Nepal
The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Nepal is reported to have discussed the TPNW in 2021, but action to approve ratification is still pending. In the First Committee of the 2021 UN General Assembly, Nepal said of the TPNW that it 'is committed to ratifying the treaty at the earliest possible.'[1]
| TPNW Article 1(1) prohibitions: Compliance in 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (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 | |
|---|---|
| 2021 UNGA resolution on TPNW | |
| 2020 UNGA resolution on TPNW | |
| 2019 UNGA resolution on TPNW | Voted yes |
| 2018 UNGA resolution on TPNW | Voted yes |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations | Yes |
| Share of women in TPNW negotiations | 25% |
| Vote on adoption of treaty text | Voted yes |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | Voted yes |
| IAEA safeguards and fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Safeguards Agreement | Yes |
| TPNW Art 3(2) deadline | N/A |
| Small Quantities Protocol | Yes (Original) |
| Additional Protocol | No |
| Fissile material production facilities | No |
| Highly enriched uranium stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks (mil/civ) | No/No |
| Related treaties and regimes | |
|---|---|
| Party to the BWC | Yes |
| Party to the CWC | Yes |
| Party to the PTBT | Yes |
| Ratified the CTBT | No (Signed) |
| Party to the NPT | Yes |
| Party to a NWFZ | No |
| Member of the CD | No |
Latest developments
As part of the Universal Periodic Review conducted by the Human Rights Council, Nepal accepted a recommendation in 2021 to ratify the TPNW.2
Nepal was one of the co-sponsors of the 2021 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'.3
Speaking in the 2021 UN General Assembly's High-Level Plenary Meeting to Commemorate and Promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, Nepal spoke of the trust deficit among nuclear states and resulting rise in geopolitical tension, and added: 'Amid uncertainty, this year on 22 January, we have witnessed a sliver of hope when the “Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons” entered into force despite the apathy in some quarters. [T]he billions of dollars aimed for nuclear programs should be redirected to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and in achieving the SDGs. [...] We call for the strengthening of the NPT, CTBT and TPNW regimes.4
Recommendations
- Nepal should urgently ratify the TPNW, and continue to encourage other states to adhere to the Treaty.
- Nepal should conclude and bring into force an Additional Protocol with the IAEA, and upgrade to a Modified Small Quantities Protocol. Nepal should also ratify the CTBT.
2) A/HRC/47/10 and A/HRC/47/10/Add.1