Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone voted in favour of adopting the TPNW at the UN Diplomatic Conference in 2017, but has not yet adhered to the Treaty. Sierra Leone maintains policies and practices that are compliant with all of the prohibitions in Article 1 of the Treaty, and can therefore sign and ratify it without making changes to existing practices or policies.
| TPNW status |
|---|
| Not signed, not ratified, not acceded |
| Compatibility with prohibitions in TPNW Article 1(1) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Art 1(1)(a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compatible |
| Test | Compatible | |
| Possess or stockpile | Compatible | |
| Art 1(1)(b) | Transfer | Compatible |
| Art 1(1)(c) | Receive transfer or control | Compatible |
| Art 1(1)(d) | Use | Compatible |
| Threaten to use | Compatible | |
| Art 1(1)(e) | Assist, encourage or induce | Compatible |
| Art 1(1)(f) | Seek or receive assistance | Compatible |
| Art 1(1)(g) | Allow stationing, installation, deployment | Compatible |
| TPNW voting and participation | |
|---|---|
| Vote on negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Voted yes |
| Participated in treaty negotiations (% women) | Yes (0%) |
| Vote on adoption of treaty text | Voted yes |
| Last vote on UNGA resolution | Voted yes |
| Fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Fissile material production facilities | No |
| Highly enriched uranium stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks (military/civilian) | No/No |
| Related treaties and regimes | |
|---|---|
| Party to the NPT | Yes |
| Party to a NWFZ | No (Signed, Pelindaba) |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes |
| Party to the PTBT | Yes |
| Member of the CD | No |
| IAEA CSA in force | Yes |
| IAEA AP in force | No |
| Party to the CWC | Yes |
| Party to the BWC | Yes |
Latest developments
Sierra Leone has consistently voted in favour of the UN General Assembly resolutions on the TPNW in 2018, 2019, and 2020. As a member of the African Group in the UN, Sierra Leone aligned itself with the group's statement at the 2020 UN General Assembly's High-Level Plenary Meeting to Commemorate and Promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, which welcomed the adoption of the TPNW and stated that the Treaty does not undermine the NPT but complements and strengthens it. The African Group statement also called on all states, especially nuclear-armed and umbrella states, to sign and ratify the TPNW, and to consider the catastrophic humanitarian, environmental, and economic impacts of nuclear weapons and to dismantle and renounce these weapons of mass destruction. See: bit.ly/2UG2lmC.
Recommendations
- Sierra Leone should urgently sign and ratify the TPNW, and encourage other states to adhere to the Treaty.
- Sierra Leone should conclude and bring into force an Additional Protocol (AP) with the IAEA.