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 2024. 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 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) | Voted yes (2024) |
| 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 (Modified) |
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 [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 2024, Suriname said that ‘nuclear weapons continue to pose a grave threat to humanity and our planet’. For that reason, it ‘stands firmly committed to the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons’.2
At the same meeting, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), of which Suriname is a member, reiterated its support for the TPNW and urged ‘all States to engage constructively with this vital legal instrument’.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).