PRESS RELEASE : Second Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, General Debate – UK statement [August 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 22 August 2024.

This statement outlines the UK’s ongoing support for the Non Proliferation Treaty across the 3 pillars of disarmament, non-proliferation, and peaceful uses.

Thank you Chair,

I would first like to congratulate you on your election, and to extend the thanks of the United Kingdom’s delegation to you and to the secretariat for your efforts to deliver a constructive and productive PrepCom.

This PrepCom marks the half-way point on the road to the 2026 Review Conference. It is an important opportunity to reflect on the core principles that should guide our work. The rule of law is the cornerstone of any just and prosperous society, and in an increasingly connected world the importance of international rules, multilateral institutions and political leadership cannot be overstated.

For more than half a century, the NPT has been a vital pillar of the international peace and security architecture, and the rules based international order, in which nations can thrive. The NPT provides the only credible and sustainable route to multilateral nuclear disarmament. It has created the non-proliferation framework that has both limited the spread of nuclear weapons and enabled safe access to nuclear technologies for peaceful uses. As a Government that believes in the rule of law at home and internationally, the United Kingdom remains as committed to its full implementation and universalisation as we did when the Foreign Secretary, Michael Stewart, signed it in 1968.

Chair,

This PrepCom takes place in an ever more unstable and dangerous world. Global arms control is under huge strain. Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, its irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, and reckless endangering of nuclear power plants are not the behaviours of a responsible nuclear weapons state. Iran and the DPRK continue to undermine the non-proliferation architecture and threaten international security. A lack of transparency from other states, including China, on the nature and extent of their nuclear programmes also fuels international concern.

It is against this backdrop that now, more than ever, the first duty of any responsible government must be to keep their nation safe. My Prime Minister has made clear that for as long as others have nuclear weapons, the UK will maintain a nuclear deterrent. Our posture of minimum credible nuclear deterrence, assigned to the defence of NATO, is a vital safeguard for the UK, our Allies, and for maintaining global peace and security.

By the same token, it is at the moments of the greatest geopolitical tension that efforts to reduce nuclear risk and miscalculation are most important. The UK is taking practical steps to reduce the risk of nuclear war and prepare for a future where meaningful progress towards a world without nuclear weapons is possible. We remain committed to the P5 nuclear process, which was first proposed by the UK Defence Secretary, Desmond Browne, in 2008. We will deepen our conversations with non-nuclear weapons states, including in the Global South, and with civil society; and continue to develop practical initiatives on irreversibility, verification, transparency, and accountability. Building a more secure environment is a collective responsibility.

Chair,

The NPT also enables the safe and secure exchange of transformative nuclear technologies for peaceful uses. Alongside addressing energy challenges, it can make a significant contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals by supporting a range of applications of nuclear technology in areas such as climate change, agriculture, and health, that can help to protect our planet and improve lives across the world.

The UK is pleased to champion the Sustained Dialogue on Peaceful Uses, which aims to expand access to the peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology, breaking down barriers to equal access, to allow all states the opportunity to realise the benefit of nuclear technology.

Robust non-proliferation, safety, and security standards enable full access to those peaceful uses. The UK strongly supports the IAEA’s independence and safeguards mandate. The IAEA plays a critical role in verifying that nuclear material remains in peaceful uses, as well as promoting global nuclear safety and security. It is essential that all States Parties bring into force full safeguards measures, including the Additional Protocol as well as export controls, as key enablers of peaceful nuclear trade.

As new technologies emerge, such as new reactor designs and novel fuel types, we need to ensure that safeguards, safety and security are implemented at the design phase.

Chair,

This approach embodies the Foreign Secretary’s commitment to progressive realism as the foundation of our foreign policy. We are both realistic about the conditions we find ourselves in, yet progressive in our commitment to the ultimate goal of peace and security in a world without nuclear weapons.

We all have our part to play. The UK stands ready to play its part, and calls on all states to work together, in good faith, to lay the foundations for a successful Review Conference in 2026.

Thank you.