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 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) | No |
| 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 (Revised) |
Latest developments
Speaking at a high-level event on 26 September 2025 to mark the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vanuatu, Marc Ati, noted his country’s ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and emphasized ‘that humanity’s future depends on our united effort to eliminate this destructive weapon’.1
At the same event, the Pacific Islands Forum, of which Vanuatu is a member State, noted the ‘significant contribution’ of the 1985 South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty to nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament and to ‘inspiring other nuclear-weapon-free zones around the world’.2
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2025, Vanuatu said that it was proud to have ratified the TPNW, ‘a landmark instrument that embodies humanity’s collective aspiration for a world free of nuclear arms’. It urged all UN member States that have not yet done so to sign and ratify the Treaty and commended ‘the growing number of States that continue to join it’. It also called on all States to participate in the First Review Conference of the TPNW in 2026 and acknowledged the TPNW’s complementarity with other elements of the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime.3
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee meeting in April 2025, the States Parties to the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, including Vanuatu, reaffirmed their commitment to a nuclear-weapon-free world. ‘As a region devastatingly affected by nuclear testing, the slow pace of nuclear disarmament is a significant concern,’ they said.4
In the general debate of the 79th session 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’.5
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.