The Tenth NPT Review Conference New York, 1 August 2022

1. We, the Member States of the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative (NPDI) - Australia, Canada, Chile, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, the Philippines, Poland, Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates –reaffirm our commitment to a successful outcome of the Tenth Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the full implementation of this Treaty.
2. As it was stated in the first ministerial statement of the NPDI, our governments share a common purpose: to take forward the consensus outcomes of the 2010 NPT Review Conference and jointly advance the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation agendas. For the past 12 years, the NPDI has demonstrated a spirit of collaboration and diplomacy towards these objectives. It has worked relentlessly towards the full and comprehensive compliance with all NPT provisions by all parties. As a cross-regional group consisting of members with diverse perspectives, the NPDI has demonstrated its strength by developing and presenting constructive contributions. The NPDI calls on all parties to the NPT to exercise effective multilateralism and seek common ground to uphold the NPT.
3. More than 50 years after the NPT entered into force, we reaffirm its enduring value and recommit to its full implementation. We reiterate our political resolve to continue to uphold the NPT as the cornerstone of the international disarmament and non-proliferation regime. The NPDI stresses the importance of universal adherence to the NPT and calls on all States not party to the Treaty to accede to it immediately.
4. The NPT has been instrumental in constraining nuclear proliferation. For 77 years since the use of nuclear weapons in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, no nuclear weapons have been used. While acknowledging that there is still need for further progress, the NPT has provided the indispensable framework for nuclear disarmament. Moreover, the NPT has guaranteed the right of States Parties to the use of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes (under Article IV), and facilitated this access.
5. The NPDI strongly deplores Russia's aggression against Ukraine, and the failure to respect the commitments under the Budapest Memorandum on security assurances in connection with Ukraine's accession to the NPT, seriously undermining the NPT regime. We are deeply concerned about the threat of use of nuclear weapons and the forceful seizure of and attacks on nuclear facilities, which are unacceptable. These escalatory actions pose a serious risk to nuclear safety and security, and undermine global efforts on disarmament and non-proliferation. They also underscore the need for nuclear risk reduction.
6. We call upon Russia to urgently pursue de-escalation and commit to the January 3, 2022 “Joint Statement of the Leaders of the Five Nuclear-Weapon States on Preventing Nuclear War and Avoiding Arms Race”. We underline our expectation that all nuclear-weapon States preserve this commitment, which affirmed that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought, and pursue diplomatic efforts to seek dialogue on the implementation of their obligations and commitments under the NPT, taking into account the security developments.
7. The current rapid deterioration of the international security environment, is worrying. Agreements and norms that have previously contributed to international security and which have been undermined or terminated need to be reinvigorated to address the threats to international security. Also, emerging new and disruptive technologies can have disturbing ramifications for our international security environment.
8. In strongly condemning North Korea's unprecedented series of ballistic missile launches, including the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile launches, in violation of relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, the NPDI reiterates its commitment to the international community's goal of achieving the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. We strongly urge North Korea to return to full compliance with the NPT and IAEA safeguards obligations, and dismantle all its nuclear weapons, other weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles of all ranges, in accordance with UNSC resolutions. We call on all members of the international community to fully implement relevant UNSC resolutions, and to spare no efforts to facilitate a peaceful and comprehensive solution through dialogue.
9. We also note with concern the IAEA's diminishing ability to verify the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program and the lack of progress on the JCPOA talks. We note the ongoing actions by Iran that undermine its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA. It is imperative to swiftly conclude negotiations for a timely restoration of the JCPOA. We reiterate our support to the full implementation of the JCPOA by all parties and strongly urge Iran to return to full implementation of the Additional Protocol and other JCPOA transparency commitments. We call upon Iran to cooperate with the IAEA to clarify and resolve all outstanding safeguards issues related to undeclared nuclear facilities.
10. To address these challenges, we must find multilateral solutions, engage in interactive dialogue, implement NPT obligations and commitments with an emphasis on nuclear disarmament and; build confidence. We must maintain and raise awareness of the realities of the use of nuclear weapons, including through visiting Hiroshima and Nagasaki and interaction with hibakusha.
11. In this light, the extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) between Russia and the United States was a welcomed development. The NPDI encourages dialogue among nuclear-weapon States aimed at the expansion of such arrangements to contribute to further reductions of their nuclear arsenals and to strategic stability.
12. A world without nuclear weapons is the ultimate goal of the international community and the NPT. A balanced and full implementation of the three pillars of the treaty is essential in this regard. The determination and positive leadership of the nuclear-weapon States will be essential to fully realize the NPT's objectives and to ensure a successful outcome of this Review Conference. Nuclear-weapon States bear a special responsibility for reaching that objective by implementing the obligations and commitments under Article VI of the Treaty, by taking effective measures and concrete steps relating to the cessation of the nuclear arms race and to nuclear disarmament. The NPDI is of the strong view that the 40-year long decrease in global nuclear arsenals must be sustained and not reversed.
13. The NPDI promotes tangible measures to enhance transparency; strengthen the NPT review process; further develop nuclear disarmament verification; implement nuclear risk reduction and; improve nuclear safety, security and safeguards. We emphasize the central role of the IAEA and its safeguards system in the non-proliferation regime and in assisting States in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
14. The NPDI has submitted a set of concrete proposals on all three pillars of the NPT to contribute to a successful Review Conference. We invite all States Parties to the NPT to consider and support these substantive recommendations. The NPDI will continue to act as a bridge-builder and deepen our substantive outreach to all NPT States Parties. The NPDI remains committed to fostering the sustained, high-level political leadership and diplomatic dialogue needed to strengthen the implementation of the NPT. Today, we reiterate our renewed political commitment to upholding the progress made over the past 52 years, and to achieving the Treaty's ultimate objective of a world without nuclear weapons.