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Maldives
Nuclear-weapon-free state
Has joined the TPNW
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SIGNED
26 September 2019 |
RATIFIED
26 September 2019 |
IN FORCE
22 January 2021 |
Status
The Maldives 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
Abdulla Shahid, the minister of foreign affairs of the Maldives, signed the TPNW at a high-level ceremony in New York on 26 September 2019 and deposited the country’s instrument of ratification with the UN secretary-general on the same day.
He remarked that the Maldives had decided to join the TPNW because of its “commitment as a [UN] member state to the principles enshrined in the UN charter and also because the well-being, prosperity, and advancement of humanity is a collective responsibility of all”.
The Maldives was the equal 28th state to ratify or accede to the TPNW.
Abdulla Shahid, the minister of foreign affairs of the Maldives, signs the TPNW in 2019. Photo: ICAN
National position
In a statement marking the TPNW’s entry into force in 2021, the Maldives described the treaty as “a clear manifestation of the importance attached by the international community to find common solutions”, and called on all states that have not yet joined it to do so.
In 2022, the Maldives said that it is “unfortunate” that more states have not yet ratified or acceded to the TPNW, adding that it is proud to be among those that have done so.
When the TPNW opened for signature in 2017, the then-minister of foreign affairs of the Maldives, Mohamed Asim, described the treaty as “the most important pledge that the international community has made in the relentless pursuit of a nuclear-free world”.
Implementation
In accordance with Article 2 of the TPNW, the Maldives submitted a declaration to the UN secretary-general on 22 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.
Per Article 12, the Maldives 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”.
The Maldives has also utilised the UN Human Rights Council’s universal periodic review process to encourage other states to join the TPNW.
TPNW negotiations
The Maldives did not formally participate in the negotiation of the TPNW at the United Nations in New York in 2017 and was not counted among the 122 states that voted in favour of its adoption. However, following the vote, it informed the UN secretariat that it had intended to vote in favour.
Before the negotiations
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. The Maldives supported calls in the UN General Assembly fill this “legal gap”.
In 2016, the Maldives 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”.
Further information
Nuclear-weapon-free state
Has joined the TPNW
[HIGHLIGHTS]
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|
|
|
SIGNED
26 September 2019 |
RATIFIED
26 September 2019 |
IN FORCE
22 January 2021 |
Status
The Maldives 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
Abdulla Shahid, the minister of foreign affairs of the Maldives, signed the TPNW at a high-level ceremony in New York on 26 September 2019 and deposited the country’s instrument of ratification with the UN secretary-general on the same day.
He remarked that the Maldives had decided to join the TPNW because of its “commitment as a [UN] member state to the principles enshrined in the UN charter and also because the well-being, prosperity, and advancement of humanity is a collective responsibility of all”.
The Maldives was the equal 28th state to ratify or accede to the TPNW.
Abdulla Shahid, the minister of foreign affairs of the Maldives, signs the TPNW in 2019. Photo: ICAN
National position
In a statement marking the TPNW’s entry into force in 2021, the Maldives described the treaty as “a clear manifestation of the importance attached by the international community to find common solutions”, and called on all states that have not yet joined it to do so.
In 2022, the Maldives said that it is “unfortunate” that more states have not yet ratified or acceded to the TPNW, adding that it is proud to be among those that have done so.
When the TPNW opened for signature in 2017, the then-minister of foreign affairs of the Maldives, Mohamed Asim, described the treaty as “the most important pledge that the international community has made in the relentless pursuit of a nuclear-free world”.
Implementation
In accordance with Article 2 of the TPNW, the Maldives submitted a declaration to the UN secretary-general on 22 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.
Per Article 12, the Maldives 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”.
The Maldives has also utilised the UN Human Rights Council’s universal periodic review process to encourage other states to join the TPNW.
TPNW negotiations
The Maldives did not formally participate in the negotiation of the TPNW at the United Nations in New York in 2017 and was not counted among the 122 states that voted in favour of its adoption. However, following the vote, it informed the UN secretariat that it had intended to vote in favour.
Before the negotiations
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. The Maldives supported calls in the UN General Assembly fill this “legal gap”.
In 2016, the Maldives 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”.
Further information
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