G8 Foreign Ministers Statement on Nuclear Non-Proliferation, Disarmament and Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy

Analytical Studies > Analysis on Muskoka Summit
Summits > Road to the Muskoka Summit
G8 Foreign Ministers Meetings

G8 Foreign Ministers’ Statement on Nuclear Non-Proliferation, Disarmament and Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy:
A Contribution to the 2010 NTP Review Conference

Gatineau, Quebec, March 30, 2010

See Backgrounder on Nuclear Nonproliferation, Arms Control and Disarmament

We, the foreign ministers of the G8, affirm our unequivocal support for the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as the cornerstone of the nuclear non-proliferation regime and the essential foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament and the promotion of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The upcoming NPT Review Conference in May is an opportunity to work together to reaffirm the authority of this key collective security instrument in the interest of our global security and to strengthen it.

We will continue to consult with NPT partners ahead of and during the Review Conference in order to find common ground. In this regard, today’s discussion with NPT Review Conference President-elect Ambassador Libran Cabactulan was productive and reinforced our common goal for the adoption by the Review Conference of a balanced and concrete outcome document that contains a follow-up action plan, balancing rights, responsibilities and actions on all pillars of the Treaty.

We are committed to seeking a safer world for all and to creating the conditions for a world without nuclear weapons, in accordance with the goals of the NPT. We reiterate our enduring commitment to the fulfilment of our shared obligations to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to nuclear arms reduction and disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control. We recognize that further demonstrable and concrete progress on all three mutually reinforcing pillars – on disarmament, including nuclear disarmament, peaceful uses, and non-proliferation – is important to support and strengthen the international non-proliferation regime. We will redouble efforts on practical measures to accomplish that purpose, such as the pursuit of comprehensive reductions of nuclear arsenals. We emphasize the importance of applying the principle of irreversibility, as well as increased transparency, in a way that promotes international stability and undiminished security for all, in the process of working toward the elimination of nuclear weapons. We call on all states to join us in this endeavour. We welcome the conclusion of negotiations of the verifiable Treaty between the United States and the Russian Federation on Measures for Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms that will enhance predictability and stability, and thus global security. We also welcome the concrete disarmament actions taken by France and the United Kingdom.

We pledge to continue our efforts for the permanent and legally binding cessation of all nuclear weapons-test explosions or any other nuclear explosion through the swift entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and call upon all states to join our efforts and uphold the moratorium on testing. We also call for a ban on the production of fissile materials for use in nuclear weapons through the immediate commencement of negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT) at the Conference on Disarmament, with verification provisions, on the basis of its programme of work adopted in 2009, and call upon all states concerned to declare and uphold a immediate moratorium on the production of such material.

We will expand our support for the peaceful applications of nuclear energy, science and technology that can benefit all. We will cooperate with countries which intend to develop such programs, particularly in the areas of power generation, healthcare and food security and will help them to meet essential requirements regarding safety, security, non-proliferation and protection of the environment for future generations. To this end, we welcome the specific contribution of the International Conference on Access to Civil Nuclear Energy held in Paris earlier this month.

We also strongly support the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) efforts to broaden access to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, including the development of multilateral approaches to the nuclear fuel cycle such as assurances of fuel supply and fuel services. In this regard, we welcome the decision in November 2009 by the Board of Governors on the establishment in Russia of a reserve of low enriched uranium for the IAEA Member States, as well as other proposals for the assured supply of nuclear fuel.

We believe that nuclear security is not only essential for the responsible and sustainable development of peaceful uses of nuclear energy, but also for the prevention of nuclear terrorism, one of the most serious threats to international peace and security today. To this end, we welcome the upcoming Nuclear Security Summit and support its objectives.

Proliferation represents a threat to international peace and security and to the fundamental goals of the non-proliferation regime. We reiterate our serious concerns about the proliferation risks posed by Iran’s nuclear program, and underscore the importance of Iran’s full and immediate compliance with its international obligations. We also strongly urge North Korea to return to the Six-Party Talks without pre-condition, and to fulfill its commitments, including the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in accordance with the September 2005 Joint Statement. The upcoming Review Conference presents States Party with a timely opportunity to reaffirm the international resolve on how to respond to proliferation threats, strengthen verification and compliance measures, and address possible abuses of the withdrawal provision. The Treaty is our collective asset: its benefits can be fully realized only when all States Party are in full compliance with their obligations and demonstrate their full commitment to achieving its objectives.

To build confidence in peaceful nuclear activities, experience has demonstrated that a Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA, together with an Additional Protocol should become the new universally accepted standard. Furthermore, the IAEA must be able to use its authority to investigate indications of non-compliance with safeguards obligations and to report in accordance with its Statute such non-compliance to the United Nations Security Council. In this regard, we believe that the IAEA must have the resources to carry out these activities and apply effective safeguards. G8 members stand ready to consider requests for necessary technical assistance for capacity-building to fulfill safeguards, safety and security requirements for those countries willing to do so.

We reaffirm that the Resolution on the Middle East was an essential element of the outcome of the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference. We will therefore work with all interested states to take practical steps towards implementing the Resolution in its entirety. In particular, we reaffirm our support for the creation of a zone free of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery in the Middle East and welcome Russian and other specific proposals to this end. We also reaffirm our commitment to relevant decisions adopted at the 1995 Conference and the Final Document adopted at the 2000 NPT Review Conference.

We will work collectively to strengthen the institutional framework of the Treaty, which will contribute to its effective and efficient implementation. We reiterate our call on states that are not party to the NPT to accede to the Treaty as non-nuclear weapons states so as to achieve its universality and, pending their accession to the Treaty, to adhere to its terms. We will continue to report regularly on progress made under the Treaty and are encouraging all NPT States Party to do the same in order to allow for further confidence-building at the Review Conference.

We believe that political leadership at the Review Conference will be of critical importance to collectively reaffirm our shared resolve to achieve the goals of the NPT. We commit to have our respective delegations led at a high level and urge other States Party to do the same.

Our goal is a safer and more secure world for all. We strongly believe that the objectives described in this statement will contribute to the success of the NPT Review Conference in May, and that they are worthy of consideration and support by all States Party. Doing so will enhance our collective security and contribute to the full and universal implementation of the Treaty.

Source: Muskoka 2010 G8 [Official website]

—	This Information System is provided by the University of Toronto Libraries and the G7 Research Group at the University of Toronto.
	Please send comments to: g7@utoronto.ca This page was last updated August 15, 2024.