Report on 2015 NPT Review Conference (4/27 5/22)

Guy Quinlan, President, Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy

The 2015 NPT Review Conference was marked by sharp divisions between a
majority of the worlds non-nuclear weapon states (NNWS) and the authorized
nuclear weapons states under the treaty, the P5 (U.S., Russia, China, UK and
France). The NNWS strongly pressed for quicker action and definite time lines on
nuclear disarmament and the P5 consistently resisted these demands. The draft
Final Document was progressively watered down to meet the demands of the P5,
and the U.S., UK, and Canada finally blocked its adoption (the conference can
act only by consensus) because of objections to the language about a Weapons
of Mass Destruction Free Zone in the Middle East.
However, there were a number of hopeful signs for the future:
- A majority of the non-nuclear weapon states are increasingly determined to
press for compliance with the disarmament obligations in Article VI of the NPT,
and that pressure seems likely to increase;
- Many NNWS (and many NGOs) are already discussing alternatives, such as
initiatives in the UN General Assembly. One possibility would be a resolution reestablishing the Open Ended Working Group, with an enhanced mandate to
propose a framework for multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations. The
NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace and Security chaired a side event on
some of these proposals, and the Director of the UN Office for Disarmament
Affairs was one of the speakers (see meeting coverage below).

- Many NNWS are also conferring about the most effective way to build
momentum for the UN High Level Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament, which is
scheduled to take place no later than 2018.
- The debates during the conference reflected a growing world-wide awareness
of the horrific humanitarian consequences of nuclear explosions, as outlined in
the international conferences in Oslo, Nyarit and Vienna, and the grave moral
and ethical issues presented. This awareness should help to stigmatize and delegitimatize the possession and threatened use of these weapons.
- One real outcome of the NPT Review Conference, according to Reaching
Critical Will, is the Humanitarian Pledge introduced by Austria during the Third
Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons in December 2014.
At the outset of this year's conference, the Humanitarian Pledge had just over 70
supporters. By the closing of the Conference, 107 states had committed to to
identify and pursue effective measures to fill the legal gap for the prohibition and
elimination of nuclear weapons.
The NGOs taking part in the UNfold Zero initiative are consulting with UNODA
about ideas for the enhanced observance of the UN Day for the Total Elimination
of Nuclear Weapons on September 26. Many religious groups are also
considering special observances of the Day during the September 25-27
weekend.
-Guy Quinlan, May 2015!