More than 100 Current and Former Senior Leaders Issue Urgent Call for Successful 2015 NPT Review Conference & Outline Key Steps for Progress

In a statement released at the outset of the 2015 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, more than 100 current and former senior political, military and diplomatic leaders from 43 countries call for a renewed sense of urgency and responsibility among NPT members to achieve a successful 2015 NPT Review Conference.

The joint statement notes that the NPT is an indispensible international treaty that remains the central pillar of a norm-based global nuclear order designed to prevent the spread and use of nuclear weapons. At the same time, signatories cite a lack of progress on a number of fronts, including on ratifying treaties and following through on pledges made at previous review conferences, and warn that failure in New York could seriously undermine the treaty.

“In August this year, the world will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings,” the statement says. “This reminder of the consequences of nuclear weapons use should be powerful motivation for all NPT States Parties to actively pursue a practical agenda for success at the Review Conference.”

The statement calls on states to take a number of steps toward a safer world during the review conference. Among the calls for action:

• Nuclear-armed states should narrow the conditions for nuclear weapons use and declare that the sole purpose of their weapons is to deter the threat.
• Russia should act upon President Putin’s statement supporting continued talks to reduce nuclear arsenals, and the U.S. should remain open to such talks.
• The “P5” states should increase transparency into their process and should present new commitments for 2015-2020.
• Nuclear weapon states that have not participated in the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons initiative should do so.
• The conference should make convening the Middle East WMD-Free Zone Conference a priority for the next review cycle, confirming the paramount importance of creating a WMD Free Zone in the Middle East for global security.
• States Parties should support efforts to secure nuclear weapons-usable materials around the globe, including through the development of a security system that covers all materials, employs international standards and best practices and builds confidence.

The leaders are members of global leadership networks coordinated by the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI).  They include the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network (APLN), the European Leadership Network (ELN), the Latin American Leadership Network (LALN), and the North American Nuclear Security Leadership Council (NSLC).

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