Philippines
The Philippines 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
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | Yes (Ratified 2021) | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1972) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2001) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 2001, Bangkok) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1974) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2010) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1973) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1996) | |
| 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) | 8.5 (44%) |
| 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 | Yes |
| Fissile material production | No |
| HEU stocks | Cleared |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
| SQP with the IAEA | No |
Latest developments
The Philippines is one of a number of states parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) that cooperate militarily with a nuclear-armed state while ensuring compliance with the prohibitions set out in Article 1 of the Treaty. In July 2024, the foreign and defence secretaries of the Philippines and the United States issued a joint statement reiterating ‘the importance of the security alliance and shared commitments under the 1951 United States-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty in an increasingly complex environment’.1
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee session in July 2024, the Philippines said that the TPNW’s entry into force in 2021 ‘represents an advancement’ of Article VI of the NPT, which stipulates negotiations for nuclear disarmament. Moreover, the Philippines noted that the TPNW ‘outlaws nuclear weapons and establishes humanitarian principles and environmental remediation as a global norm’.2
During the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly in September 2024, the Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, Enrique Manalo, said that ‘we must complete the unfinished business of eliminating weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear arms’.3
At a high-level UN event to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on 26 September 2024, the Philippines said that ‘it is imperative that we educate the world about the catastrophic consequences of the use of nuclear weapons’, adding that ‘no justification can legitimise their existence’.4
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2024, the Philippines expressed concern at the ‘growing salience of nuclear weapons in military doctrines’ and the continued modernisation of nuclear arsenals.5 It said that the TPNW complements the NPT and ‘strongly supports the overarching goal of the global disarmament and non-proliferation regime’. It called on states that have not yet done so to sign and ratify it.6
The Philippines 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’.7
Recommendations
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The Philippines should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
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The Philippines should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.