Vanuatu
Vanuatu 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 (Acceded 1995) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2005) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 1995, Rarotonga) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2013) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2013) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Acceded 2016) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Acceded 2005) | |
| 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) | No |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 3 (33%) |
| 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
During the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly in September 2024, the Prime Minister of Vanuatu, Charlot Salwai Tabimasmas, said: ‘We are deeply concerned over the greatest threat to international peace and security posed by the continued existence of nuclear weapons.’ He called ‘for a renewed and strengthened effort to resolve the current impasse in achieving nuclear disarmament’.1
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee session in July 2024, Vanuatu criticised the nuclear-weapon states for their ‘lack of good faith and commitment’ to the dismantlement of their nuclear weapons in a verifiable and irreversible manner. ‘The total elimination of nuclear weapons and the assurance that they will never be possessed or produced again is the only unqualified assurance against the catastrophic humanitarian consequences arising from the use of such weapons,’ it said.2
In a joint statement to the same meeting, the states parties to the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, including Vanuatu, said: ‘The scars of nuclear testing continue to mark our people and environment, and reinforce to our countries the unacceptable humanitarian costs and risks posed by nuclear war.’ They expressed their ‘region’s steadfast opposition to nuclear weapons’ while noting entry into force in 2021 of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).3
The Pacific Islands Forum, of which Vanuatu is a member, also noted the TPNW’s entry into force in a statement marking the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on 26 September 2024.4
Recommendations
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Vanuatu should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
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Vanuatu should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.