50 years of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: 
A cause for optimism?

The 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is the world’s pre-eminent multilaterally negotiated nuclear arms control treaty with 191 states parties. Except for the UN Charter, no other international instrument has more adherents. The NPT covers an array of topics: nuclear non-proliferation; international cooperation in promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy under safeguards and verification in conformity with the Treaty; and nuclear disarmament efforts leading to the elimination of all nuclear weapons. NPT review conferences are convened every five years. The next one will take place in 2020 and will mark the 50th anniversary of the Treaty.

This seminar will explore questions about the past and future of the NPT. Why was it decided to extend the treaty indefinitely in 1995? What commitments made that extension possible? Have they been upheld? What new commitments were made at the 2000 and 2010 NPT Review Conferences? Have they been implemented? Why did the 2015 Review Conference fail? What needs to be done to improve global efforts to outlaw and eliminate nuclear weapons?

At this event, SIPRI launched the publication 'Reflections on the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons' edited by Jayantha Dhanapala and Tariq Rauf.

Programme: 13.30 coffee will be served

Featured Speakers

Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala, President of the NPT 1995 Review and Extension Conference, former UN Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs

Tariq Rauf, Director of SIPRI’s Disarmament, Arms Control & Non-Proliferation Programme, Alternate Head of International Atomic Energy Agency NPT Delegations