Thailand
Thailand is an example to be followed by other states, as it has adhered to all of the seven key treaties in the legal architecture on disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, in addition to being party to a nuclear-weapon-free zone (NWFZ) treaty.
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | Yes (Ratified 2017) | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Acceded 1972) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2018) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 1997, Bangkok) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1974) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2017) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1975) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 2002) | |
| 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 |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | Yes |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 9 (55.5%) |
| 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 | Yes |
| Fissile material production | No |
| HEU stocks | Cleared |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
| SQP with the IAEA | No |
Latest developments
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2024, Thailand encouraged more states to ratify or accede to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), noting its role as a co-facilitator, together with Ireland, on the issue of ‘complementarity’ under the Treaty.1 It called for a ‘multiple-track approach’ to nuclear disarmament, ‘reinforcing complementarity between the [Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)] and other relevant frameworks, particularly the TPNW’.2
At the NPT Preparatory Committee session in July 2024, Thailand said that ‘synergy’ exists between the NPT and other instruments, including the TPNW.3 ‘It is our firm belief that the TPNW is an effective measure contributing to the implementation of Article IV [of the NPT],’ it said. It also noted that, by universalising the TPNW, states can complement the ‘web’ created by nuclear-weapon-free zone treaties.4
During the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly in September 2024, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, Maris Sangiampongsa, urged states to ‘uphold their disarmament and non-proliferation obligations to rebuild trust and ensure a safe and secure world’.5
At a high-level UN event to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on 26 September 2024, Thailand congratulated Indonesia, Sierra Leone, and the Solomon Islands on their recent ratification of the TPNW.6
Thailand 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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Thailand should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
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Thailand should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.