Singapore
Singapore participated in the TPNW negotiations in 2017, but was the only state to abstain on the vote when the Treaty was adopted and has not adhered to it. The government has also consistently abstained on the UN General Assembly resolution on the TPNW in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Singapore 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 (17%) |
| Vote on adoption of treaty text | Abstained |
| Last vote on UNGA resolution | Abstained |
| 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 | Yes (Bangkok) |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes |
| Party to the PTBT | Yes |
| Member of the CD | No (Observer) |
| IAEA CSA in force | Yes |
| IAEA AP in force | Yes |
| Party to the CWC | Yes |
| Party to the BWC | Yes |
Latest developments
In First Committee of the 2020 UN General Assembly, Singapore stated that it aligned itself with the statements delivered on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). The ASEAN statement said: 'The TPNW is a historic agreement. It contributes towards global nuclear disarmament and complements other existing nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation instruments. There is an increasing number of instruments of ratifications and accessions to the Treaty [...] We believe that once entered into force, the TPNW will contribute further to the goal of the total elimination of nuclear weapons.' The NAM statement noted that 'NAM welcomes multilateral efforts towards nuclear disarmament and the total elimination of nuclear weapons. Moreover, NAM takes note of the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons on 7 July 2017. It is hoped that, when entered into force, the Treaty would contribute to furthering the agreed global objective of total elimination of nuclear weapons.' See: bit.ly/39dfKuY, bit.ly/3kSkWGC.
Recommendations
- Singapore should urgently sign and ratify the TPNW, and encourage other states to adhere to the Treaty.