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Lesotho
Nuclear-weapon-free state
Has joined the TPNW
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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 TPNW.
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”.
Addressing the United Nations in 2017, the then-prime minister of Lesotho, Thomas Thabane, said that the TPNW’s adoption that year was “a historic achievement of our time” and the treaty “must be ratified and implemented by all”.
In 2021, the 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”.
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.
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”.
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, held in Vienna in June 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”.
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.
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-weapon-free state
Has joined the TPNW
[HIGHLIGHTS]
|
|
|
|
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 TPNW.
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”.
Addressing the United Nations in 2017, the then-prime minister of Lesotho, Thomas Thabane, said that the TPNW’s adoption that year was “a historic achievement of our time” and the treaty “must be ratified and implemented by all”.
In 2021, the 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”.
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.
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”.
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, held in Vienna in June 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”.
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.
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
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