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Laos
Nuclear-weapon-free state
Has joined the TPNW
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SIGNED
21 September 2017 |
RATIFIED
26 September 2019 |
IN FORCE
22 January 2021 |
Status
Laos has signed and ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). It was among the original 50 states parties to the treaty when it entered into force on 22 January 2021.
Signature and ratification
Saleumxay Kommsith, the minister of foreign affairs of Laos, signed the TPNW in New York on 21 September 2017. He deposited the country’s instrument of ratification with the UN secretary-general on 26 September 2019.
Laos was the equal 28th state to ratify or accede to the TPNW.
Saleumxay Kommsith, the minister of foreign affairs of Laos, signs the TPNW in 2017. Photo: UNOLA
Kommsith deposits the instrument of ratification in 2019. Photo: ICAN
National position
In 2021, Laos welcomed the TPNW’s entry into force, describing it as “a significant milestone to further strengthen the global norms against nuclear weapons”.
In 2022, Laos said that the TPNW “complements other disarmament and non-proliferation instruments” and strengthens the global norm against nuclear weapons.
Implementation
In accordance with Article 2 of the TPNW, Laos submitted a declaration to the UN secretary-general on 2 February 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.
Laos 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 2020, Laos urged states to join the TPNW to “further contribute to the realisation of making our world free from nuclear weapons”.
Meetings of states parties
Laos participated in the first meeting of states parties to the TPNW, held in Vienna in June 2022. It described the meeting as “a milestone in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation” and welcomed the treaty’s entry into force in 2021 as a “crucial step toward the complete elimination of nuclear weapons”.
It later said that the declaration and action plan adopted at the first meeting of states parties “will guide the implementation of the treaty and pave the way for achieving the ultimate goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world”.
TPNW negotiations
Laos 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, Laos said that “this conference is timely and important, as we believe that it will help to pave the way toward a complete nuclear disarmament”.
Before the negotiations
In 2016, Laos 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”.
Prior to the adoption of the TPNW in 2017, nuclear weapons were the only weapons of mass destruction not subject to a comprehensive, globally applicable treaty prohibition. Laos supported calls in the UN General Assembly fill this “legal gap”.
Further information
Nuclear-weapon-free state
Has joined the TPNW
[HIGHLIGHTS]
|
|
|
|
SIGNED
21 September 2017 |
RATIFIED
26 September 2019 |
IN FORCE
22 January 2021 |
Status
Laos has signed and ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). It was among the original 50 states parties to the treaty when it entered into force on 22 January 2021.
Signature and ratification
Saleumxay Kommsith, the minister of foreign affairs of Laos, signed the TPNW in New York on 21 September 2017. He deposited the country’s instrument of ratification with the UN secretary-general on 26 September 2019.
Laos was the equal 28th state to ratify or accede to the TPNW.
Saleumxay Kommsith, the minister of foreign affairs of Laos, signs the TPNW in 2017. Photo: UNOLA
Kommsith deposits the instrument of ratification in 2019. Photo: ICAN
National position
In 2021, Laos welcomed the TPNW’s entry into force, describing it as “a significant milestone to further strengthen the global norms against nuclear weapons”.
In 2022, Laos said that the TPNW “complements other disarmament and non-proliferation instruments” and strengthens the global norm against nuclear weapons.
Implementation
In accordance with Article 2 of the TPNW, Laos submitted a declaration to the UN secretary-general on 2 February 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.
Laos 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 2020, Laos urged states to join the TPNW to “further contribute to the realisation of making our world free from nuclear weapons”.
Meetings of states parties
Laos participated in the first meeting of states parties to the TPNW, held in Vienna in June 2022. It described the meeting as “a milestone in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation” and welcomed the treaty’s entry into force in 2021 as a “crucial step toward the complete elimination of nuclear weapons”.
It later said that the declaration and action plan adopted at the first meeting of states parties “will guide the implementation of the treaty and pave the way for achieving the ultimate goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world”.
TPNW negotiations
Laos 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, Laos said that “this conference is timely and important, as we believe that it will help to pave the way toward a complete nuclear disarmament”.
Before the negotiations
In 2016, Laos 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”.
Prior to the adoption of the TPNW in 2017, nuclear weapons were the only weapons of mass destruction not subject to a comprehensive, globally applicable treaty prohibition. Laos supported calls in the UN General Assembly fill this “legal gap”.
Further information
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