Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Hon. Peter Shanel Agovaka signed and ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapon

Solomon Islands signed and ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons at the margins of the 79^th United Nations General Assembly in New York on the 24^th September 2024.

Minister of Foreign Affairs & External Trade, Hon. Peter Shanel Angovaka signed and deposited the Instrument of Ratification to the Director of Treaties, in a ceremony held at the United Nations headquarters at the margins of the 79^th United Nations General Assembly this week.

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) bans the use, possession, testing, stockpile and transfer of nuclear weapons under international law. The TPNW is fully consistent with the existing nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regimes which Solomon Islands is a party to, including the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).

The TPNW provides a powerful tool and political pressure on the nuclear weapon states and their allies to energise progress on nuclear disarmament and strengthen the norm against nuclear weapons.

The Treaty prohibits the deployment of nuclear weapons on national territory and the provision of assistance to any State in the conduct of prohibited activities. States parties will be obliged to prevent and suppress any activity prohibited under the TPNW undertaken by persons or on territory under its jurisdiction or control.

The Treaty also obliges States parties to provide adequate assistance to individuals affected by the use or testing of nuclear weapons, as well as to take necessary and appropriate measure of environmental remediation in areas under its jurisdiction or control contamination as a result of activities related to the testing or use of nuclear weapons.

Solomon Islands now joins a growing majority of states that support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). During the same ceremony  Indonesia and Sierra Leone also ratified the landmark Treaty.

The ratification of the TPNW by Solomon Islands demonstrates its commitment to to global efforts towards total elimination of nuclear weapons.

There are currently 94 signatories and 73 States parties. To date, 10 Pacific Island States have signed and ratified, or acceded to the TPNW (Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Tuvalu and Vanuatu), while others such as Australia, Papua New Guinea and Tonga have not yet acceded to the treaty but have since expressed support for the TPNW.

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-MFAET Press Release