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Iceland
Nuclear-weapon endorser
Has not yet joined the TPNW
Status
Iceland has not yet signed or ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
National position
Iceland has consistently voted against an annual UN General Assembly resolution since 2018 that welcomes the adoption of the TPNW and calls upon all states to sign, ratify, or accede to it “at the earliest possible date”.
Iceland supports the retention and potential use of nuclear weapons on its behalf, as indicated by its endorsement of various alliance statements of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), of which it is a member.
In 2023, the then-minister of foreign affairs of Iceland, Bjarni Benediktsson, said that “it is not possible to see how [signing the TPNW] would go together with our commitments in the Atlantic alliance [NATO]”.
Political developments
In 2018, a group of Icelandic parliamentarians proposed a motion that the parliament “resolves to entrust the government with ensuring that Iceland accedes to the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons”. The matter was referred to the foreign affairs committee.
In a submission to the committee, the ministry of foreign affairs of Iceland indicated that it does not support the TPNW. A number of organisations, including the Icelandic Red Cross, made submissions in support of the motion. Similar resolutions have been introduced on a number of occasions since then.
Several Icelandic parliamentarians, including the former prime minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir, have pledged their support for the TPNW. Most are from the Left–Green Movement, the Social Democratic Alliance, and the Pirate Party.
In 2020, the former Icelandic prime minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir and former foreign ministers Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir and Össur Skarphéðinsson signed an open letter calling on current leaders to “show courage and boldness – and join the [TPNW]”.
In 2017, the then-prime minister of Iceland, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, speaks at an ICAN event in Reykjavík. Photo: RCW
Public opinion
A public opinion poll conducted by YouGov in 2020 found that 86 per cent of Icelanders believe that their country should join the TPNW, with just 3 per cent opposed to joining. Furthermore, 75 per cent believe that Iceland should be among the first NATO states to join, even if it faced pressure from allies not to do so.
TPNW negotiations
Iceland 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, Iceland voted against 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”.
In a document sent to NATO members ahead of the vote, the United States “strongly encourage[d]” members, including Iceland, to vote against the resolution, “not to merely abstain”. In addition, it said that, if the treaty negotiations do commence, allies and partners should “refrain from joining them”.
Further information
Nuclear-weapon endorser
Has not yet joined the TPNW
[HIGHLIGHTS]
Status
Iceland has not yet signed or ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
National position
Iceland has consistently voted against an annual UN General Assembly resolution since 2018 that welcomes the adoption of the TPNW and calls upon all states to sign, ratify, or accede to it “at the earliest possible date”.
Iceland supports the retention and potential use of nuclear weapons on its behalf, as indicated by its endorsement of various alliance statements of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), of which it is a member.
In 2023, the then-minister of foreign affairs of Iceland, Bjarni Benediktsson, said that “it is not possible to see how [signing the TPNW] would go together with our commitments in the Atlantic alliance [NATO]”.
Political developments
In 2018, a group of Icelandic parliamentarians proposed a motion that the parliament “resolves to entrust the government with ensuring that Iceland accedes to the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons”. The matter was referred to the foreign affairs committee.
In a submission to the committee, the ministry of foreign affairs of Iceland indicated that it does not support the TPNW. A number of organisations, including the Icelandic Red Cross, made submissions in support of the motion. Similar resolutions have been introduced on a number of occasions since then.
Several Icelandic parliamentarians, including the former prime minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir, have pledged their support for the TPNW. Most are from the Left–Green Movement, the Social Democratic Alliance, and the Pirate Party.
In 2020, the former Icelandic prime minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir and former foreign ministers Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir and Össur Skarphéðinsson signed an open letter calling on current leaders to “show courage and boldness – and join the [TPNW]”.
In 2017, the then-prime minister of Iceland, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, speaks at an ICAN event in Reykjavík. Photo: RCW
Public opinion
A public opinion poll conducted by YouGov in 2020 found that 86 per cent of Icelanders believe that their country should join the TPNW, with just 3 per cent opposed to joining. Furthermore, 75 per cent believe that Iceland should be among the first NATO states to join, even if it faced pressure from allies not to do so.
TPNW negotiations
Iceland 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, Iceland voted against 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”.
In a document sent to NATO members ahead of the vote, the United States “strongly encourage[d]” members, including Iceland, to vote against the resolution, “not to merely abstain”. In addition, it said that, if the treaty negotiations do commence, allies and partners should “refrain from joining them”.
Further information
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