Sri Lanka
After having ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) earlier in the year, Sri Lanka acceded to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) on 19 September 2023. The then-Minister of Foreign Affairs, M. U. M. Ali Sabry, deposited Sri Lanka’s instrument of accession with the UN Secretary-General at a high-level ceremony in New York, describing it as a reaffirmation of Sri Lanka’s ‘long-standing commitment towards nuclear disarmament in favour of international peace and security’.1
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | Yes (Acceded 2023) | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1979) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2023) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | No | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1984) | |
| AP with the IAEA | No (Approved 2018) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1976) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1994) | |
| TPNW Art. 1(1) prohibitions: Compliance in 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compliant |
| Possess or stockpile | Compliant | |
| Test | Compliant | |
| (b) | Transfer | Compliant |
| (c) | Receive transfer or control | Compliant |
| (d) | Use | Compliant |
| Threaten to use | Compliant | |
| (e) | Assist, encourage or induce | Compliant |
| (f) | Seek or receive assistance | Compliant |
| (g) | Allow stationing, installation, deployment | Compliant |
| TPNW voting and participation | |
|---|---|
| UNGA resolution on TPNW (latest vote) | Voted yes (2024) |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | Yes (observer) |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | No |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 6 (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 | No |
Latest developments
In accordance with Article 2 of the TPNW, Sri Lanka submitted a declaration to the UN Secretary-General on 18 January 2024 confirming that it does not own, possess or control nuclear weapons, has never done so, and does not host any other state’s nuclear weapons on its territory.2
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee session in July 2024, Sri Lanka reaffirmed ‘its long-standing commitment to nuclear disarmament and international peace and security’ and said that it was proud to have acceded to the TPNW in 2023. ‘We believe the TPNW complements and strengthens the NPT regime, and we encourage all States to consider joining this important instrument,’ it added.3
At a high-level UN event to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on 26 September 2024, Sri Lanka said that ‘we are yet to witness meaningful progress in disarmament, with over 12,000 nuclear warheads in existence, sufficient to destroy the planet’. It noted that it has joined all major treaties relating to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, including the TPNW.4
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2024, Sri Lanka said that ‘the doctrine of nuclear deterrence, which seeks to justify the possession of nuclear weapons, ostensibly as a means to avoid war, runs out of validity very quickly when tensions escalate. As a result, we have witnessed [an] increase of nuclear rhetoric, and the doomsday clock coming ever closer to midnight.’5 Sri Lanka also welcomed ‘the increase in the number of State parties to the [TPNW]’.6
It was one of the co-sponsors for the 2024 UN General Assembly resolution on the TPNW, which welcomed the Treaty’s entry into force and called upon ‘all States that have not yet done so to sign, ratify, accept, approve or accede to the Treaty at the earliest possible date’.7
Recommendations
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Sri Lanka should encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW:
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Sri Lanka should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.
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Sri Lanka should bring into force its Additional Protocol (AP) with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).