Overview:
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was opened for signature in 1968, and has nearly190 Parties. The Treaty comprises legally binding non-proliferation commitments and is the basis for international cooperation on stopping the spread of nuclear weapons. The President in Prague on April 5 said that the basic bargain at the core of the Treaty is sound: “countries with nuclear weapons will move towards disarmament; countries without nuclear weapons will not acquire them; and all countries can access peaceful nuclear energy.” The President also called on NPT parties to take immediate steps to strengthen this vital nonproliferation instrument.
The NPT Review Process: The Treaty provides for the Parties to gather every five years to review whether the purposes of the Preamble and the provisions of the Treaty are being realized. At the 1995 Review and Extension Conference, the Parties extended the Treaty indefinitely and formalized the practice of convening a Review Conference (RevCon) every five years and annual Preparatory Committees (PrepCom) in the three years before a RevCon. The third PrepCom completes the procedural preparations for the Review Conference. The last RevCon took place May 3-28, 2010 in New York at the United Nations. The next PrepCom for this review cycle will take place in Vienna, Austria April 30-May 11, 2012.
Click here for more about the review process.
Click here for the United States Information Paper Pertaining to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which was presented at the 2010 NPT RevCon.
Contact Us: Special Representative of the President for Nuclear Nonproliferation, Ambassador Susan F. Burk leads U.S. efforts in support of the NPT. Questions and media inquiries should be directed to Erin Harbaugh at harbaughee@state.gov.
