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Pillar 1

Action 9

The establishment of further nuclear-weapon-free zones, where appropriate, on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at among States of the region concerned, and in accordance with the 1999 Guidelines of the United Nations Disarmament Commission, is encouraged. All concerned States are encouraged to ratify the nuclear-weapon-free zone treaties and their relevant protocols, and to constructively consult and cooperate to bring about the entry into force of the relevant legally binding protocols of all such nuclear-weapon-free zones treaties, which include negative security assurances. The concerned States are encouraged to review any related reservations.

United Kingdom

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What has the NWS done so far (prior to the current Review Cycle)?

What is the NWS doing on this action in the current Review Cycle?

Sources

United States

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What has the NWS done so far (prior to the current Review Cycle)?

What is the NWS doing on this action in the current Review Cycle?

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France

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What has the NWS done so far (prior to the current Review Cycle)?

France is a party to four protocols of the treaties establishing NWFZs. In addition to the Antarctic Treaty of 1959 (which provides for complete demilitarisation), France is a party to the protocols of the Treaty of Tlatelolco (ratified in 1974 and 1992), the Treaty of Rarotonga (ratified in 1996), the Treaty of Pelindaba (ratified in 1996) and the Treaty of Semipalatinsk (joined in 2014) establishing nuclear-weapon-free zones in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Pacific, Africa and Central Asia, respectively. France also recognised Mongolia's status as a nuclear-weapon-free zone in 2012.

France expressed its support for the project of a WMD free zone in the Middle East. France participated, as an observer state, in the first three Conferences (2019, 2021, and 2022) on the establishment of a zone free of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery in the Middle East, which have been held in New York since 2019 pursuant to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 73/546.

What is the NWS doing on this action in the current Review Cycle?

France supported UNGA Resolution A/RES/78/39, on the Treaty on a nuclear free zone in Southeast Asia (Bangkok Treaty) and indicates that it continues to discuss with ASEAN member states to find an acceptable solution enabling the signature of the protocol of the Bangkok Treaty.

Regarding the project of a WMD free-zone in the Middle East, France took part to the 4th (2023) and 5th (2024) Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction.

France also supports and contributes to the European Union's efforts to achieve this objective, notably through EU Council Decision of 26 June 2023, which allocated a budget of nearly €2.1 million to promote trust and dialogue. France also supports the work of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), which aims at promoting inclusive dialogue between experts and policy makers on this issue.

Sources

National Report submitted by France. Report submitted by France under actions 5, 20 and 21 of the Final Document of the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (2022–2026). NPT/CONF.2026/PC.III/2. 7 March 2025, https://docs.un.org/en/NPT/CONF.2026/PC.III/2