Susan Templeman MP will attend as an observer the first Meeting of State Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) on 21-23 June in Vienna.

Australia’s attendance as an observer will provide insights into how States Parties intend to address serious questions about the Treaty, including:

• the adequacy of the TPNW’s verification and enforcement regime
• interaction with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which the Australian Government considers to be the cornerstone of the international disarmament and non-proliferation regime
• how States Parties will work to achieve universal support, especially that of nuclear-weapon states.

Australia is not a party to the TPNW and our attendance as an observer does not represent a decision to join the Treaty.