Rwanda
Rwanda did not participate in the negotiations on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in 2017 but has voted in favour of the annual UN General Assembly resolutions on the Treaty since 2020. Rwanda 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 1975) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2004) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 2007, Pelindaba) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2010) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2010) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1975) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 2004) | |
| 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) | No |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | No |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | N/A |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | N/A |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | No |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Did not vote |
| Fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Nuclear facilities | No |
| Fissile material production | No |
| HEU stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
| SQP with the IAEA | Yes (Modified) |
Latest developments
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2024, the African Group, of which Rwanda is a member, urged ‘all members of the international community, especially nuclear-weapon States and those under the so-called “nuclear umbrella”, to seize the opportunity to sign and ratify the [TPNW] at an early date’.1
Recommendations
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Rwanda should urgently adhere to the TPNW.