Chronology of Events Related to the Creation of Nuclear Weapon Free Zones

Actions are categorized as taken by: [IO] = International Organization; [G] = National government (s); [R] = Regional Organization; or [NGO] = Non-Governmental Organization.

For a more detailed chronology of nonproliferation events see the WMD 411 chronology section.

• July 16, 1945: [G] World's first atomic bomb (nicknamed The Gadget) is exploded at the Trinity test site near Alamogordo, New Mexico.
• August 6, 1945: [G] The U.S. B-29 bomber drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, a Japanese port city with a population of 344,000. The bomb kills an estimated 140,000 people.
• August 9, 1945: [G] The U.S. drops a second bomb on the city of Nagasaki killing more than 70,000 people and injuring thousands more. 
• 1950s: Early discussion of the possibility of NWFZs emerges because of a strong movement led by activists and celebrities to ban the bomb. The movement focuses on the health threats posed by extensive above-ground nuclear tests being conducted at the time.
• 1952-1957: [G] The United Kingdom conducts atmospheric tests on Australian territory at Maralinga, Emu Field, and Monte Bello Island, prompting concerns that bolster support for the establishment of a NWFZ in the South Pacific.
• 1956: [G] The Soviet Union first proposes the idea of NWFZs to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
• 1958: [G] Poland proposes the Rapacki Plan, which, though ultimately unsuccessful, is intended to create the first NWFZ in Central and Eastern Europe.
• 1958: [G/IO] Costa Rica proposes a Latin American nuclear arms control agreement at an Organization of American States Council meeting. Similar proposals continue to be suggested within the OAS from 1958-1960.
• December 1, 1959: [R] The Antarctic Treaty, which prohibits military measures, nuclear explosions, and the disposal of radioactive waste in Antarctica, is written and opened for signature in Washington.
• 1960: [G] France conducts nuclear testing in the Sahara desert.
• June 23, 1961: [R] The Antarctic Treaty enters into force, thereby prohibiting nuclear explosions, radioactive waste disposal, and military deployments in the Antarctic Treaty Area (ATA).
• 1961: [IO] The UN General Assembly adopts Resolution 1652 (XVI), calling upon member states to consider Africa a denuclearized zone.
• March 22, 1962: [G] Mexican Ambassador Manuel Tello proposes the establishment of the Latin American NWFZ at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.
• Midyear 1962: [G] The Brazilian representative to the United Nations General Assembly proposes making Latin America a nuclear-weapon-free zone.
• October 1962: [G] During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Brazil submits a draft resolution calling for a NWFZ in Latin America; Bolivia, Chile, and Ecuador support the resolution.
• 1963: [G] Finland proposes the establishment of a NWFZ in northern Europe.
• April 29, 1963: [G] A Joint Declaration by Mexico, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, and Ecuador announces these countries' willingness to sign a multilateral agreement declaring Latin America a NWFZ.
• October 10, 1963: The Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) enters into force.
• November 27, 1963: [IO] The UN General Assembly approves the resolution submitted by Mexico, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, and six other Latin American countries.
• 1963: [G] France establishes a nuclear test site in its Polynesian atolls. The site later (in 1966) becomes subjected to 190 nuclear detonations and raises further concerns in the South Pacific region.
• July 1964: [R] The Organization of African Unity (OAU) issues the Declaration on the Denuclearization of Africa during a meeting in Cairo; it is later endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly.
• November 23-27, 1965: [IO] At the Mexico City Conference, a preparatory commission for the denuclearization of Latin America is created.
• February 14, 1967: [R] The Treaty of Tlateloco establishing Latin America as a NWFZ opens for signature. Protocol II of the treaty contains the first U.S. negative security assurance, as it states: "the United States would have to consider that an armed attack by a Contracting Party, in which it was assisted by a nuclear-weapon state, would be incompatible with the contracting Party's corresponding obligations under Article 1 of the Treaty."
• October 10, 1967: The Outer Space Treaty enters into force. Parties agree not to place in orbit around the Earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction; and not to install such weapons on celestial bodies. In addition, the establishment of military bases, installations and fortifications, the testing of any type of weapons, and the conduct of military maneuvers on celestial bodies became forbidden.
• February 5, 1968: [G] Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Sato announces "The Three Non-Nuclear Principles." The Principles pledge Japan to not possess, produce, and permit the introduction of nuclear weapons into Japan. Although the Japanese Diet formalized the Principles into Law on November 24, 1971, this is not a legally binding national law.
