Singapore
Singapore has consistently abstained from voting on the annual UN General Assembly resolutions on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), including in 2025. It also abstained from voting on the adoption of the TPNW at the negotiating conference in 2017. It 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. It is the only member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that has not yet signed the TPNW.
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | No | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1976) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2001) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 1997, Bangkok) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1977) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2008) | |
| 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) | Abstained (2025) |
| Participated in 3MSP (2025) | Yes (observer) |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | Yes (observer) |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | Yes (observer) |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 3 (61%) |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | Abstained |
| 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 (Revised) |
Latest developments
Singapore attended the Third Meeting of States Parties (3MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in March 2025 as an observer. It did not make a statement.
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee meeting in April 2025, Singapore said: ‘Amidst the intensifying geopolitical headwinds and a deteriorating international security environment, it is critical that we restore momentum and strengthen our commitment to the NPT, which remains the cornerstone of the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime.’1
In the general debate of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2025, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Singapore, Vivian Balakrishnan, argued that, during the Cold War, the threat of ‘mutually assured destruction deterred the use of nuclear weapons, although we all know there were a few close shaves’.2
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2025, Singapore reiterated its position on the TPNW. ‘We recall that our concerns were not fully addressed when the TPNW was adopted, and reiterate that the TPNW should not in any way affect the rights and obligations of States Parties under other treaties and agreements,’ it said.3
Recommendations
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Singapore should urgently adhere to the TPNW. Until it is in a position to do so, it should welcome the TPNW as a valuable component in the global disarmament and non-proliferation architecture, work with the Treaty's states parties on practical steps towards disarmament, and attend the meetings of states parties as an observer.