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Setting the Stage for Progress towards Nuclear Disarmament
Recognizing that the current international context is hardly conducive to arms control and disarmament, SIPRI working paper ‘Setting the stage for progress towards nuclear disarmament’ identifies 10 practical steps to revitalize the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as the principal normative and legal foundation of the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime. At the same time, it recognizes the NPT’s inherent compatibility with other disarmament initiatives, most notably the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. In addition to restoring a sense of common purpose and addressing ‘old’ nuclear weapon-related risks, the paper highlights ‘new’ risks arising from developments in conventional capabilities and emerging technologies. The overarching objective is to set the stage for future concrete steps and initiatives to reduce the role of nuclear weapons and to eventually eliminate them.
Funding for the working paper was provided by Hiroshima Prefecture.
Table of contents
Introduction
Setting the stage for progress towards nuclear disarmament
1. Reaffirm the nuclear weapon states’ commitment to NPT Article VI and the pursuit of a nuclear weapon-free world
2. Concretize the commitment to disarmament by linking it with specific interim steps
3. Make a multilateral declaration on preventing nuclear war
4. Uphold the existing framework: Extend New START and preserve the INF Treaty
5. Reduce the risks of non-strategic nuclear weapons
6. Broaden the agenda of the Russian–US strategic stability talks and expand participation
7. Operationalize the results of the work on nuclear disarmament verification
8. Issue negative security assurances to all states in the nuclear weapon-free zones
9. Promote regional arms control and security processes
10. Strengthen nuclear security to facilitate disarmament
Conclusions
ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)/EDITORS
Dr Tytti Erästö is a Senior Researcher in the SIPRI Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme.
Dr Sibylle Bauer is the Director of Studies, Armament and Disarmament, at SIPRI.
Shannon N. Kile is a Senior Researcher in the SIPRI Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme.
Dr Petr Topychkanov is an Associate Senior Researcher in the SIPRI Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme.