Lesotho

Nuclear-weapon-free state

Has joined the TPNW

SIGNED

RATIFIED

IN FORCE

SIGNED

26 September 2019

RATIFIED

6 June 2020

IN FORCE

22 January 2021

Status

Lesotho 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

Lesego Makgothi, the then-minister of foreign affairs of Lesotho, signed the TPNW at a high-level ceremony in New York on 26 September 2019.

Lesotho deposited its instrument of ratification with the UN secretary-general on 6 June 2020, becoming the 38th state to ratify or accede to the treaty.

Lesego Makgothi, the then-minister of foreign affairs of Lesotho, signs the TPNW in 2019. Photo: ICAN

National position

Lesotho has said that it is “strongly committed to the TPNW and will continue to support the principle of complete nuclear disarmament, as the utmost prerequisite for maintaining international peace and security”.

In 2021, the then-minister of foreign affairs of Lesotho, Matšepo Ramakoae, hailed the TPNW’s entry into force as an “important milestone” and “the pinnacle of worldwide movement to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of the use of nuclear weapons”.

In 2022, she said that it is “gratifying to note the steadily increasing number of member states of the United Nations becoming signatories to [the TPNW]”, adding that Lesotho “supports all efforts to enhance the institutional fabric of the TPNW”.

In 2024, her successor, Lejone Mpotjoana, said: “Despite progress made towards promoting the full implementation of the [TPNW], humankind remains unacceptably close to nuclear annihilation. The world is still on the dangerous brink of nuclear confrontation.”

Implementation

In accordance with Article 2 of the TPNW, Lesotho submitted a declaration to the UN secretary-general on 18 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.

As required by Article 3, Lesotho has a comprehensive safeguards agreement in force with the International Atomic Energy Agency to guard against the misuse of nuclear facilities and materials. It also has an additional protocol in force.

Per Article 12, Lesotho 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 2023, it reiterated its call “to nuclear-weapon states to sign and ratify the TPNW to ensure that humanity lives in peace without fear of extinction”.

Lesotho attends a regional seminar on the universalisation of the TPNW in Pretoria, South Africa, in 2023. Photo: ICAN

Meetings of states parties

Lesotho participated in the first meeting of states parties to the TPNW in 2022. It said that the adoption of a political declaration and action plan at the meeting “will help set the course for the treaty’s implementation and pave the way for our shared goal of a world free of nuclear weapons”.

Lesotho also participated in the second meeting of states parties in 2023, which it said offered “an opportunity to further institutionalise and strengthen the TPNW, while retaining the energy, dynamism, collaborative and action-orientated way of working”.

“We as Lesotho believe that this treaty can reduce the salience of nuclear weapons and help prompt more urgent action to reduce nuclear risk and promote disarmament in general. We further support the promotion of the universalisation of the treaty and strongly believe that awareness campaigns through all possible platforms are of paramount importance,” it said.

In 2025, Lesotho participated in the third meeting of states parties.

TPNW negotiations

Lesotho 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.

The then-prime minister of Lesotho, Thomas Thabane, described the treaty’s adoption as “a historic achievement of our time”, adding that the treaty “must be ratified and implemented by all”.

Before the negotiations

In 2016, Lesotho 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”.

Lesotho was also 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 Weapons Ban Monitor

Lesotho

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

Local Partner Organizations

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