Qatar
Qatar voted in favour of adopting the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) at the UN negotiating conference in 2017 and has consistently voted in favour of the annual UN General Assembly resolutions on the Treaty, including in 2024. It observed the First and Second Meeting of States Parties (1MSP and 2MSP) to the TPNW in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Qatar maintains policies and practices that are compatible with all of the prohibitions in Article 1 of the TPNW, and can therefore sign and ratify or accede to the Treaty without the need for a change in conduct.
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | No | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Acceded 1989) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 1997) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | No | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2009) | |
| AP with the IAEA | No | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1975) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1997) | |
| TPNW Art. 1(1) prohibitions: Compatibility in 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compatible |
| Possess or stockpile | Compatible | |
| Test | Compatible | |
| (b) | Transfer | Compatible |
| (c) | Receive transfer or control | Compatible |
| (d) | Use | Compatible |
| Threaten to use | Compatible | |
| (e) | Assist, encourage or induce | Compatible |
| (f) | Seek or receive assistance | Compatible |
| (g) | Allow stationing, installation, deployment | Compatible |
| TPNW voting and participation | |
|---|---|
| UNGA resolution on TPNW (latest vote) | Voted yes (2024) |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | Yes (observer) |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | Yes (observer) |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 4 (50%) |
| 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
At a high-level UN event to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on 26 September 2024, Qatar warned that ‘any delay in mobilising international efforts to curb nuclear weapons runs the risk of a nuclear crisis’. It noted the adoption of the TPNW by 122 states in 2017 and the fact that Qatar is a state party to a number of international treaties on the prohibition of weapons of mass destruction.1
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2024, Qatar said that it ‘places great importance on implementing agreements and treaties related to nuclear non-proliferation, the prohibition of nuclear weapons, and the banning of their use, threat of use or testing’. It also noted that it ‘is updating its laws and procedures related to disarmament and non-proliferation at the national level to align with the agreements and treaties to which it is a party’.2
At the same meeting, the Arab Group, of which Qatar is a member, emphasised the importance of the TPNW and the active participation of Arab states in its negotiation. The TPNW ‘places nuclear weapons in their logical position as weapons whose possession, use or threat of use conflicts with the most basic rules of international humanitarian law’, it said.3
Qatar hosted the third session of the Arab Forum on Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation in its capital, Doha, in June 2024.4
Recommendations
-
Qatar should urgently adhere to the TPNW.
-
Qatar should conclude and bring into force an Additional Protocol (AP) with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).