Suriname
Suriname is the only Caribbean State yet to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). It voted in favour of adopting the TPNW at the UN negotiating conference in 2017 and has consistently voted in favour of the annual UN General Assembly resolutions on the Treaty, including in 2025. Suriname 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 1976) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2006) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 1977, Tlatelolco) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1979) | |
| AP with the IAEA | No | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Acceded 1993) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1997) | |
| TPNW Art. 1(1) prohibitions: Compatibility in 2025 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (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 (2025) |
| Participated in 3MSP (2025) | No |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | No |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | No |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | N/A |
| 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 | Yes (Revised) |
Latest developments
At a high-level UN event to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on 26 September 2024, Suriname said: ‘We are actively considering our position on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons [TPNW] while remaining fully committed to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons [NPT].’1
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2025, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), of which Suriname is a member State, reaffirmed its support for the TPNW, emphasizing that the First Review Conference in 2026 offers a ‘crucial opportunity to strengthen norms against these weapons and to accelerate the momentum toward their elimination’.2
In a separate statement to the Committee, CARICOM hailed the TPNW as ‘a landmark achievement that reinforces and complements the international legal framework for nuclear disarmament’ and ‘embodies the collective moral, legal, and humanitarian imperative to eliminate these weapons once and for all’. It urged all States that have not yet joined the Treaty to do so ‘without delay’.3
Recommendations
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Suriname should urgently adhere to the TPNW.
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Suriname should conclude and bring into force an Additional Protocol (AP) with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).