Representatives of countries from around the world are gathering in New York for the Tenth Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) on Aug. 1, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) reports.
Ambassador Adam Scheinman, Special Representative of the President for Nuclear Nonproliferation, said the review conference is "our best opportunity" for NPT state parties "to strengthen the existing nuclear nonproliferation regime" in a July 21 statement on the conference.
The NPT is, and will remain, absolutely critical to international security and the maintenance of the rules-based order," Scheinman stated in the report. "That is why the United States, working closely with our allies and partners, will spare no effort to not only preserve but also strengthen this treaty, including at its historic Tenth Review Conference this August."
During the conference, the U.S. and its partners will complete a "final document" to strengthen the NPT and "all three of its pillars: nonproliferation, disarmament, and peaceful uses," the report states.
Initiatives developed by the U.S. for the international disarmament of nuclear weapons include the Creating and Environment for Nuclear Disarmament (CEND) and the International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification (IPNDV), the DOS reports. These efforts "address underlying security issues and identify solutions to the complex challenges involved in the advancement and verification of nuclear disarmament," according to the DOS.
A sense of urgency accompanies this review conference, according to the DOS, because of Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine and its continued and escalating nuclear rhetoric, the DOS states.
Scheinman states the U.S. support for the NPT "remains unwavering" but future success of the NPT depends on continuing effort by all state parties.
"We encourage all parties to focus on our common interests in the treaty," Sheinman stated, "and to support each of the three pillars as mutually reinforcing and essential to international peace and security."