• July 1, 1968: Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) opens for signature.
• April 25, 1969: [R] Treaty of Tlateloco enters into force, and the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (OPANAL) is established. Latin America is officially declared a NWFZ.
• March 5, 1970: [IO] The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty enters into force.
• November 27, 1971: [R] The five original members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Kuala Lumpur sign a Declaration on a Zone of Peace, Freedom, and Neutrality (ZOPFAN), forming the basis for the Southeast Asian NWFZ. However, members table the formal proposal for the creation of this zone in the mid-1980s, postponing the establishment of the NWFZ until later.
• 1971: [IO] The United Nations General Assembly issues a Declaration on the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace. This idea was originally proposed by Sri Lanka in October 1964 at a Non-Aligned Movement States meeting in Cairo.
• May 18, 1972: The Seabed Treaty enters into force; it forbids states from implanting or placing on the seabed or ocean floor or in the subsoil thereof, beyond a 12-mile territorial zone, any nuclear weapons or any other types of weapons of mass destruction.
• 1974: [G] Iran proposes the establishment of a NWFZ in the Middle East. Egypt co-sponsors the proposal, which is adopted by the UN General Assembly. Subsequent UN resolutions on the Establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region of the Middle East are adopted on an annual basis between 1983 and 2003.
• 1974: [G] Pakistan proposes a NWFZ in South Asia at a meeting of the UNGA for the first time.
• May 18, 1974: India conducts its first nuclear detonation, which it describes as a "peaceful nuclear explosion."
• May 1975: [I] The First NPT Review Conference takes place. The Final Declaration of the Conference, in a section regarding Article VII and the security of non-nuclear weapons states, notes the importance of NWFZs. It states that it was "considered that the establishment of NWFZs represented an effective means of curbing the spread of nuclear weapons; and recognized, that to be effective, a NWFZ requires the cooperation of nuclear-weapon states." It further urges nuclear-weapon states to provide "binding security assurances to those States which become fully bound by the provisions of such regional arrangements."
• 1975: [R] The South Pacific Forum addresses a proposal by New Zealand calling for the establishment of a NWFZ in the region.
• December 11, 1975: [IO] United Nations General Assembly adopts Resolution 3472 Comprehensive study of the question of nuclear weapon-free zones in all its aspects. It also adopts Resolution 3477 submitted by New Zealand, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea, endorsing the creation of a South Pacific nuclear-free zone extending from Australia and Malaysia to the coasts of Chile and Ecuador.
• 1978: [IO] The Tenth Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly addresses the concept of NWFZs in its Final Document, which is adopted by consensus.
• 1978: [G] At the First United Nations Special Session on Disarmament, US Secretary of State Cyrus Vance formally states that the United States would not use nuclear weapons against an NPT non-nuclear-weapon state party unless attacked by such a state in alliance with a nuclear-weapon state. Specifically, the United States pledges to "not use nuclear weapons against any non-nuclear-weapon state party to the NPT or any comparable internationally binding commitment not to acquire nuclear explosive devices, except in the case of an attack on the United States, its territories or armed forces, or its allies, by any state allied to a nuclear-weapon state or associated with a nuclear-weapon state in carrying out or sustaining the attack."
• 1980: The Second NPT Review Conference convenes. Consensus is not reached on a Final Document, but the draft report addresses the role of NWFZs in preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and contributing to the security of various regions. It also notes that nuclear weapon states should undertake binding commitments to refrain from the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons against members of NWFZ treaties.
• 1981: [G] The DPRK proposes the creation of a nuclear-free zone in Northeast Asia as a means to securing the withdrawal of US troops and nuclear weapons from South Korea.
• 1982: [G] Mexican Ambassador Alfonso Garcia Robles, who initiated the Tlatelolco Treaty, is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize due to his disarmament efforts.
• April 12, 1983: [G] Indonesia suggests at a Conference on Disarmament plenary meeting that South Asian states establish a NWFZ to enhance the Zone of Peace, Freedom, and Neutrality (ZOPFAN). In December of 1983, the UN General Assembly adopts a resolution (Resolution 38/65) on the Establishment of a NWFZ in South Asia. It continues to do so annually until 1997.
• 1983: [G] Australia revives the concept of a South Pacific NWFZ at a South Pacific Forum meeting held in Canberra.
