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For immediate release - 29 May 2010
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Statement on the Conclusion of the NPT Review Conference

The recently revived momentum for nuclear disarmament received a further impetus by the adoption, by consensus, of the Conclusions and Recommendations of the Final Declaration at the conclusion of the Eighth Review Conference of the states parties of the Treaty for the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in New York on 28^th May.

After 2005 the NPT could not have had another Review Conference without an agreed Final Document and it is a tribute to the 172 states parties present (out of a total of 190) that they agreed on a document strengthening all three pillars of the treaty – nonproliferation, disarmament and peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The newly adopted separation of the Final Declaration into a Review section which was noted and a Conclusion and Recommendations part including a 64 point Action Plan which was adopted by consensus augurs well for the future.

The most significant achievement was the agreement on the implementation of the 1995 Resolution on the Middle East – fifteen years later – for which Pugwash had worked hard convening a specially focused side event during the Conference and lobbying many governments on this. The convening of a conference in 2012 on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction and the appointment of a Facilitator to consult and prepare the conference with responsibilities after the Conference are major steps forward. The acknowledgment in the document of “the important role played by civil society in contributing to the implementation of the resolution” is an encouragement to Pugwash to continue its efforts.

While an optimum result on nuclear disarmament was diluted by resistance from nuclear weapon states the action plan is, by common consent, an advance over the 2000 Review Conference document. All state parties are committed to pursue irreversible, verifiable and transparent policies with the objective of achieving a world without nuclear weapons and nuclear weapon states will implement their unequivocal undertaking to eliminate their nuclear weapons totally.  The Conference noted the UN Secretary-General’s Five-Point Proposal for Nuclear Disarmament, which includes negotiation of a Nuclear Weapons Convention while the nuclear weapon states committed themselves to accelerate nuclear disarmament engaging promptly on a number of specific issues.

The encouraging outcome is a result of new political leadership in the world and a strong current of global public opinion channeled by civil society organizations. This synergy must grow despite obstacles that may arise so that the goal of a nuclear weapon free world is reached sooner than later.

Recent NPT and related resources available from www.pugwash.org:

• Pugwash Milan Document on Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, January 2010.
• "Making Concrete Steps Towards a Middle East Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction: Role of a UN Nominated Representative (or Advisor)." This is an appendix to the report of 15 May 2010 Pugwash NPT Consultation, New York City. 
• Report of 8 May 2010 Pugwash NPT Consultation, New York City.
• Statement to the NPT Review Conference NGO Session, Jayantha Dhanapala, 7 May 2010.
• "Perspectives for Progress: The 2010 NPT Review Conference and Beyond" which includes contributions from 20 leading experts and practitioners from around the world (127 pages).
• "Planning for the 2010 NPT Review Conference: A Practitioner's Overview" a Pugwash Issue Brief by Jayantha Dhanapala (32 pages)
• Report of delegation of former European ministers to Moscow, April 2010.
• Composite Report of Pugwash Consultations on Pakistan, March 2010.
• Report of delegation of former European ministers to Washington, DC, March 2010.
• Report of Roundtable on Nuclear Weapons Policies and the NATO Strategic Concept Review, London, January 2010.
• Report of Pugwash Consultations on CTBT Entry Into Force, January 2010.