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in September 2024.4
Namibia 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’.5
Recommendations
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Namibia should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
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Namibia should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.