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Finland
Nuclear-weapon-free state
Has not yet joined the TPNW
Status
Finland has not yet signed or ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
National position
In October 2022, Finland for the first time voted against an annual UN General Assembly resolution that welcomes the adoption of the TPNW and calls upon all states to sign, ratify, or accede to it “at the earliest possible date”. From 2018 to 2021, it abstained from voting on the resolution.
In May 2022, Finland applied for membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), which defines itself as a “nuclear alliance”.
In 2021, the parliament adopted a policy “to continue analysing” the TPNW. The prime minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, said in 2020 that her country “participate[s] in the dialogue concerning the [TPNW]”.
Meetings of states parties
Finland attended as an observer the first meeting of states parties to the TPNW, held in Vienna in June 2022.
Political developments
Three of the five political parties that form the coalition government in Finland have expressed their support for joining the TPNW: the Social Democratic Party, the Green League, and the Left Alliance.
In February 2023, the Social Democratic Party said that the TPNW and Non-Proliferation Treaty of 1968 “complement each other”. It added: “Being involved in the process of prohibiting nuclear weapons totally, Finland also makes it clear that a sustainable future cannot be based on nuclear weapons.”
The minister of foreign affairs of Finland, Pekka Haavisto, is one of dozens of Finnish parliamentarians who have pledged to work for their country’s signature and ratification of the TPNW. He made this pledge in 2017, prior to assuming the role of foreign minister.
In 2020, Erkki Tuomioja, a former Finnish foreign minister, voiced his support for the TPNW, noting that one of the reasons for Finland’s reluctance to join it to date has been “the displeasure the US would show at such a step”.
The foreign affairs committee of the Finnish parliament issued a statement in 2018 recommending that the government of Finland “continue to analyse the contents of the treaty”. It also noted that the TPNW “supports and complements” earlier treaties.
Public opinion
A public opinion poll conducted by Kantar TNS Oy in November 2019 found that 84 per cent of Finns believe that their government should sign the TPNW, with 8 per cent opposed to signing and 8 per cent undecided.
TPNW negotiations
Finland did not 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, Finland abstained from voting on 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”.
The president of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, receives one thousand hand-folded paper cranes from Hiroshima, Japan, as part of an ICAN initiative in 2012.
Nuclear-weapon-free state
Has not yet joined the TPNW
[HIGHLIGHTS]
Status
Finland has not yet signed or ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
National position
In October 2022, Finland for the first time voted against an annual UN General Assembly resolution that welcomes the adoption of the TPNW and calls upon all states to sign, ratify, or accede to it “at the earliest possible date”. From 2018 to 2021, it abstained from voting on the resolution.
In May 2022, Finland applied for membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), which defines itself as a “nuclear alliance”.
In 2021, the parliament adopted a policy “to continue analysing” the TPNW. The prime minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, said in 2020 that her country “participate[s] in the dialogue concerning the [TPNW]”.
Meetings of states parties
Finland attended as an observer the first meeting of states parties to the TPNW, held in Vienna in June 2022.
Political developments
Three of the five political parties that form the coalition government in Finland have expressed their support for joining the TPNW: the Social Democratic Party, the Green League, and the Left Alliance.
In February 2023, the Social Democratic Party said that the TPNW and Non-Proliferation Treaty of 1968 “complement each other”. It added: “Being involved in the process of prohibiting nuclear weapons totally, Finland also makes it clear that a sustainable future cannot be based on nuclear weapons.”
The minister of foreign affairs of Finland, Pekka Haavisto, is one of dozens of Finnish parliamentarians who have pledged to work for their country’s signature and ratification of the TPNW. He made this pledge in 2017, prior to assuming the role of foreign minister.
In 2020, Erkki Tuomioja, a former Finnish foreign minister, voiced his support for the TPNW, noting that one of the reasons for Finland’s reluctance to join it to date has been “the displeasure the US would show at such a step”.
The foreign affairs committee of the Finnish parliament issued a statement in 2018 recommending that the government of Finland “continue to analyse the contents of the treaty”. It also noted that the TPNW “supports and complements” earlier treaties.
Public opinion
A public opinion poll conducted by Kantar TNS Oy in November 2019 found that 84 per cent of Finns believe that their government should sign the TPNW, with 8 per cent opposed to signing and 8 per cent undecided.
TPNW negotiations
Finland did not 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, Finland abstained from voting on 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”.
The president of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, receives one thousand hand-folded paper cranes from Hiroshima, Japan, as part of an ICAN initiative in 2012.
[PARTNERS]
Committee of 100 in Finland
Finnish Peace Committee - Suomen Rauhanpuolustajat
Peace Union of Finland
Physicians for Social Responsibility
Technology for life
Aseistakieltäytyjäliitto ry (Union of Conscientious Objectors, Finland)
[LOCALSUPPORT]
Support for TPNW in Finland Get involved with ICAN in Finland ›
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