Yemen
Yemen voted in favour of adopting the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) at the UN Diplomatic Conference on 7 July 2017 and has consistently voted in favour of the annual UN General Assembly resolutions on the Treaty, including in 2024. Yemen 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 (Ratified 1986) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | No (Signed 1996) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | No | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2002) | |
| AP with the IAEA | No | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1979) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 2000) | |
| 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) | Yes (observer) |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | Yes (observer) |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 3 (0%) |
| 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 (Original) |
Latest developments
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2024, Yemen reaffirmed its commitment to nuclear disarmament, ‘as [nuclear] weapons pose a threat to regional and international security and peace’. It also expressed support for the establishment of a zone free of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East and called on Israel to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).1
Yemen attended as an observer the First and Second Meeting of States Parties (1MSP and 2MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), in June 2022 and in November-December 2023, respectively.
Recommendations
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Yemen should urgently adhere to the TPNW.
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Yemen should conclude and bring into force an Additional Protocol (AP) with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and upgrade to a modified Small Quantities Protocol (SQP).
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Yemen should also ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).