The third Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) has just concluded at United Nations Headquarters in New York without the adoption of an outcome document. In these two weeks of meetings, pro-nuclear weapons states have demonstrated a profound lack of urgency in the face of increasingly urgent conditions, as yet another conflict involving nuclear armed states further drives up the risks.
Three PrepComs, three failures to agree on an outcome document
During the two week session, disarmament diplomats raised concerns about a broad number of issues on non proliferation, disarmament and access to nuclear technology. The Chair of the conference, Ambassador Harold Agyeman (Ghana), put forward a number of proposals towards a negotiated outcome, but delegations failed to adopt them. Differences emerging during the meeting included concerns about the security impact of ongoing nuclear deterrence policies on states not involved in those arrangements, the urgency of action to implement nuclear disarmament negotiations, and transfers of nuclear technology to states outside the treaty. There was also no agreement on ways and means to strengthen the NPT review process.
Moments ago, the third #NPTPrepCom failed to adopt any outcome, reflecting a horrifying lack of urgency in response to current risks.
— Seth Shelden (@SethShelden) May 9, 2025
Yet we've been encouraged by constructive leadership from #TPNW states, and their efforts to reinforce non-proliferation and disarmament norms. pic.twitter.com/D8OMZifRfR
Failure to meet the moment and push back against nuclear proliferation rhetoric
Following calls in recent months from some to share, transfer, or station nuclear weapons in new countries, it is concerning and unacceptable that these states were unable to reaffirm even the most basic principle of the NPT - a commitment to prevent proliferation in this space.
ICAN’s statement to the conference highlighted a simple but crucial question: Can the non-proliferation treaty agree on non-proliferation? The statement referenced the growing number of NPT states parties entertaining the idea of nuclear sharing or a “Eurobomb,” reminding governments that disarmament and non-proliferation are not vague aspirations, they are legal obligations. ICAN campaigners also emphasised this message across bilateral and group meetings with diplomats.
ICAN also highlighted how the nuclear policies of the few are undermining the security of the many, a message that was widely heard from states championing the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which builds on the NPT’s Article VI obligations to negotiate disarmament in good faith.
TPNW States stress how Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty provides the path forward
Throughout the meeting, many states stressed not only the complementarity of the TPNW to the NPT, but also highlighted its crucial role in booking actual advances towards disarmament in these tense times. South Africa, which holds the presidency for the first TPNW Review Conference, stated: “the TPNW represents the highest non-proliferation standard that any State can commit to, thereby strengthening and complementing the NPT.”
Read the full statement on behalf of the TPNW states
With the first Review Conference to the parties to the TPNW, in November 2026, on the horizon, momentum is building — and the intersessional work ahead will be critical.