• 1983: [IO] The UN General Assembly passes Resolution 38/181A on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Denuclearization of Africa. It continues to pass similar resolution on this topic through 1992.
• August 27, 1984: [R] The South Pacific Forum endorses a set of principles proposed by Australia for establishing a NWFZ and appoints a working group to draft the relevant text.
• July 11, 1984: The Moon Agreement enters into force, thus confirming the demilitarization of the Moon and other celestial bodies as provided for in that treaty.
• December 1984: [IO] The UN passes an additional resolution encouraging the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Africa. Similar subsequent resolutions include: Establishment of an African nuclear-weapon-free zone in 1994; a Resolution on the Final Text of the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in 1995; and resolutions urging the ratification of the African NWFZ Treaty in 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, and 2003.
• December 1984: The UN Secretary-General issues a report on the status of Antarctica, in which he notes the "successful implementation of the Antarctic Treaty" as "one of the significant post-war contributions towards averting nuclear weapon proliferation and halting the arms race."
• July 10, 1985: [NGO] Greenpeace sends a boat named the Rainbow Warrior to the South Pacific to protest French nuclear testing. While the boat is docked in Auckland, New Zealand, French secret service agents detonate a bomb on it, killing one person onboard and provoking international outrage.
• August 6, 1985: [R] The South Pacific Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Rarotonga) opens for signature, and is signed by Australia, New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Niue, Tuvalu, and Samoa.
• August 27 - September 21, 1985: The Third NPT Review Conference convenes. The Final Document adopted by consensus stresses the importance of concluding NWFZ agreements according to internationally recognized principles and urges all relevant parties to work toward the establishment of a NWFZ in the Middle East. It also refers to South Africa's nuclear capabilities, and states that its nuclear weapons development is hampering the implementation of the Declaration on the Denuclearization of Africa.
• January 28, 1986: [G] The DPRK again proposes the establishment of a NWFZ on the Korean Peninsula, which would require the removal of U.S. troops and weapons, stating that it will "launch an anti-imperialism, anti-war and anti-nuclear campaign" in order to do so.
• December 1, 1986: [R] Three protocols to the Treaty of Rarotonga open for signature.
• December 11, 1986: [R] The Treaty of Rarotonga enters into force following the deposit of its eighth instrument of ratification.
• June 1987: [G] New Zealand's Parliament passes the Nuclear-Free Zone Arms Control and Disarmament Act, which bans nuclear powered ships carrying nuclear explosive devices from its ports.
• December 15, 1987: [R] At the ASEAN Summit in Manila, states issue a call for the drafting of a Southeast Asia NWFZ Treaty.
• 1987: [G] Nordic Foreign Ministers create a high-level civil servants group to work on the possibility of a Nordic NWFZ.
• 1989: [IO] The UN General Assembly passes Resolution 44/119F regarding the South Pacific Nuclear-Free-Zone Treaty, noting "with satisfaction" states' ratification of it.
• April 1990: [G] Egyptian President Mubarak proposes the establishment of the Middle East as a zone free of all types of weapons of mass destruction.
• July 4, 1990: [G] Egypt announces a set of new arms control proposals for the Middle East zone
• August 20 - September 14, 1990: [IO] The Fourth NPT Review Conference convenes in Geneva. In a draft document, those in attendance support the establishment of a South Asian NWFZ. This idea is reaffirmed by the UNGA in a December 4 Resolution 45/53, and in subsequent resolutions. The draft document also agrees to single out the unsafeguarded nuclear programs in Israel and South Africa.
• September 24, 1990: [G] Brazilian President Fernando Collor calls for a ban on peaceful nuclear explosions in Latin America and the Caribbean in a speech to the General Assembly.
• October 10, 1990: [IO] A UN study on a possible Middle East zone free of weapons of mass destruction is published; it suggests elements of a potential agreement.
• October 18, 1990: [G] The USSR issues a note proposing talks on the possibility of a nuclear-free Baltic region.
• November 28, 1990: [G] Brazil and Argentina agree to use nuclear facilities for "exclusively peaceful ends" in a meeting of the states' presidents.
• April 1991: [IO] A working group established by the UN and the Organization of African Unity meets in Addis Ababa to draft a treaty creating a NWFZ in Africa.
• July 10, 1991: [G] South Africa accedes to the NPT after dismantling its clandestine nuclear weapon capabilities.
• July 18, 1991: [G] The Brazil-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Material (ABACC) is established under the agreement between Argentina and Brazil to only use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
• 1991: [IO] The possibility of a NWFZ in the Middle East is mentioned in UN Security council Resolution 687.
