Niue
Niue acceded to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) on 6 August 2020, the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The Premier of Niue, Dalton Tagelagi, issued a national statement on the occasion that said: 'Niue is honoured to accede to the Treaty on the 2017 Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. ... [N]o state is immune to the threats and consequences of nuclear weapons.'1
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) | N/A |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | No |
| 2MSP delegation size (% women) | N/A |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | N/A |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | N/A |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | N/A |
| Other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) treaties | |
|---|---|
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 1986, Rarotonga) |
| Party to the NPT | Yes* |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2014) |
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Acceded 2018) |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Acceded 2005) |
| IAEA safeguards and fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Safeguards agreement | Yes (In force 2002)* |
| TPNW Art 3(2) deadline | N/A |
| Small Quantities Protocol | Yes (Original)* |
| Additional Protocol | No |
| Enrichment facilities/reprocessing plants | No |
| HEU stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
Latest developments
In 2021, Niue adopted The Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Act, which is explicitly aimed at giving effect to the TPNW.2 Niue thus became one of the first states parties to adopt national legislation specifically implementing the TPNW, in accordance with the Treaty's Article 5.
In a joint statement to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee in July 2024, the states parties to the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, including Niue, said: ‘The scars of nuclear testing continue to mark our people and environment, and reinforce to our countries the unacceptable humanitarian costs and risks posed by nuclear war.’ They expressed their ‘region’s steadfast opposition to nuclear weapons’ while noting the TPNW’s entry into force in 2021.3
The Pacific Islands Forum, of which Niue is a member, also noted the TPNW’s entry into force in a statement marking the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on 26 September 2024.4
Recommendations
-
Niue should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
* Through territorial application by New Zealand
2) Niue 2021 Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Act, Act No. 353 of 2021.