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Comoros
Nuclear-weapon-free state
Has joined the TPNW
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SIGNED
20 September 2017 |
RATIFIED
19 February 2021 |
IN FORCE
20 May 2021 |
Status
Comoros has signed and ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), and has been legally bound by it since 20 May 2021.
Signature and ratification
Azali Assoumali, the president of Comoros, signed the TPNW at a high-level meeting in New York when it opened for signature on 20 September 2017.
In an address to the United Nations the same week, he called on nuclear-armed states “to abandon their nuclear weapons programmes”.
Azali Assoumali, the president of Comoros, signs the TPNW in 2017. Photo: ICAN
In 2020, the foreign ministry of Comoros and the Association SALAM, an ICAN partner organisation, co-hosted a workshop in the country’s capital, Moroni, to brief members of parliament about the TPNW. The parliament subsequently approved ratification of the treaty.
Comoros deposited its instrument of ratification with the UN secretary-general on 19 February 2021, becoming the 54th state to ratify or accede to the TPNW.
Members of the parliament of Comoros, along with other stakeholders, attend a workshop to learn about the TPNW in 2020. Photo: ICAN
The parliament of Comoros approves ratification in 2020. Photo: Al-watwan
National position
In 2022, Comoros welcomed the adoption and entry into force of the TPNW and the success of its “historic” first meeting of states parties. It called on all states that have not yet signed and ratified the treaty “to do so without further ado”.
In 2019, Comoros said that the TPNW “plays an important role in strengthening global standards against the use, proliferation, and possession of nuclear weapons by any state”.
Implementation
In accordance with Article 2 of the TPNW, Comoros submitted a declaration to the UN secretary-general on 4 May 2021 confirming that it does not own, possess, or control nuclear weapons, has never done so, and does not host any other state’s nuclear weapons on its territory.
Per Article 12, Comoros 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 2021, Comoros said that “each new signature and ratification of this important legal instrument [the TPNW] strengthens the global norm against the use and possession of nuclear weapons, and brings us even closer to a world free from the nuclear threat”.
Comoros addresses a regional seminar on the universalisation of the TPNW in Pretoria, South Africa, in 2023. Photo: ICAN
Meetings of states parties
Comoros participated in the first meeting of states parties to the TPNW, held in Vienna in June 2022. It expressed its hope that the meeting would develop “recommendations that will make peace and security a priority”.
TPNW negotiations
Comoros did not formally participate in the negotiation of the TPNW at the United Nations in New York in 2017 and thus did not vote on its adoption.
In 2016, Comoros 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”. However, it subsequently informed the UN secretariat that it had intended to abstain from voting.
Before the negotiations
Comoros 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
[HIGHLIGHTS] SIGNED 20 September 2017 RATIFIED 19 February 2021 IN FORCE 20 May 2021 Comoros has signed and ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), and has been legally bound by it since 20 May 2021. Azali Assoumali, the president of Comoros, signed the TPNW at a high-level meeting in New York when it opened for signature on 20 September 2017. In an address to the United Nations the same week, he called on nuclear-armed states “to abandon their nuclear weapons programmes”. Azali Assoumali, the president of Comoros, signs the TPNW in 2017. Photo: ICAN In 2020, the foreign ministry of Comoros and the Association SALAM, an ICAN partner organisation, co-hosted a workshop in the country’s capital, Moroni, to brief members of parliament about the TPNW. The parliament subsequently approved ratification of the treaty. Comoros deposited its instrument of ratification with the UN secretary-general on 19 February 2021, becoming the 54th state to ratify or accede to the TPNW. Members of the parliament of Comoros, along with other stakeholders, attend a workshop to learn about the TPNW in 2020. Photo: ICAN The parliament of Comoros approves ratification in 2020. Photo: Al-watwan In 2022, Comoros welcomed the adoption and entry into force of the TPNW and the success of its “historic” first meeting of states parties. It called on all states that have not yet signed and ratified the treaty “to do so without further ado”. In 2019, Comoros said that the TPNW “plays an important role in strengthening global standards against the use, proliferation, and possession of nuclear weapons by any state”. In accordance with Article 2 of the TPNW, Comoros submitted a declaration to the UN secretary-general on 4 May 2021 confirming that it does not own, possess, or control nuclear weapons, has never done so, and does not host any other state’s nuclear weapons on its territory. Per Article 12, Comoros 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 2021, Comoros said that “each new signature and ratification of this important legal instrument [the TPNW] strengthens the global norm against the use and possession of nuclear weapons, and brings us even closer to a world free from the nuclear threat”. Comoros addresses a regional seminar on the universalisation of the TPNW in Pretoria, South Africa, in 2023. Photo: ICAN Comoros participated in the first meeting of states parties to the TPNW, held in Vienna in June 2022. It expressed its hope that the meeting would develop “recommendations that will make peace and security a priority”. Comoros did not formally participate in the negotiation of the TPNW at the United Nations in New York in 2017 and thus did not vote on its adoption. In 2016, Comoros 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”. However, it subsequently informed the UN secretariat that it had intended to abstain from voting. Comoros 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. [PARTNERS]Nuclear-weapon-free state
Has joined the TPNW
Status
Signature and ratification
National position
Implementation
Meetings of states parties
TPNW negotiations
Before the negotiations
Further information
Association SALAM
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Association SALAM