Protecting the Non-Proliferation Treaty project development.
Phase one.
The project began in August 2022, following a Review Conference that exposed deep divisions among states parties in the context of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A core group of senior policymakers, former officials with NPT experience, and next-generation experts was convened to support the project’s long-term objectives. This group focused on identifying key pressure points within the Treaty, drawing lessons from previous review cycles, and exploring areas where practical progress might still be possible.
Early discussions centred on navigating a contested geopolitical environment, engaging with procedural issues, and supporting initiatives such as the Working Group on Strengthening the Review Process.
Project members engaged with ongoing diplomatic efforts through Track 1.5 meetings, bilateral consultations, and existing initiatives. This ensured that the project was connected to real-world policy discussions from the outset.
Initial outputs included policy briefs and commentaries addressing key issues across the NPT’s pillars. These were shared through ELN channels and circulated among policymakers and practitioners involved in the review process.
Lessons and Impact
Efforts to establish more structured engagement with the NPT Bureau, including through the concept of a shadow bureau, were explored but ultimately set aside. This reflected the difficulty of formalising engagement in a fragmented political environment and reinforced the value of flexible, relationship-based approaches.
By the end of this phase, the project had established a credible presence within the NPT community. Its publications were circulated among officials and experts, and project members engaged in discussions alongside government representatives and other stakeholders.
This phase laid the foundation for subsequent work by building a functioning network, engaging policymakers, and producing the project’s first outputs, including formal invitations to attend the Working Group on Strengthening the Review Process.
As diplomats debate the draft final document of the 10th NPT Review Conference, former disarmament ambassador and ELN senior network member, Carlo Trezza, argues that the severity of the wounds to international norms in Ukraine will “make it necessary – if consensus fails – to have recourse to a vote”.
The 10th NPT Review Conference ended last week without an agreement on a consensus outcome document. At a RevCon side event to launch a new ELN project, network member Adam Kobieracki remarked that “diplomatic success should not be measured by the number and volume of documents agreed and adopted” but instead should focus on concrete steps that need to be taken to reinforce and implement the NPT system.
As the 2022 NPT RevCon enters its second week in New York, there have been reports of its noticeable lack of diversity. Olamide Samuel gives a personal account of his efforts to secure an Austrian and US visa to attend nuclear policy conferences this summer and calls on conference organisers to pay attention to the visa regimes that pose logistical barriers to entry for people from the global south.