• September 12, 1991: [G] Brazil and Argentina issue an accord for the Exclusive Pacific Use of Nuclear Energy, in which they agree not to test, use, produce, store, or receive nuclear weapons.
• January 20, 1992: [G] The Joint Declaration of the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is signed. The agreement is formally put into effect February 19-20.
• September 25, 1992: [G] The Nuclear Weapon Free Status of Mongolia is declared.
• October 23, 1992: [IO] The United Nations Secretary-General releases a report on the "Implementation of the Declaration of the Denuclearization of Africa," which was requested in 1991. The report is be submitted to a meeting of an intergovernmental group of experts to begin drafting a treaty.
• December 15, 1992: [IO] The UN General Assembly again reiterates its support for the denuclearization of Africa in a two-part resolution (47/76).
• 1993: [G] Uzbekistani President Islam Karimov first proposes the idea of a Central Asian NWFZ at the 48th UN General Assembly session. Additional proposals continue between 1994 and 1996.
• March 1993: South African President de Klerk declares that South Africa had previously developed a limited nuclear capability that had been dismantled and destroyed before it acceded to the NPT.
• August 10, 1993: The Conference on Disarmament gives its Ad Hoc Committee on a Nuclear Test Ban the mandate of beginning negotiations on a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, effective January 1994.
• August 17, 1993: [G] Russian President Boris Yeltsin approves a negative security assurance policy under which Russia will not use nuclear weapons against states party to the NPT or non-nuclear states unless a non-nuclear state allied with a NWS attacks Russia or its allies, or if a non-nuclear state and a NWS both attack.
• February 14, 1994: [G] Pakistan and India debate the possibility of creating a South Asian NWFZ during a meeting of the Conference on Disarmament.
• May 1994: [IO/R] At a meeting in Addis Ababa, a working group established earlier by the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity adopts the first complete draft text of an African NWFZ Treaty.
• October 23, 1994: [G] The U.S. and the DPRK sign the Agreed Framework, which freezes the latter's nuclear program and prevents its withdrawal from the NPT as long as the U.S. and South Korea cooperate in helping the DPRK build light-water reactors for power and provide it with oil.
• December 15, 1994: [IO] The UNGA passes Resolution 49/72 for the creation of a South Asian NWFZ. It also passes Resolution 49/83 urging the remaining states to ratify the Tlatelolco Treaty
• April 17-May 12, 1995: [IO] The NPT Review and Extension Conference convenes, and the Conference decides to extend the treaty indefinitely as part of a package that includes separate decisions on the Strengthened Review Process, Principles and Objectives for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament, and a Resolution on the Middle East.
• May-June 1995: [R] The final text of a treaty for the establishment of an African NWFZ is completed at a joint meeting of experts in Johannesburg and Pelindaba. On June 23, it is approved by the African Heads of State, and the following week, by the OAU Summit in Addis Ababa.
• 1995: [IO] The UN Security Council adopts Resolution 984, which recognizes negative security assurances issued by the NWS. France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States reaffirm that they will only use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states in the case of an invasion or any other attack on them, their territories, their armed forces, or their allies. Only China undertook not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones at any time and under any circumstance.
• November 26, 1995: [G] Australia's Prime Minister announces the creation of the Canberra Commission on the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. Its mandate is proposes practical steps towards the achievement of a nuclear-weapon-free world and the maintenance of stability and security during the transition period needed.
• December 15, 1995: [B] The Southeast Asian NWFZ (Bangkok Treaty) opens for signature.
• December 1995: [IO] The 50th regular session of the United Nations General Assembly endorses the Treaty for an African NWFZ.
• January 1996: [G] France conducts nuclear test at Fangataufa atoll in the South Pacific. Later, France signs the protocols to the South Pacific NWFZ Treaty and closes its nuclear test site in the region.
• 1996: [G] France's dialogue partner status with the South Pacific NWFZ is suspended due to its nuclear testing in Mururoa. Its status is restored the following year.
• March 25, 1996: [G] France, the U.S. and the United Kingdom sign Protocol I to the Rarotonga Treaty, thus expanding its scope to the American Samoa and Jarvis Island, and to the dependent territories of France and the UK. The three also sign Protocol II, which calls on NWS to refrain from the use or threat of use of nuclear explosive devices against parties to the treaty, and Protocol III, which prohibits the testing of nuclear devices within the zone.
