The Monitor
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is generally referred to as the ‘cornerstone’ of the international non-proliferation and disarmament regime. Its purpose is three-fold: to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, to facilitate the disarmament of existing nuclear weapon states, and to promote the peaceful uses of nuclear energy across all States Parties. The treaty is currently the only binding multilateral agreement which involves the legally-recognised nuclear weapon states: China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, and a total of 191 States Parties. It was opened for signature in 1968, and in 1970, entered into force, with the highest number of participating countries than any other treaty relevant to non-proliferation and disarmament. The NPT also has the proactive support of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which facilitates safety and security, and in turn commitments under the treaty, through cooperation with States Parties to implement safeguards protocols, monitoring, and verification.
In the current geopolitical context, as the rate of conflicts across the globe rises, nuclear armed states increasingly modernise and/or expand their nuclear arsenals, and confidence in institutions and diplomacy is eroding, bolstering and maintaining commitment and implementation of the NPT is fundamental to global peace and security. The NPT Monitor seeks to support this effort, by providing knowledge and information on implementation in an accessible, comprehensive, and objective manner. This can support the participation and coordination of States Parties within NPT fora throughout the Review Cycle, and the information provided in the NPT Monitor can be used as an accountability tool by States Parties who wish to do so.
The NPT Monitor assesses implementation of the treaty by States Parties, based on criteria in the 2010 64 Point Action Plan. The Action Plan covers the three pillars of the Treaty, and was agreed by consensus during the 2010 Review Conference. The Action Plan was chosen as the framework for the Monitor on the basis that it is the last consensus-based agreement by the NPT States Parties for obligations and commitments to implement the treaty. More information, along with a full version of the 64 Point Action Plan can be found here:
https://docs.un.org/en/NPT/CONF.2010/50%20(VOL.I)
The NPT Monitor will provide information on every ‘action’ in the Action Plan, but those currently available from States Parties about which action areas were under particular focus at the moment, ahead of the upcoming Review Conference. On this basis, the NPT Monitor has first focused on implementation of the treaty by the nuclear weapon states. In the coming months, our Country Experts will gather and submit information and data relevant to the remaining actions in the Action Plan. In future iterations of the Monitor, we hope to provide data for non-nuclear weapon states also.
The Team
Dr Manuel Herrera is a Senior Policy Fellow at BASIC, the Programme Manager of the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Programme, and the Project Manager of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Monitor project.
Manuel conducts research in the field of non-proliferation and disarmament, with a specific expertise on the Iranian nuclear programme and nuclear diplomacy in the context of the NPT. Previously, Manuel was Research Fellow in the Multilateralism and Global Governance programme at the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI, Rome), where he co-managed IAI’s activities within the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium (EUNPDC). He was also a research assistant in the nuclear security programme at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi, India; worked at the Office of Geopolitical Analysis of the Spanish Ministry of Defence; and was an EUNPDC intern within the “Next Generation” programme at the Institute for Foreign and International Policy (INCIPE) in Madrid. Finally, Manuel was a non-doctoral fellow at the Centre for International Studies in Lisbon, and a visiting researcher at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt.
Manuel has published The European Union’s Nuclear Non-proliferation Policy: Performance and Contestation with Routledge (available here). He is also a regular contributor to magazines, newspapers, and academic publications, and a consultant to the strategic offices of various government ministries, dealing with the issues mentioned above.
He holds a Master’s degree in International Security from the Institute of International Studies of Barcelona (IBEI) and a PhD from the King Juan Carlos University of Madrid in the Social and Legal Sciences programme, specialising in Public International Law and International Relations.
Anahita Parsa is a Policy Fellow on the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Programme at BASIC, working on both the development of the NPT Monitor, and a framework for Nuclear Weapon Harm Reduction.
Anahita focuses on nuclear diplomacy and disarmament, with an interest in the role of institutions, multilateral treaties, and the global nuclear order, with specific regional expertise on the Middle East. She has presented at the LSE, BISA Global Nuclear Order Annual Conference, and other expert fora.
Previously, she co-coordinated the Emerging Voices Network at BASIC, and served as Clerk to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Global Security and Non-Proliferation. She was also Programme Manager at the Middle East Treaty Organization, working on the establishment of a Middle East Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone, amongst her other work in collaboration with the United Nations’ UN75 initiative, and as Advocacy Manager at SCRAPWeapons.
She has an MA in International Studies and Diplomacy, from the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS, University of London, having previously also completed her BA in Politics and International Relations at SOAS.
BASIC
BASIC is an independent, non-profit think tank whose mission is to safeguard humanity and Earth’s ecosystem from nuclear risks and interconnected security threats, for generations to come.
BASIC’s vision is for a global security consensus founded on multilateralism, the recognition of the indivisibility of security, an adherence to Earth’s planetary boundaries, and the consideration of future generations.
Founded in 1987, BASIC has earned a global reputation for convening distinctive and empathic dialogues that help states overcome complex strategic and political differences. Through established networks and expertise to get the right people in the room and facilitate effective, meaningful exchange between siloed and often hostile political communities.
Funders
This project is made possible through the generous support of Global Affairs Canada and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.