Dear Prime Minister and Secretary of State
The third Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons will be held from 3 to 7 March 2025 at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Information for States parties, observer States and intergovernmental organisations is contained in the United Nations document at this link https://undocs.org/tpnw/msp/2025/inf/1
On behalf of our members and supporters, we are writing to you about the UK’s position on nuclear disarmament, and the third Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) which will take place from 3 to 7 March 2025 at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
You will be aware that the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) is the oldest women’s peace organisation in the world, established in 1915. WILPF has consultative status at the UN with our mandate to challenge militarism, patriarchy and capitalism as the roots of war and violence. Reaching Critical Will, our disarmament programme, is committed to working with governments, international organisations and other civil society partners to universalise the adoption of a treaty banning nuclear weapons with the goal of prohibiting and eliminating these weapons.
As you know, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons – negotiated at the United Nations in New York in March, June and July 2017 – was achieved with the participation of more than 135 countries, the International Committee of the Red Cross and members of civil society. On 7 July 2017, 122 States voted in favour of the Treaty’s adoption. It opened for signature on 20 September 2017 and, after receiving 50 ratifications, the TPNW entered into force on 22 January 2021. WILPF played a significant role in coordination of civil society input through the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, which won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for its contribution to bringing the TPNW into being.
Despite resistance from their governments, the treaty enjoys broad popularity in many countries. Opinion surveys have found a high level of support for the TPNW in numerous countries that had resisted signing it, including Finland (84 percent), Australia (79 percent), Sweden (79 percent), Norway (78 percent), Japan (75 percent), Italy (70 percent), Germany (68 percent), France (67 percent), the United States (65 percent) and Belgium (64 percent).
Meanwhile, nations continue to become States parties to the TPNW. As of today, 94 nations have signed it and 73 have followed up by ratifying it.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is the first nuclear weapon treaty to acknowledge the gendered impacts of nuclear weapons, not only through “recognising the disproportionate impact of ionising radiation on women’s bodies”, which is significant for raising awareness and addressing gendered harms, but also in noting that “the consequences of nuclear weapons transcend national borders, pose grave implications for human survival, the environment, socio-economic development, the global economy, food security and the health of current and future generations”; intersectional issues that require “the equal, full and effective participation of both women and men as an essential factor for the promotion and attainment of sustainable peace and security”. The treaty further commits to “supporting and strengthening the effective participation of women in nuclear disarmament, and adequately provide age- and gender-sensitive assistance, without discrimination”.
Parties to the TPNW meet roughly every two years. States take decisions and consider the application and implementation of the treaty, as well as further measures for nuclear disarmament. States that are not parties to the TPNW, as well as relevant United Nations entities, other international organisations and non-governmental organisations, are invited to attend meetings of States parties “as observers” (article 8(5)).
In the declaration adopted at the first Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW in June 2022, parties welcomed the “broad participation” of non-parties as observers. The practice of observing treaty meetings or the work of international institutions is common in multilateral affairs. This allows States that have not yet subscribed to a particular treaty or joined an institution to see how it works and engage with it. By engaging constructively with the TPNW (even if the UK is not yet willing to accept a comprehensive legally binding prohibition on nuclear weapons for itself), observation can help shape the debate around application and implementation of the TPNW. This could include debate on disarmament verification, safeguards, victim assistance and environmental remediation. The UK could add significantly to the process on these areas from its own research and expertise.
Observers can also engage directly with the States parties to raise any questions or concerns that they might have regarding specific aspects of the TPNW’s application or implementation. Observing can demonstrate general support for UN processes aimed at advancing nuclear disarmament – which is especially important in the current international security environment, with heightened nuclear risks, and show respect for the good-faith efforts of TPNW parties to bring new impetus to disarmament work and advance implementation of article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
Sending a UK delegation to observe the proceedings could reduce polarisation in the field of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation at this critical time, and we urgently request that you take this action.
We look forward to receiving your response. Yours in peace
Janet Fenton
Disarmament Lead for WILPF UK; Secretary of the Scottish Parliament Cross-Party Group on Nuclear Disarmament; Scottish Liaison, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons; Consultant with Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy
and
Fiona McOwan
National Secretary, for WILPF UK Executive Committee
