Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons - Preparatory Committee for the Ninth Review Conference First session (2012)

<div id="wp-block-unodablocks-sections"><div><div class="wp-block-unodablocks-overview wp-block-unodablocks-section" id="wp-block-unodablocks-section-overview" style="max-height:200px;height:200px" data-mxheight="200" data-height="200" data-blockid="overview" data-level="1"><h2 class="section-title">Overview</h2>
<h3><strong>30 April – 11 May 2012 in Vienna</strong></h3>

<p>The Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) for the 2015 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) held its first session from 30 April to 11 May 2012 at the Vienna International Centre. This meeting was the first of three sessions that will be held prior to the 2015 Review Conference.</p>

<p>The PrepCom, open to all States parties to the Treaty, addressed substantive and procedural issues related to the Treaty and the upcoming Review Conference in 2015. The Chair of the first session was Ambassador Peter Woolcott of Australia.</p>

<p>The purpose of the PrepCom is to prepare for the Review Conference in terms of assessing the implementation of each article of the NPT and facilitating discussion among States with a view to making recommendations to the Review Conference.</p>

<p>The NPT, which entered into force in 1970 and was extended indefinitely in 1995, requires that review conferences be held every five years. The Treaty is regarded as the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime. It was designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to further the goal of nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament, and to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.</p>
</div></div><div><div class="wp-block-unodablocks-background wp-block-unodablocks-section" id="wp-block-unodablocks-section-background" style="max-height:800px;height:1678.3333740234375px" data-mxheight="800" data-height="1678.3333740234375" data-blockid="background" data-level="1"><h2 class="section-title">Background</h2>
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<p>The NPT, which entered into force in 1970 and was extended indefinitely in 1995, requires that review conferences be held every five years.</p>

<p>The purpose of the Preparatory Committee is to prepare for the Review Conference in terms of assessing the implementation of each article of the NPT and facilitating discussion among States with a view to making recommendations to the Review Conference. The 2013 meeting is the second of three sessions that will be held prior to the 2015 Review Conference.</p>

<p>The NPT is regarded as the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime. It was designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, to further the goal of nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament, and to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.</p>

<p>Under the Treaty, each nuclear-weapon-State party undertakes not to transfer nuclear weapons to any recipient or assist or encourage any non-nuclear-weapon State to manufacture or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons. Similarly, each non-nuclear-weapon-State party undertakes not to receive the transfer of nuclear weapons or manufacture or otherwise acquire them.</p>

<p>To further the goal of non-proliferation, the Treaty establishes a safeguards system under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Safeguards are used to verify compliance with the NPT through inspections conducted by the IAEA. The Treaty promotes cooperation in the field of peaceful nuclear technology and equal access to this technology for all States parties, while safeguards prevent the diversion of fissile material to nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosives.</p>

<p>The Treaty also provides an essential foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament, namely by further the easing of international tension and the strengthening of trust between States in order to facilitate the cessation of the manufacture of nuclear weapons, the liquidation of all their existing stockpiles, and the elimination from national arsenals of nuclear weapons and the means of their delivery.</p>

<p>The 2010 NPT Review Conference agreed to a final document that included conclusions and recommendations for follow-on actions in the areas of nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation, peaceful uses of nuclear energy and the Middle East, particularly implementation of the 1995 Resolution on the Middle East.</p>

<p>Further information may be found at the following web page: <a href="http://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/npt/">Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT</a>)</p>
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<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://documents.unoda.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/PWoolcottAmb.jpg…; alt="" class="wp-image-9354" width="288" height="359"/></figure></div>

<h2>Ambassador Peter Woolcott, Australia</h2>

<p>Mr. Woolcott was appointed Australia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva and Ambassador for Disarmament in February 2010. Previously, he served as Australian Ambassador for People Smuggling Issues and Australian Ambassador to Italy and Permanent Representative to the World Food Programme and the Food and Agricultural Organisation; as well as Consul-General and Representative to US Commander-in-Chief Pacific, Honolulu. Other overseas service includes postings in Jakarta, Manila, Buenos Aires and Kingston. He has also served as Chief of Staff to the Foreign Minister (2002-04) and Head of the South-East Asia Division.</p>

<p>Mr. Woolcott holds Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Arts degrees from the Australian National University and a Master of Arts degree from Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. He practised as a barrister in Sydney for a number of years before joining the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 1981.</p>
</div></div><div><div class="wp-block-unodablocks-secretariat wp-block-unodablocks-section" id="wp-block-unodablocks-section-secretariat" style="max-height:800px;height:1678.3333740234375px" data-mxheight="800" data-height="1678.3333740234375" data-blockid="secretariat" data-level="1"><h2 class="section-title">Secretariat</h2>
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<p>Secretariat contact information can be found in document <a href="http://undocs.org/NPT/CONF.2015/PC.I/INF/6">NPT/CONF.2015/PC.I/INF/6</a…; - List of Secretariat Officers</p>
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<p>25 April 2012<br><a href="https://unis.unvienna.org/unis/en/pressrels/2012/unisinf442.html" data-type="URL" data-id="https://unis.unvienna.org/unis/en/pressrels/2012/unisinf442.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Preparatory Committee for the 2015 Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty Review Conference to meet in Vienna, 30 April – 11 May 2012</a></p>

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<p>11 May 2012</p>

<p><a href="https://unis.unvienna.org/unis/en/pressrels/2012/unisdc002.html" data-type="URL" data-id="https://unis.unvienna.org/unis/en/pressrels/2012/unisdc002.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Preparatory Committee for the 2015 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons held constructive deliberations during its first session</a></p>
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Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons — Preparatory Committee for the Ninth Review Conference

(2012)