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Algeria
Nuclear-weapon-free state
Has signed the TPNW
Has not yet ratified the TPNW
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SIGNED
20 September 2017 |
RATIFIED
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IN FORCE
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Status
Algeria has signed but not yet ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
Signature
Abdelkader Messahel, the then-minister of foreign affairs of Algeria, signed the TPNW at a high-level ceremony in New York when it opened for signature on 20 September 2017.
Algeria’s decision to become a signatory to the TPNW was informed by its own experience of the “dire consequences”, both environmental and humanitarian, of French nuclear tests carried out on its territory in the 1960s.
In 2020, Algeria expressed its intention to ratify the TPNW “in the very short coming time”. However, its ratification process is still ongoing.
Abdelkader Messahel, the then-foreign minister of Algeria, signs the TPNW in 2017. Photo: UNOLA
National position
According to Algeria, the TPNW’s entry into force in 2021 was “a fundamental and positive contribution towards achieving the goals of nuclear disarmament and an important milestone achieved by the international community in delegitimising nuclear weapons”.
Algeria has embraced the TPNW “as a constructive step towards a safer world”.
Universalisation
Algeria has promoted universal adherence to the TPNW, including by co-sponsoring and consistently voting in favour of an annual UN General Assembly resolution since 2018 that calls upon all states to sign, ratify, or accede to the treaty “at the earliest possible date”.
In 2022, Algeria’s then-foreign minister, Ramtane Lamamra, welcomed the TPNW’s entry into force and stressed “the necessity of all states’ adherence to the ban treaty” given the threat that nuclear weapons pose to humanity.
Meetings of states parties
Algeria observed the first meeting of states parties to the TPNW in 2022, describing the declaration and action plan adopted at the meeting as “ambitious steps towards facilitating an effective and timely implementation of the treaty”. It also observed the second meeting in 2023.
Nuclear testing in Algeria
From 1961 to 1967, France conducted 17 nuclear test explosions in Algeria, leaving a legacy of environmental devastation and health problems. According to Algeria, its commitment to the cause of disarmament “stems from its unique experience caused by the devastating nuclear tests”.
In 2021, the then-prime minister, Abdelaziz Djerad, signed a decree to establish a national authority to remediate former French nuclear test sites. This was, according to officials, an important step towards Algeria’s ratification of the TPNW.
TPNW negotiations
Algeria participated in the negotiation of the TPNW at the United Nations in New York in 2017 and was among 122 states that voted in favour of its adoption.
In its opening statement to the negotiating conference, Algeria said that this initiative is “the result of the dedication of all those who are convinced that we have to do something” and “do not want to continue betting on the unbearable risk of annihilating all humanity”.
In its closing statement, Algeria expressed regret that the nuclear-armed states and others had chosen not to participate in the negotiations, but it emphasised that “we leave the door wide open for them”.
In 2016, Algeria voted in favour of the UN General Assembly resolution that established the formal mandate for states to commence negotiations on “a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination”.
Sabri Boukadoum, then-ambassador to the United Nations, chairs the UN first committee in 2016, when the mandate for treaty negotiations is secured. Photo: ICAN
Before the negotiations
Algeria was among 127 states that endorsed a “humanitarian pledge” in 2015–16 to cooperate “in efforts to stigmatise, prohibit, and eliminate nuclear weapons”. The pledge was instrumental in building momentum and support for convening the TPNW negotiations.
Further information
Nuclear-weapon-free state
Has signed the TPNW
Has not yet ratified the TPNW
[HIGHLIGHTS]
|
|
|
|
SIGNED
20 September 2017 |
RATIFIED
|
IN FORCE
|
Status
Algeria has signed but not yet ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
Signature
Abdelkader Messahel, the then-minister of foreign affairs of Algeria, signed the TPNW at a high-level ceremony in New York when it opened for signature on 20 September 2017.
Algeria’s decision to become a signatory to the TPNW was informed by its own experience of the “dire consequences”, both environmental and humanitarian, of French nuclear tests carried out on its territory in the 1960s.
In 2020, Algeria expressed its intention to ratify the TPNW “in the very short coming time”. However, its ratification process is still ongoing.
Abdelkader Messahel, the then-foreign minister of Algeria, signs the TPNW in 2017. Photo: UNOLA
National position
According to Algeria, the TPNW’s entry into force in 2021 was “a fundamental and positive contribution towards achieving the goals of nuclear disarmament and an important milestone achieved by the international community in delegitimising nuclear weapons”.
Algeria has embraced the TPNW “as a constructive step towards a safer world”.
Universalisation
Algeria has promoted universal adherence to the TPNW, including by co-sponsoring and consistently voting in favour of an annual UN General Assembly resolution since 2018 that calls upon all states to sign, ratify, or accede to the treaty “at the earliest possible date”.
In 2022, Algeria’s then-foreign minister, Ramtane Lamamra, welcomed the TPNW’s entry into force and stressed “the necessity of all states’ adherence to the ban treaty” given the threat that nuclear weapons pose to humanity.
Meetings of states parties
Algeria observed the first meeting of states parties to the TPNW in 2022, describing the declaration and action plan adopted at the meeting as “ambitious steps towards facilitating an effective and timely implementation of the treaty”. It also observed the second meeting in 2023.
Nuclear testing in Algeria
From 1961 to 1967, France conducted 17 nuclear test explosions in Algeria, leaving a legacy of environmental devastation and health problems. According to Algeria, its commitment to the cause of disarmament “stems from its unique experience caused by the devastating nuclear tests”.
In 2021, the then-prime minister, Abdelaziz Djerad, signed a decree to establish a national authority to remediate former French nuclear test sites. This was, according to officials, an important step towards Algeria’s ratification of the TPNW.
TPNW negotiations
Algeria participated in the negotiation of the TPNW at the United Nations in New York in 2017 and was among 122 states that voted in favour of its adoption.
In its opening statement to the negotiating conference, Algeria said that this initiative is “the result of the dedication of all those who are convinced that we have to do something” and “do not want to continue betting on the unbearable risk of annihilating all humanity”.
In its closing statement, Algeria expressed regret that the nuclear-armed states and others had chosen not to participate in the negotiations, but it emphasised that “we leave the door wide open for them”.
In 2016, Algeria voted in favour of the UN General Assembly resolution that established the formal mandate for states to commence negotiations on “a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination”.
Sabri Boukadoum, then-ambassador to the United Nations, chairs the UN first committee in 2016, when the mandate for treaty negotiations is secured. Photo: ICAN
Before the negotiations
Algeria was among 127 states that endorsed a “humanitarian pledge” in 2015–16 to cooperate “in efforts to stigmatise, prohibit, and eliminate nuclear weapons”. The pledge was instrumental in building momentum and support for convening the TPNW negotiations.
Further information
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