Looking at the development of nuclear-weapon-free zones over the years, there is no other judgement than to call them a success story. Current NWFZs cover the entire Southern Hemisphere and a large part of the Northern Hemisphere. This means almost 40% of the world’s population, 56% of the Earth’s land area, and the entire seabed – not to mention the Moon and other celestial bodies. All NWFZs share common guiding principles strengthen non-proliferation, the promotion of disarmament and ultimately the call to ban of nuclear weapons.
All prohibit the development, manufacturing, control, possession, testing, or transporting of any type of nuclear explosive device by states-parties and prohibit the stationing of any such devices within the zone by any other states. With the exception of the earliest NWFZ treaty, the Tlatelolco Treaty, all NWFZs require their states-parties to “undertake not to provide source or special fissionable material, or equipment or material especially designed or prepared for the processing, use or production of special fissionable material for peaceful purposes to: (i) any non-nuclear-weapon State unless subject to the safeguards required by Article III.1 of the NPT, or (ii) any nuclear-weapon State unless subject to applicable safeguards agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).” While the earlier treaties do not speak of the security aspects of the possession of nuclear maerial, Both the Pelindaba Treaty and the Semipalatinsk Treaty have specific articles (Art. 10 and Art. 9. respectively) on the physical protection of nuclear material and installations.
They support international efforts for peace and security through the denuclearization of certain areas and the consolidation of disarmament norms and restrict the manoeuvring capability of nuclear-weapon-states with regards to the stationing and the use of nuclear weapons. At the same time, their states-parties benefit from the negative security assurance of NWSs and from the reinforced right to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
Zonal arrangements also facilitate technical cooperation among nations, and constitute important confidence-building measures in conflict-torn regions, promote environmental protection by outlawing nuclear tests and by restricting the dumping of radioactive waste in the oceans.
However, what might be most important: The establishment of NWFZs is a regional, bottom-up approach to strengthen the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, with regional stake-holders being the main driving forces, taking matters in their own hands rather than being objects to great power politics.
However, many key challenges for future and existing NWFZs remain.
While there are a number of initiatives for future zones, including South Asia, the Middle East, the Korean Peninsula, Europe, and the Arctic, most seem to have no chance of being realized at the moment, given the decline in great power relations, as well increasing regional disputes. Even the most advanced, the NWFZ for the Middle East, is stuck in regional rivalries and power struggles of some actors.
But even for those existing, challenges remain, as all of them include territories where states-parties have their own nuclear weapons capabilities and in some cases they also host the nuclear weapons of extra-regional states. Finally, the growing threat of nuclear terrorism and the proliferation of nuclear weapons on the black market is a major challenge for the NWFZ, which means that security and safety issues are becoming increasingly important.
Further readings
- Vignard Kerstin (ed.): Nuclear-weapon-free zones. Disarmament Forum 2011/2. United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research. pp. 1–64. Available at unidir.org
- Harald Müller – Aviv Melamud – Anna Péczeli: From nuclear weapons to WMD: the history and development of regional ‘free zone’ arrangements. EU Non-Proliferation Papers No. 31, September 2013. pp. 1–19. Available at sipri.org
- Harald Müller – Giorgio Franceschini – Aviv Melamud – Daniel Müller – Anna Péczeli – Annette Schaper: A Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone in Europe: Concept – Problems – Chances. Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Austria. May 2015, pp. 1–92. Available at bmeia.gv.at
- Erzsébet N. Rózsa: Weapons of Mass Destruction in The Middle East and North Africa. Menara Working Papers No. 24, November 2018. Available at menaraproject.eu
Relevant external links
United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs: Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones
Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean
South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty
Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone
African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty
Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia
Regularly updated information on NWFZs
Kelsey Davenport: Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones
Nuclear Threat Initiative - Treaties: Nuclear Weapons: NWFZs