In force since 1970, the agreement was designed to curb the proliferation of nuclear weapons, advance nuclear disarmament, and promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
It was adopted by 191 Member States, making it one of the most widely adhered to multilateral agreements in history and a cornerstone of international security.
In the past 54 years, nuclear weapons have never been used in a conflict, so the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 were the only times atomic bombs were dropped.
Dangerous and unexplored territory
But the global system governing nuclear weapons faces its most serious crisis in decades. Most Cold War-era agreements have been abandoned or expired: The 2010 US-Russia New START agreement, which placed a limit on the deployment of strategic nuclear warheads, expired in February without a successor.
At the time, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the world was entering uncharted territory, with no legally binding restrictions on the nuclear arsenals of the United States and Russia, the two countries that together possess the vast majority of the world’s nuclear weapons.
This new era of mistrust was reflected in the last two Treaty review conferences, in 2015 and 2022, which ended without agreement on a substantive final document, underscoring how divided States remain on priorities, obligations and the way forward.
This year’s review of the Treaty, which will take place from April 27 to May 22, will assess how well it is being implemented and whether it can make progress on disarmament, restraint and cooperation amid current security challenges.
At a press conference on Friday, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu said the event provides an opportunity for states to identify common areas, in the context of an extremely difficult security environment and increasingly worrying rhetoric.
“The threat of the use of nuclear weapons is increasingly frequent and we do not want that to become normal,” he said. “The more nuclear weapon states there are, the greater the risk of nuclear weapons being used by mistake.”
The review conference, the senior UN official added, “will not just be a box-ticking exercise. Diplomats must lead it towards a successful outcome because it is about the future of the nuclear order in the world.”