• April 11, 1996: [R] The Pelindaba Treaty, creating a NWFZ in Africa, opens for signature in Cairo. It is signed by 43 states.
• April 12, 1996: [IO] The UN Security Council issues a statement commending the creation of an African NWFZ.
• July 8, 1996: [IO] The International Court of Justice issues an Advisory Opinion on the Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons. It concludes that humanitarian law does apply to the use of nuclear weapons, but that the use of nuclear weapons is not necessarily illegal in all circumstances. Specifically, if a retaliatory strike was consistent with the principles of necessity and proportionality, it might be legal in extreme circumstances.
• September 10, 1996: The UN General Assembly votes to adopt the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty by a vote of 158 in favor, three opposed, and five abstentions.
• September 24, 1996: The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) opens for signature.
• 1996: [IO] The creation of a NWFZ in the Southern Hemisphere, which would connect the existing zones, is proposed at the UNGA.
• November 27, 1996: [G] Belarus completes the transferring of its missiles to Russia to be destroyed; like Ukraine and Kazakhstan, it has relinquished all of its nuclear weapons.
• December 1996: [IO] The UN General Assembly passes Resolution 51/45B in which it decides to put the issue of a possible nuclear-weapon-free zone in the southern hemisphere and adjacent areas on its agenda. Discussion regarding the connecting of existing zones in the southern hemisphere continues for the next several years, and similar General Assembly resolutions are passed annually between 1998 and 2003.
• February 27, 1997: [R/G] In the Almaty Declaration  the five Central Asian presidents call for a nuclear-weapon-free zone in their region including five former Soviet republics: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
• September 14-16, 1997: [R/G] An international conference entitled "Central Asia - A Nuclear Weapon Free Zone," is held in Uzbekistan. Following it, the foreign ministers of the Central Asian states issue the Tashkent Statement, in which they reiterate their desire for a NWFZ and ask UN agencies to form an expert group dealing with the issue.
• December 1997: [IO] The UN General Assembly passes Resolution 52/38S on the Establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia. It continues to pass such  resolutions annually through 2002.
• March 27, 1998: [G] The Bangkok Treaty, establishing a Southeast Asian NWFZ enters into force.
• May 1998: [G] India and Pakistan conduct successive nuclear weapon tests; their actions are widely condemned by the international community.
• June 9, 1998: [G] Officials from Brazil, Egypt, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, Slovenia, South Africa, and Sweden (hereafter the New Agenda Coalition) issue a declaration, "Towards a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World: The Need for a New Agenda."
• June 22, 1998: [R] At a meeting in Cairo, the Arab League discusses the creation of a Middle East zone free of weapons of mass destruction; a draft for a potential treaty addressing this had been crafted by the League in 1995, but not agreed to.
• July 26, 1999: [G] At the ASEAN Regional Forum, held in Singapore, China announces that it will sign the protocol to the Bangkok Treaty for a Southeast Asian NWFZ.
• 1999: [IO] The 54th UNGA adopts a Disarmament Commission report on the Establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at among the States of the region concerned.
• February 3, 2000: [G] The Nuclear Weapon Free Status of Mongolia enters into force.
• March 16, 2000: A U.S. State Department spokesman announces that the U.S. would support a Middle East WMD-free zone, provided that it was "in the context of a comprehensive peace agreement." Russian and Iranian officials also support the creation of such a zone during talks the following December.
• April 24-May 19, 2000: [IO] The 2000 NPT Review Conference, convened at UN Headquarters in New York, adopts a Final Document. The Conference supports the conclusion of plans for the establishment of a NWFZ in Central Asia, but there is disagreement regarding the possibility of a NWFZ in Central Europe. There is also debate regarding the Middle East, as states parties, reaffirming the 1995 Review Conference "Resolution on the Middle East," call on Israel to accede to the NPT treaty and enter into IAEA safeguards agreements. All states are encouraged to work towards the creation of a Middle East zone free of weapons of mass destruction, and India and Pakistan are called upon to implement Security Council Resolution 1172, to accede to the NPT as non-nuclear weapon states, and place all nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards. The Review Committee also endorses the Disarmament Commission report on the "Establishment of NWFZs on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at among the States of the region concerned."
• June 15, 2000: [G] Russian President Vladmir Putin suggests, in a speech to German politicians and businessmen, that a Central and Eastern European NWFZ would be a positive development.
