Governments from most countries around the world are set to participate in the 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which opens today at United Nations headquarters and runs through May 22.
Held every five years, the conference assesses the effectiveness of the treaty – born out of Cold War tensions more than half a century ago – and examines whether it can advance disarmament, restraint, and co-operation amid mounting global security challenges.
The NPT is one of the most widely adhered-to multilateral agreements and a cornerstone of international security.
Entering into force in 1970 and regarded as a landmark diplomatic achievement of the United Nations, the treaty aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons by prohibiting their development, testing, production, acquisition, transfer, use, or threat of use.
It also promotes co-operation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy and advances the goal of general and complete nuclear disarmament.
To date, 191 states have joined the treaty, which formally recognises five nuclear-weapon states – the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and China – on the basis that they conducted nuclear tests prior to January 1, 1967.
However, non-signatory states possessing nuclear weapons remain a major challenge to the treaty’s effectiveness, as they operate outside its legal and verification framework.
The UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, said the review conference provides an opportunity for countries to identify common ground despite an increasingly difficult security environment and escalating rhetoric.
She warned that the risk of nuclear weapons use is rising and must not be allowed to become normalised.
Despite the treaty’s success in preventing the use of nuclear weapons in conflict for over five decades, the global non-proliferation regime is facing what many describe as its most serious crisis in years.
The international security landscape is marked by rising nuclear risks and deepening mistrust, while many Cold War-era agreements have either collapsed or expired.
In February, the New START treaty between the United States and Russia – which capped deployed strategic nuclear warheads – expired without a replacement.
At the time, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the world is entering uncharted territory, with no legally binding limits on the nuclear arsenals of the United States and Russia, which together possess the vast majority of the world’s nuclear weapons.
This era of mistrust was reflected in the previous two NPT review conferences in 2015 and 2022, both of which concluded without agreement on a substantive final document.
All Arab states are parties to the NPT and have placed their nuclear facilities under comprehensive safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); a step Israel has yet to take despite repeated international calls and UN resolutions.
Qatar has consistently emphasised, across international forums, the importance of adhering to all agreements and treaties related to nuclear disarmament and weapons of mass destruction.
In February, Qatar participated in the high-level segment of the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, represented by Jawhara bint Abdulaziz al-Suwaidi, the charge d’affaires at Qatar’s Permanent Mission in Geneva.
She stated that the international system is undergoing a critical phase marked by increasing armed conflicts, declining adherence to international law and the UN Charter, rising geopolitical polarisation and competition, accelerated nuclear modernisation programmes, and the integration of emerging technologies into military systems.
Al-Suwaidi noted that 2026 represents a pivotal moment for the global nuclear order with the convening of the 11th NPT Review Conference.
She stressed that the treaty remains the cornerstone of the non-proliferation regime and a fundamental basis for pursuing nuclear disarmament, emphasising that disarmament is a humanitarian, security, and developmental necessity.
She further underscored that establishing a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction remains a priority for enhancing regional security and stability. – QNA