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Egypt
Nuclear-weapon-free state
Has not yet joined the TPNW
Status
Egypt has not yet signed or ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
National position
The Egyptian ministry of foreign affairs has indicated that the matter of signing and ratifying the TPNW “is subject to an ongoing internal review and assessment by the Egyptian government”.
Egypt has promoted universal adherence to the TPNW, including by 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 2017, following the opening for signature of the TPNW in New York, Egypt described the adoption of the “landmark treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons” as a remarkable development and a clear sign “that the circumstances have changed on the international stage”.
In 2018, Egypt hailed the TPNW as “a very important addition to the nuclear disarmament regime”.
Meetings of states parties
Egypt observed the second meeting of states parties to the TPNW in 2023. “We are keen to keep ourselves well informed about the deliberations and outcomes of this promising track under the umbrella of the [TPNW],” it said.
“A discussion which premises itself on the humanitarian and ethical imperative of the prohibition of nuclear weapons and their total elimination is a ray of light” at a time when progress in nuclear disarmament is lacking.
It described the TPNW as complementary to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) of 1968, as it “provides an opportunity to seek the practical implementation of Article VI of the NPT”.
TPNW negotiations
Egypt 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, Egypt said that the treaty should “formalise the categorical rejection of the possession and use of nuclear weapons” and “solidify the international denunciation of nuclear weapons”.
In its closing statement, Egypt said: “Global challenges require global partnership, and making the world a safer place requires collectivism, rather than detachment; compromise, rather than dissent; and leadership, rather than inaction.”
In 2016, Egypt co-sponsored 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”.
Before the negotiations
Egypt 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 not yet joined the TPNW
[HIGHLIGHTS]
Status
Egypt has not yet signed or ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
National position
The Egyptian ministry of foreign affairs has indicated that the matter of signing and ratifying the TPNW “is subject to an ongoing internal review and assessment by the Egyptian government”.
Egypt has promoted universal adherence to the TPNW, including by 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 2017, following the opening for signature of the TPNW in New York, Egypt described the adoption of the “landmark treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons” as a remarkable development and a clear sign “that the circumstances have changed on the international stage”.
In 2018, Egypt hailed the TPNW as “a very important addition to the nuclear disarmament regime”.
Meetings of states parties
Egypt observed the second meeting of states parties to the TPNW in 2023. “We are keen to keep ourselves well informed about the deliberations and outcomes of this promising track under the umbrella of the [TPNW],” it said.
“A discussion which premises itself on the humanitarian and ethical imperative of the prohibition of nuclear weapons and their total elimination is a ray of light” at a time when progress in nuclear disarmament is lacking.
It described the TPNW as complementary to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) of 1968, as it “provides an opportunity to seek the practical implementation of Article VI of the NPT”.
TPNW negotiations
Egypt 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, Egypt said that the treaty should “formalise the categorical rejection of the possession and use of nuclear weapons” and “solidify the international denunciation of nuclear weapons”.
In its closing statement, Egypt said: “Global challenges require global partnership, and making the world a safer place requires collectivism, rather than detachment; compromise, rather than dissent; and leadership, rather than inaction.”
In 2016, Egypt co-sponsored 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”.
Before the negotiations
Egypt 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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