The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) remains to this day the only global instrument for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Entered into force in 1970 with an initial duration of 25 years, it was extended indefinitely in 1995 and comprises 191 States Parties, including the five permanent members of the UN Security Council which are all nuclear powers (China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States).
The provisions of this fundamental instrument revolve around three pillars: disarmament, non-proliferation and the right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Each State Party is committed by Art. VI – the cornerstone of the rule on disarmament – “to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament”
Non-proliferation is addressed in Articles I and II, with which the NPT States Parties undertake not to transfer, receive, manufacture or “otherwise acquire” nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, or to offer or ask for assistance in their production.
Finally, art. IV guarantees the “inalienable right” of each State Party to access the production and peaceful use of nuclear energy, as well as international cooperation for these purposes, which may include the exchange of materials, equipment, and scientific and technological information.
Among other provisions of the Treaty, Article III provides that all non-nuclear weapon Members of the NPT will accept safeguards – to be negotiated with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) – whose primary purpose is to prevent the diversion of nuclear energy from peaceful uses to nuclear weapons. Article 8 affirms the right of any group of States to stipulate regional instruments with the objective of creating Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones (NWFZ). As of today, such zones exist in the following areas: Latin America and the Caribbean (established by the Treaty of Tlatelolco, 1967); South Pacific (Treaty of Rarotonga, 1985); Southeast Asia (Treaty of Bangkok, 1995); Africa (Treaty of Pelindaba, 1996); and Central Asia (2006). In 1995, NPT States Parties adopted a resolution urging Middle East States to take practical steps towards the establishment of a zone free from weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, chemical, biological), and the remaining NPT members, especially those possessing nuclear weapons, to cooperate towards this goal, still not achieved to this day (see below).
Every five years, a Review Conference (RevCon) isheld at the UN in New York to assess the status of NPT implementation and progress made in the context of its three pillars. The latest one, under the Presidency of the Ambassador of Argentina, Gustavo Zlauvinen, took place from 1 to 26 August 2022. Member States were unable to reach consensus on a final document, especially for lack of agreement by the Russian Federation on parts of the text concerning the nuclear risks related to its war of aggression against Ukraine.
The first session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference followed the 2022 Review Conference and took place in Vienna from 31 July to 11 August 2023, under the presidency of Finnish Ambassador Jarmo Viinanen. The second session took place in Geneva from 22 July to 2 August 2024 under the presidency of Kazakh Ambassador Akan Rakhmetullin, while the third session is scheduled to take place in New York from 28 April to 9 May 2025, under the presidency of Ghanaian Ambassador Harold Agyeman.
Review Conferences also have the task of formulating recommendations for future actions. In this regard, the 2010 Conference was of particular significance as it led to the adoption of an Action Plan, which many hoped would rejuvenate the implementation of the Treaty following the failure to reach consensus on a substantive final document at the previous 2005 Conference. The 2010 Action Plan includes 64 recommendations for the concrete advancement of NPT objectives, with a specific emphasis on disarmament provisions. These measures encompass reductions and the complete elimination of nuclear arsenals, assurances of non-use of nuclear weapons against non-possessor countries (Negative Security Assurances, NSAs), nuclear testing, and the management of fissile material.
In a separate section, the document mandated the UN Secretary-General to convene the Conference on the establishment of a zone free from weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East during 2012, with the participation of all States in the region. The first session of the Conference took place only in 2019, and the third and final session occurred in 2022 under Lebanese Presidency.
Italian participation in the NPT
Italy attaches primary importance to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the implementation of its provisions, as it remains the cornerstone of the global regime for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation and a fundamental landmark for the development of peaceful nuclear energy applications.
For Italy, any progress in the implementation of the Treaty must take into account the relationship of interdependence and mutual reinforcement amongst its three pillars. In this sense, one of the primary objectives remainsthe full, comprehensive and balanced implementation of the concrete measures contained in the 2010 Action Plan.
The Italian contribution to the achievement of a safer world free of nuclear weapons, in accordance with Art. VI of the NPT, moves in many different and complementary directions.
Regarding the so-called “Humanitarian Initiative”, Italy shares the concern about the catastrophic consequences associated with the use of nuclear weapons; for this reason, it maintains an approach aimed at strengthening the NPT through an incremental and synergistic process amongst its three pillars. This approach is based on the principle of international stability and its ultimate objective is to achieve verifiable, irreversible and effective disarmament.
For Italy, this objective can only be achieved through a progressive approach capable of involving the widest range possible of relevant actors, starting with nuclear-weapon states. For this reason, Italy, while acknowledging the ultimate goal of a world free from nuclear weapons and recognizing the role played by parliaments and civil society in this context, has expressed reservations from the outset about the initiative aimed at the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), a legal instrument that binds only the signatory countries, none of which is militarily nuclear. The debate on the TPNW is also taking place in a context of a progressive erosion of the international architecture, where the Russian aggression in Ukraine has further undermined trust among the main actors in the nuclear field. Italy has therefore voted against the resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly that promote the adoption of the TPNW and has not participated as an observer in the first two Meetings of States Parties in Vienna (2022) and New York (2023).
Italy is consistently committed to the creation of appropriate conditions for the implementation of Article VI of the NPT, emphasizing shared elements. Convinced that disarmament and non-proliferation cannot be separated, Italy supports the immediate begin of negotiations at the Conference on Disarmament for a Treaty on the Prohibition of the Production of Fissile Material for Nuclear Weapons and Other Nuclear Explosive Devices (FMCT). Meanwhile, Italy advocates for a moratorium on the production of fissile material.
Italy supports the timely entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). During the 2021-2023 period, under Italy’s co-Presidency of the Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the CTBT (Conference on Article XIV), eight new countries acceded to the Treaty.
Among Italy’s other priorities, it is noteworthy to mention the full implementation of a system of Negative Security Assurances and the universalization of the IAEA Additional Protocols concerning verification and safeguards. Finally, Italy has consistently worked to contribute to the goal of convening a Conference on the establishment of a zone free from weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, based on a consensual process and with the participation of all States in the region, on the basis of agreements arrived at among themselves.
Main Statements
Second Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference, Geneva, July 22 – August 2, 2024:
Amb. Bencini:
- General Debate Video
- Intervention during the General Debate exercising the right of reply Video
- Cluster I
- Cluster III
- Cluster III specific issues
Cons. Eugenio Poti
Documents and Resources
2020 NPT Review Conference: Second Session of the Preparatory Committee (2018)
2020 NPT Review Conference: First Session of the Preparatory Committee (2017)
Final Document and Plan of Action of the 2010 NPT Review Conference
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Arms Control Association: The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty at a Glance