Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is currently examining the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) with a view to ratifying it. In 2023, the President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, announced that the Treaty would be tabled in Parliament for ratification. He described Zimbabwe’s ratification as part of its effort to strengthen cooperation with the international community.1
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | No (Signed 2020) | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Acceded 1991) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2019) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 1998, Pelindaba) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1995) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2021) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Acceded 1990) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1997) | |
| 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 (observer) |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | No |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | No |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 5 (40%) |
| 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
At the Third Meeting of States Parties (3MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in March 2025, Zimbabwe reaffirmed its dedication to the Treaty’s objectives. ‘Zimbabwe applauds the inclusive approach of the TPNW, fostering collaboration between states, civil society, scientists, parliamentarians, youth, and affected communities,’ it said, arguing that the Treaty’s ‘clear-sighted focus on nuclear abolition’ could be used to ‘reinvigorate disarmament efforts’ in the context of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).2
At the NPT Preparatory Committee meeting in April 2025, Zimbabwe welcomed the progress towards the universalization of the TPNW, describing the Treaty as ‘complementary to the NPT’.3
At a high-level event on 26 September 2025 marking the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, Zimbabwe noted that, as a reflection of ‘its commitment to a nuclear-weapon-free world’, it is a signatory to the TPNW.4
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2025, Zimbabwe said that it looked forward to the First Review Conference of the TPNW to be held in 2026 under the presidency of South Africa, describing it ‘as an important platform to reinforce the incompatibility of nuclear weapons with international humanitarian law’.5
In the Conference on Disarmament in February 2025, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Zimbabwe, Amon Murwira, said that his country ‘is an advocate of the total and complete elimination of nuclear weapons, given their catastrophic consequences for the entire world. They should never be accepted under any circumstances.’6
Zimbabwe 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’.7
Recommendations
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Zimbabwe should urgently ratify the TPNW.