• September 2000: [NGO] A conference convened by the Dag Hamarskjold Foundation in Uppsala, Sweden adopts the Uppsala Declaration, which states that existing NWFZs in the southern hemisphere have prevented proliferation in their respective regions and advocates the creation of new zones in the northern hemisphere. It specifically mentions possible zones in Northeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and Central and Eastern Europe.
• November 1, 2000: [G] Belarus withdraws a draft resolution, "Regional Disarmament and Non-Proliferation," regarding the establishment of a Central and Eastern European NWFZ due to a lack of consensus and opposition from new and anticipated NATO states.
• October 18, 2001: [IO] The UN First Committee adopts Resolution 56/17, "African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty," calling on the African States that had not yet ratified the Treaty to do so.
• February 2002: [G] U.S. Under-Secretary of State for Arms Control and Nonproliferation John Bolton makes statements questioning the value of negative security assurances policies, noting that traditional concepts of deterrence are no longer relevant. The State Department addresses his comments in a press briefing on February 22, stating that U.S. policy has not changed and that the Bush administration supports negative security assurances.
• August 2002: UN Undersecretary General for Disarmament Affairs Jayantha Dhanpala predicts that a draft treaty for the establishment of a NWFZ in Central Asia will be complete by 2003.
• September 25-27, 2002: [G/R] Experts from five Central Asian states - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan - agree to the text of a treaty creating a Central Asian NWFZ during a meeting in Uzbekistan. This marks the conclusion of five years of talks that began in 1997 following the first formal proposal for a CANWFZ made by Uzbek President Islam Karimov at the 48th session of the UN General Assembly in 1993
• October 23, 2002: [R] The Treaty of Tlateloco comes into full effect as Cuba deposits its instrument of ratification.
• November 21, 2002: [G] Russia announces it will endorse the creation of a Central Asian NWFZ, allowing that it will still have the right to ask to deploy nuclear weapons in the region, thereby contradicting the purpose of the NWFZ.
• November 22, 2002: [IO] The 55th UN General Assembly session adopts Resolution 57/69 on the establishment of a Central Asian NWFZ, supporting the efforts of the five Central Asian states.
• December 20, 2002: [G] The five Central Asian countries state that they hope to sign a NWFZ treaty the following April. Both Russia and China have announced their support for such a treaty.
• January 10, 2003: [G] The DPRK officially announces that it will withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, effective immediately.
• April 16, 2003: [G] Syria introduces a draft resolution in the UN Security Council to declare the Middle East a WMD-free zone.
• July 8, 2003: [G] Tajikistan signs a safeguards agreement with the IAEA, as well as the Additional Protocol, which officials believe will aid in the creation of a CANWFZ.
• Fall 2003: Progress in the establishment of a Central Asian NWFZ is delayed due to disagreement among the five Central Asian states. The states are unable to agree on how to respond to comments written by four of the nuclear weapon states regarding a draft zone treaty, and their planned September meeting is postponed. Previous delays had been caused by the situation in Iraq.
• 2003: During its 58th session, the General Assembly continues to issue resolutions regarding NWFZs and nuclear disarmament, including Resolution 58/51, Towards a nuclear-weapon free world: a new agenda; Resolution 58/68, The risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East; Resolution 58/59, A path to the total elimination of nuclear weapons; Resolution 58/49, Nuclear-weapon-free southern hemisphere and adjacent areas; Resolution 58/34, Establishment of a NWFZ in the region of the Middle East; and Resolution 58/30, an African NWFZ Treaty.
• July 2004: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon tells IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei that Israel would support discussions regarding the establishment of a NWFZ in the Middle East, but only if peace were achieved throughout the region.
• February 2005: [R] The five Central Asian states finalize the text of a draft treaty of a Central Asia Nuclear Weapons-Free Zone (CANWFZ). 
• April 26-28, 2005: [IO] A three-day international conference on NWFZ is held in Mexico City bringing together for the first time all states parties to the four existing NWFZ . States parties argue that the lessons learned from negotiating and establishing NWFZ should be used to further the nonproliferation and disarmament goals under the NPT. The issue of legally-binding negative security assurances is one of the main topics discussed. 
• September 8, 2006 [R] The five Central Asian states signed a treaty establishing a Central Asia Nuclear Weapons-Free Zone (CANWFZ) in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan.
• April 3, 2007 [R] Uzbekistan ratified the CANWFZ treaty.