A review of a landmark nuclear deal collapsed without consensus, raising fears of an arms race

It wasn’t until nine o’clock on Friday evening that Ambassador Do Hung Viet, President of the conference, and Izumi Nakamitsu, UN disarmament chair, finally began speaking at a press conference to give their thoughts on the recent failure of Member states to agree on steps to modernize the NPT, which, although seen as a cornerstone of international nuclear disarmament efforts, is more than fifty years old.

Clearly tired and hungry (he had managed to grab a croissant for lunch, hours earlier) after his ultimately futile efforts to complete the fourth draft of the outcome document, the Viet Ambassador nonetheless gave lengthy answers to the journalists who had arrived late into the night to hear from him and Ms. Nakamitsu.

The Viet Ambassador praised the “sincere and meaningful engagement” of the conference delegates, but acknowledged his disappointment at their inability to reach consensus and seize opportunities to make the world a safer place.

16 years without consensus

It is now sixteen years since the commitments made at the adoption of the 1970 Treaty were reaffirmed or strengthened at a Review Conference, and the next conference will not take place until 2031.

Meanwhile, concerns about a nuclear arms race continue to grow, as arsenals modernize and the number of weapons increases. “The current international environment, characterized by deep tensions and increasing risks posed by nuclear weapons, requires extremely urgent action,” the Viet Ambassador warned.

“Substantive results would strengthen this Agreement and advance its goals,” he said, “but in the absence of such results, I fear for the future health of this Agreement.”

Ms Nakamitsu said that states party to the Agreement needed to take these three consecutive failures very seriously if they wanted to maintain the regime.

“Non-proliferation and disarmament are two sides of the same coin,” he said in his appeal to nuclear weapons states. “It would be wrong for them to assume that non-proliferation obligations will be upheld without commitment to and implementation of their disarmament obligations.”

UN chief regrets conference ‘failure’

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed disappointment over the conference’s inability to reach a consensus, in a statement released on Friday.

While he welcomed the sincere and meaningful engagement of States Parties, he regretted the failure of the conference, especially at a time of urgent challenges threatening international security.

Guterres called on all countries to make full use of all available channels of dialogue, diplomacy and negotiation to reduce tensions, lower nuclear risks and ultimately eliminate the nuclear threat.

Read full coverage of the closing session on the 11th^th Review the NPT Conference Here.