Uruguay
Uruguay 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 2018) | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1970) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2001) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 1968, Tlatelolco) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1976) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2004) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Acceded 1981) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1994) | |
| TPNW Art. 1(1) prohibitions: Compliance in 2025 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (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 (2025) |
| Participated in 3MSP (2025) | Yes |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | Yes |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | Yes |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 4 (56.%) |
| 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
At the Third Meeting of States Parties (3MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in March 2025, Uruguay underscored ‘the importance of expanding the membership and achieving the full and effective implementation of the TPNW, as a common tool to effectively address the dangers that nuclear weapons pose’. It noted that the Treaty is ‘in the process of consolidation within the disarmament architecture’ and pledged to continue urging all States that have not yet done so to accede to it ‘without delay and without preconditions’.1
Uruguay was reappointed as a co-chair of the TPNW’s informal working group on universalization, along with Austria and New Zealand.
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee meeting in May 2025, Uruguay said that the adoption of ‘a legally binding regime for the prohibition of nuclear weapons’—namely, the TPNW—‘constitutes an effective and necessary measure to advance toward complete nuclear disarmament, complementing Article VI of the NPT’. It said that, by ratifying the TPNW in 2018, it reaffirmed ‘its status as a peace-loving country’.2
At a high-level event on 26 September 2025 marking the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, Uruguay said: ‘Nuclear disarmament has been a priority since the inception of the United Nations. However, 80 years later, we are still far from a world free of nuclear weapons. Nevertheless, we recognize that there has been progress.’ It cited, in particular, the fact that a majority of countries have now committed to the prohibition of nuclear weapons through the TPNW.3
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2025, Uruguay emphasized ‘that a significant majority of States have signed or ratified [the TPNW], thus sending a strong signal of global commitment’.4
Uruguay co-sponsored the 2025 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’.5
Recommendations
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Uruguay should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
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Uruguay should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.