The Sixth Review Conference of the CCW will take place on 13-17 December 2021 in Room XIX of the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland.

Dates: 4-28 January 2022

The NPT is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote co-operation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament. The NPT represents the only binding commitment in a multilateral treaty to the goal of disarmament by the nuclear-weapon States.

Opened for signature in 1968, the Treaty entered into force in 1970. Since its entry into force, the NPT has been the cornerstone of global nuclear non-proliferation regime. 191 States parties have joined the Treaty, including the five nuclear-weapon States, making the NPT the most widely adhered to multilateral disarmament agreement.

The Treaty, particularly article VIII, paragraph 3, envisages a review of the operation of the Treaty every five years, a provision which was reaffirmed by the States parties at the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference and the 2000 NPT Review Conference.

Links to Important Documents

By operative paragraph 6 of its resolution 74/53 (A/RES/74/53), the General Assembly of the United Nations:

Reaffirms its decision, with a view to further development of the Register, to keep the scope of, participation in and use of the Register under review, and to that end requests the Secretary-General, with the assistance of a group of governmental experts to be convened for a week each at the end of 2021 and at the beginning and in the middle of 2022 within existing resources, with the broadest possible participation, and on the basis of equitable geographical representation, to prepare a report on the continuing operation and relevance of the Register, including by exploring the relationship between the participation in, scope of and use of the Register, and its further development, taking into account the work of the Conference on Disarmament, relevant deliberations within the United Nations, the views expressed by Member States and the reports of the Secretary-General on the continuing operation of the Register and its further development, with a view to taking a decision at its seventy-seventh session.

Responding to this request, the above-referenced group of governmental experts will meet for three one-week sessions, which are tentatively scheduled as follows:

First meeting: 17-21 January 2022, New York
Second meeting: 14-18 March 2022, Geneva [new dates]
Third meeting: 13-17 June 2022, Geneva [new dates]

By operative paragraphs of its Resolution 74/50 (A/RES/74/50) the General Assembly of the United Nations requested the Secretary-General:

to seek the substantive views of Member States on the report of the Group of Governmental Experts on Nuclear Disarmament Verification and to report back to the General Assembly at its seventy-fifth session;

(operative paragraph 2)

and

to establish a group of governmental experts of up to 25 participants, chosen on the basis of equitable geographical representation and equitable representation of women and men, which will meet in Geneva for four sessions of one week each in 2021 and 2022, to further consider nuclear disarmament verification issues, including, inter alia, the concept of a Group of Scientific and Technical Experts, building on the report of the Group of Governmental Experts on Nuclear Disarmament Verification and the views of Member States referred to in paragraph 2 above.

(operative paragraph 6)

Report of the Secretary-General

The report requested by operative paragraph 2 of A/RES/74/50 is available as A/75/126.

Group of Governmental Experts on Nuclear Disarmament Verification

After careful consideration of the appropriate composition of the Group of Governmental Experts requested by the operative paragraph 6 of A/RES/74/50, the Secretary-General invited the Governments of the following countries to nominate an expert to participate in the work of the Group: Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Romania, Russian Federation, South Africa, Sweden, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and United States of America. The experts of the Group will work in their personal capacity and hold their first meeting in 2021.