United Nations Convenes Crucial Nuclear Weapons Meeting

The briefing discusses the NPT Preparatory Committee meeting held from 4 to 15 May 2009 in New York, which serves as the final session before the 2010 Review Conference. It details the NPT's three pillars—non-proliferation, disarmament, and peaceful use of nuclear energy—and emphasizes Africa's commitment to these goals through the Treaty of Pelindaba. The document highlights the leadership of Zimbabwe's Ambassador Boniface Chidyausiku as chair of the 2009 meeting and urges African states to support the total elimination of nuclear arsenals and the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

• The NPT Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) meeting from 4 to 15 May 2009 in New York is the third and final session before the 2010 Review Conference (RevCon). Its primary themes include reviewing treaty operations, promoting full implementation, universalisation, and establishing a reporting mechanism for nuclear disarmament and a standing NPT secretariat.
• The NPT is based on three pillars: non-proliferation, disarmament, and the peaceful use of nuclear energy. It distinguishes between five Nuclear weapon states (NWS)—the United States, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, France, and China—and Non-nuclear weapon states (NNWS).
• African states demonstrate their commitment to nuclear disarmament through the Treaty of Pelindaba (African Nuclear Weapons Free Zone Treaty), opened for signature in 1996. This treaty prohibits the manufacture, acquisition, testing, or possession of nuclear weapons and provides "negative security assurances" by requiring NWS to commit not to use or threaten nuclear weapons against African countries.
• Zimbabwe's Ambassador Boniface Chidyausiku was elected to chair the 2009 PrepCom and will subsequently chair Main Committee 1 of the 2010 RevCon, which focuses on nuclear disarmament.
• Key recommendations for African states during the 2010 NPT review cycle include ensuring the Treaty of Pelindaba enters into force, supporting the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, and encouraging NWS to achieve the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals.

APA

du Rand, A., & Dube, G. (n.d.). United Nations Convenes Crucial Nuclear Weapons Meeting. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/united-nations-convenes-crucial-nuclear-weapons-meeting

Chicago

du Rand, Amelia, and Gugu Dube. United Nations Convenes Crucial Nuclear Weapons Meeting. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/united-nations-convenes-crucial-nuclear-weapons-meeting.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=du Rand |first1=Amelia |last2=Dube |first2=Gugu |title=United Nations Convenes Crucial Nuclear Weapons Meeting |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/iss-today/united-nations-convenes-crucial-nuclear-weapons-meeting |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{durandndunited, author = {du Rand, Amelia and Dube, Gugu}, title = {{United Nations Convenes Crucial Nuclear Weapons Meeting}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/iss-today/united-nations-convenes-crucial-nuclear-weapons-meeting}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }